What Do Senators Do?

Quadrennially, numerous senators throw their hat into the presidential race. The word quadrennial can mean either every fourth year or lasting for four years. For many senators, the latter definition seems more apt. They run, threaten to run, recover from running or advise someone else who's running (i.e. travel to interesting places). And yet, these are people with current jobs and, I assume, current responsibilities. But they have no qualms traipsing around the country while accepting the full-time guaranteed salary and benefits and pensions they receive as US Senators.

Connecticut voters in particular have to be confused by the presidential-wannabe-with-no-chance meanderings of Sens Dodd and Lieberman the past few years. Each moved out of state for a while. Lieberman to New Hampshire. Dodd to Iowa. Each may or may not have returned. Who knows and how can you tell. The other day for example, Lieberman was seen in Mexico with Senator Obama. Did he call in sick? Did I miss the memo?

All the while, Dodd may have been at lunch in Washington renegotiating the mortgages on his houses. But who'd know? Senators report to no one.

Several times during the Obama - Clinton cross-country lovefest, each was seen back in Washington to participate in a vote or to make a speech. Nice gesture, but hollow. How engaged could they possibly have been in the debate and the topic leading up to the vote? Their fly-ins make a mockery of the debates and discourse that are supposed to be a core element of being a Senator.

Or is it that the job of a US Senator not full-time? Has the wanderlust of Lieberman, Dodd, Obama, Clinton, McCain etc demonstrated the utter lack of necessity for having full-time Senators? Or any Senators? Let's face it, in midst of this historic economic meltdown, the only thing that kept the Senate's attention was Roger Clemens and Spygate.