Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right

Here I am stuck in the middle with Pat Tiberi.

News is coming rapidly today (check out BSB or Ohio Daily Blog for up-to-the-minute updates), but apparently Deborah Pryce is retiring in OH-15, setting up an anticipated Petro-Kilroy race, and Dave Hobson is reportedly retiring (Update -- The 8/16 Dispatch is reporting a statement from Hobson "As of today, I'm running again...") in OH-07, setting up a match between his hand-picked successor Steve Austria and former Democratic challenger William Conner.

Two of three Franklin County seats will be open. The third seat is OH-12, in which Pat Tiberi is raising large sums of money to defeat... well, nobody yet. I can understand the reluctance to run against Mr. Tiberi, he defeated a well-funded challenger in a "toxic" year for Republicans last time out, but it is important that we contest the seat with a viable alternative. If not, all of Pat's time and disposable warchest can/will be spent attempting to get Petro and Austria elected. That's an advantage we really shouldn't be giving them.