Much Ado About Byrd

What's next in the appointment/election replacement for the vacated West Virginia Senate seat?  According to CNN, Senator Jay Rockefeller believes the late Senator Byrd will be replaced by Friday.

As CNN points out,

The decision over replacing the nation's longest-serving senator has been slowed down by competing interpretations of West Virginia's succession law, which states that any term of more than 30 months requires a special election. Byrd died with just a few days over 30 months left in his term, which was to expire January 3, 2013.

Manchin has called a special session of the West Virginia legislature to meet Thursday in order to clarify the law. The Democratic governor is expected to appoint a member of his party and has indicated he may run for the seat himself in the future.

As I pointed out previously, it would seem relatively clear cut. But as always, politics plays a role. It would seem a replacement is more likely than a special election.  And despite the fact that there are protestations to the contrary, it is distinctly possible the Governor will appoint himself.