Keller @ Large: Why Would Scott Brown Run For Anything?

BOSTON (CBS) ---- Good scoop for Dan Rea last night on WBZ Radio's "Nightside," as former Sen. Scott Brown chose his program to announce that he won't be running for governor next year.

Listen to Jon's commentary

And despite strenuous efforts to reserve all options, it sounds to me like Brown won't be running for anything in the foreseeable future, not senator from New Hampshire or Massachusetts, and certainly not for president.

And why would he?

Those campaigns are grueling exercises for which, starting yesterday, Brown would have to devote nearly every waking moment to fundraising, organizing and fending off unwelcome questions from the media.

Instead, he is free to continue sharing his thoughts and promoting his brand on various Fox News forums, raking in dough from assorted positions he holds on corporate boards and elsewhere, and enjoying his family and celebrity.

His eldest daughter just got engaged, and as Brown put it last night: "I have a wedding to plan."

OK, I don't really see Brown spending too much time agonizing over the chiffon versus the taffeta bridesmaid dresses.

But who among us could blame him if he chose never to run again?

After all, his efforts to be bipartisan during his brief time in the Senate went unrewarded by the voters. He promises to continue promoting bipartisan compromise, and the truth is he can probably do so much more effectively from the outside than the inside.

Let's not overly lionize Scott Brown. At times, like when he left local Republicans hanging way too long before passing on the last US Senate race, his behavior can be self-serving.

But if this is truly it for Brown's political career, it's yet another sign of how there's little room left for someone who doesn't fit the lazy, foolish partisanship that has our political culture in its sleazy grip.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.