"I'm exactly where I want to be. This is the best job in the world."

Those were the words of Sen. John Kerry, newly elected Senator from Massachusetts in February, 1985, as quoted in the Boston Globe. At the time, he also made his intent for committee membership clear. Small Business was his first pick. A low profile committee appointment, but to a young Senator with a desire to help his constituents, a critical one.

Senator Kerry has remained on the Small Business Committee to this day, and currently as Chairman has become a champion for small businesses that employ the majority of Americans.

The Senate Small Business Committee may be low profile, but it's also vitally important to the millions of small business owners who depend on the committee to look out for their interests. Yet, despite the importance of small businesses to a huge number of Massachusetts residents, Senator Kerry's Democratic 'challenger' has no interest, and has proclaimed “It’s not an important committee – it’s small business.” Well that's pretty clueless, Ed, though not unexpected. Between us, Ed's not the sharpest tool in the shed. There's video at the link if you need evidence, although I doubt it's the best use of your time. Even if you've got lots of time.

Elias at The Chimes at Midnight described Ed pretty well in a post the other day (4-21), and although my only experience with him was in a diary at kos, which he abandoned after being pretty well thrashed and exposed as a swift boat enabler, and a glimpse of him lurking behind a post at Faneuil Hall after one of the Senator's speeches, I came away both times with the impression that he was just a bit creepy. Elias calls him a 'tedious vengeful fake'. We can argue the fine points.

So, instead of the interview with Ed, and in honor of Small Business Week, I recommend a visit to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship website, where you can see how its chairman, the person with 'the best job in the world', stands up for small business owners and good jobs for Americans.

Happy Small Business Week to the Senator, the committee, and small business owners everywhere!