The Real Reason They Run

California's Sen. Barbara Boxer announced her retirement recently, which may be the big story, but Californians — and anyone interested in politics — owe an obscure political consultant a considerable debt for his blunt honesty here:

“There's a lot of pent-up demand among Democratic officeholders for opportunities to advance their careers,” said Parke Skelton, a Democratic strategist. “This is like a keystone coming out of the bridge.”

Because "public service" no longer has anything to do with public office anymore; it's really all about the career ambitions of the politicians involved. Well, it's probably been a long time since anything else has been a factor, but the reminder is a good one.