Embarrassed Walker quits gov's race

Apparently Scott Walker did think that the embarrassingly juvenile piece about Jim Doyle and the trial lawyers was funny. I said this afternoon:

Does Walker think this is even remotely humorous? If so, it disqualifies him from being governor and he should just drop out now.

So he did. At least that's the way Spivak and Bice suggest it went down.

Seriously, I can't imagine that anyone saw this coming. I thought Walker would fight to the last breath, or at least as long as it appeared he had at least a shot at winning the Republican primary.

What changed? Well, it's no coincidence that Republican national chairman Ken Mehlman was in town this week. You have to assume that part of his mission in Wisconsin was to clear the field for Bush's favorite son, Mark Green.

How'd Mehlman do it? Some sort of political payoff. There's probably a federal job in Walker's future (FEMA would be about right). Or there's a promise to help him in a run for another office, or both. The other possibility is a role in a Green administration, but that seems like too much of a longshot to buy him off. Watch and see.

Walker has already promised more than once that he won't run for another term as county executive, so he will be looking for opportunities.

What does this mean for the governor's race? Clearly, Democrats would have preferred to see a couple of Repubs bash each other around until September, leaving the primary winner bloodied and broke. So that helps Green.

Walker was a strong candidate in southeastern Wisconsin, including Milwaukee County. But support from Walker's base is not transferable. Walker cannot deliver those votes to Green, even if he campaigns hard for him. Green is still an unknown right-wing Congressman from Green Bay, and a hard sell in heavily Democratic Milwaukee County.

Morning-after thoughts.