Quick now--what’s state Sen. Tim Grendell , R-Chester Township, got in common with Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, who people wanted to run for president?

“If elected, I will not serve,” historians now quote Sherman in an abbreviated version of his statement.

On Nov. 2, Grendell the senator ran for and won a seat as Grendell the representative in the Ohio House.

He now says now that, yes, he got elected as a representative. But no, he said,  he will not serve in the lower chamber but will serve in the upper chamber. Sound familiar?

Sherman’s same brief quip was used by President Lyndon B. Johnson when asked if he’d seek re-election and by Vice President Al Gore when asked if he’d run for the presidency.

Reacting the same was Gov. Ted Strickland. He  was elected in 2007. Then even before he took office as governor, he was  rumored to be the wannabe vice president as  the 2008 running mate with President Barack Obama.

“Absolutely not,” Strickland quipped back then. “If drafted I will not run, if nominated I will not accept and if elected I will not serve. So, I don’t know how more crystal clear I can be.”

Whoever wants to be named to the vacant Ohio House seat that Grendell won but will not accept?

The applicant's  slogan nowadays could be: “If I am appointed, I will serve.”

P.S. Hmm. If not Republican Grendell for the Ohio House in Columbus, might it be Grendell for the  U.S. House in D.C.? You know,  if  U.S. Rep Steve LaTourette, R-Bainbridge Township, doesn’t seek re-election in 2012?

LaTourette? Has it been reported yet that he just got appointed to the U.S. House Steering Committee, which picks leaders of key committees in the next Congress?

If LaTourette picked himself as a gavel holder, could he accept the chairmanship, but then decline? "If appointed, I will not serve." Or something. (Just kidding.)

P.P.S. Does Grendell have two live campaign warchests? Is  it one committee disclosure sheet for the Ohio House and one for the Ohio Senate?

--David W. Jones

Publish Post