It's official. The one and only Peter Shumlin of Putney, reelected to the Vermont Senate after a four year absence, will get his president pro tem office back in January. He defeated State Sen. John Campbell at a Democratic Caucus in Randolph yesterday. That's Shummy (at right) with Ho-Ho in the old days.

Interesting.

Shumlin was one of those Ds who wanted to move up after Howard Dean departed for his presidential quest. Party elders talked him out of a gubernatorial primary with then-Lt. Gov. Doug Racine. Racine ran for governor and lost. Shumlin ran for Lite-Gov and got chewed up in a three-way with Republican Brian Dubie and Progressive Anthony Pollina.

Now Gov. Jim Douglas and Lt. Gov. Dubie are getting ready to start their third terms. Pollina's into value-added dairy products. And the Democrats are still just talking about universal health care.

Live and learn, eh?