Patrick Leahy

State Auditor Tom SalmonVermont Republican Party Chairman Rob Roper's remarks regarding the military deployment of State Auditor Tom Salmon to the Middle East have sparked wide controversy among politicians across the state.

An Associated Press article cited the state GOP leader as saying that "the voters in Vermont should have the option of having someone in the office who will be on the job on day one. Salmon won't even be here when the Legislature gets back."

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy: Getty Images PhotoU.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Middlesex) seems to be everywhere these days, from fighting to ban cluster bombs in Dublin to challenging big oil company executives on the Senate floor. He'll even make an appearance in this summer's eagerly awaited Batman flick, "The Dark Knight."

Although Leahy himself, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, is no superhero, his political prowess is matched by few. Congress.org, a non-partisan website that ranks politicians' influence in Washington, named Leahy the fourth most-powerful U.S. senator in the nation and the fourth most-powerful man in the Democratic Party.

But few could have predicted Leahy's rise to power, his longevity or his success. First elected in 1974, he became the first and only Democrat to represent Vermont in the U.S. Senate; at the age of 34, he was the youngest as well.

Progressive Party gubernatorial candidate Anthony Pollina held a rally on Thursday, yet led most observers to believe that he was going to announce his challenge to Brian Dubie for lieutenant governor. Speculation on the morning news was that Pollina would bow out of the race for governor, giving former House Speaker Gaye Symington, a Democrat, a clear shot to unseat Republican Gov. Jim Douglas this fall. And the Progressives and Democrats would be again lining up their interests for the greater good.

But it was not to be ... Pollina announced to Vermont he was staying put and going to act the spoiler.

Democrats are likely watching their chances to take the governorship slip away.

As U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy's stock rises, state Republican Party chief Rob Roper is facing an ugly fall. Here are Vermont's Winners & Losers for May 23, 2008.

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy: Getty Images PhotoWCAX-TV/Channel 3 out of Burlington is reporting a conversation with Vermont's senior U.S. senator, Patrick Leahy (D-Middlesex). Several weeks ago, we reported on the possibility that Leahy, who currently chairs the Judiciary Committee, could rise to the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee, currently chaired by U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, the aging West Virginia Democrat.

Don't expect Vermont's U.S. senators to be a presidential runningmate. In a survey of the U.S. Senate's membership not already running for president on whether they'd accept an offer to be vice president, The Hill newspaper found a variety of responses to the veepstakes question. Some were accompanied by laughs, others took the question seriously.

So, how did Independent Bernie Sanders and Democrat Patrick Leahy respond?

See U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy?Look to the right of the Joker and it looks as though Patrick Leahy is being stopped by some armed man? Did Vermont's senior U.S. senator get a part in the new "Batman" movie?

Yes he did.

That shows some real power.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Madeleine Kunin, former governor and co-chairwoman for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in Vermont, says Sen. Clinton should keep pursuing the Democratic nomination.

Reacting to Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy's comments on Vermont Public Radio that Clinton should bow out of the race for the good of her party, Kunin said, "It is not the time to drop out, it's her decision."

Kunin, Vermont's first and only female governor, is currently on tour promoting her new book, "Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead."

If Barack Obama is the Democratic presidential nominee and wins the White House, and our senior Senator is named chairman of the Appropriations Committee, it would be a windfall for Vermont.

Patrick Leahy would be a true king maker and he may get the king’s purse. Appropriations chairman would likely make Leahy officially the most powerful member of Congress.