Fresh Loaf

Late last week, the Georgia General Assembly finally caught up with CL’s informed prediction that lawmakers would announce a new schedule that sets the end of the session for April 3, rather than sometime in June.

Kasim Reed

The news that Georgia will not be forced to suffer through a prolonged sausage-making season was welcome to all sentient beings, but none more so than state Sen. Kasim Reed, D-Atlanta,

Reed, you may have heard, is running for mayor and, like all state lawmakers, he’s barred from any kind of campaign fund-raising while the General Assembly is in session. He entered the session in January with his campaign finances in good shape, with more cash on hand than his closest opponent, Councilwoman Mary Norwood. But not being able to resume fund-raising until mid-June would’ve been a campaign-killer for Reed.

If the session schedule hadn’t been changed, Reed confirms, he would’ve resigned his Senate seat. Now, folks leave office all the time to run for other posts – Reed will need to do that in August when he qualifies for the mayor’s race – but I’ve never heard of a state legislator abandoning his seat mid-General Assembly, unless it’s been for health reasons or imminent criminal charges (see Ron Sailor). Heck, even Sen. Charles Walker, D-Savannah, showed up for work while under federal indictment a few years back.

Reed has dodged a big bullet.

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AIG: U.S. taxpayers save the insurance giant from its own bad investments via the Fed’s historic $85 billion bailout, which, despite its unfairness, was needed to prevent the worldwide financial bedlam that would follow an AIG collapse.

STREET CRED: Wall Street’s free fall has given Obama an opening, but while he does poll better than McCain on the economy, he doesn’t poll as well as a generic Democrat against a generic Republican.

PALIN: Not ready to be Hewlett-Packard CEO, according to former HP chief and McCain economic adviser Carly Fiorina, who then dug herself an even deeper hole by adding that McCain couldn’t lead the company either.

ALDERMAN: The convicted murderer was executed Tuesday for the 1974 killing of his wife.

ERR LIKE A SAILOR: Disgraced former Georgia lawmaker Ron Sailor Jr. is sentenced to 63 months for fraud and money laundering.

FUEL AND FAR BETWEEN: Ike has left the city of Atlanta with just 15 days worth of fuel, prompting the closure of two fueling stations and a plea to city employees to conserve.

STANDOFFISH: A fugitive wanted in a 2006 Atlanta murder is arrested in Chicago after a standoff.

THE YOST IS CLEAR: After being unexpectedly fired by the Brewers, there’s some speculation that former Braves third base coach Ned Yost could end up back in Atlanta.

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