The senator who is free to say what he thinks, without regard to the political consequences, has winnowed the problems of the Senate down to something that is getting in the way of good governance.

Sen. William “Mo” Cowan, D-Mass., is a unique senator who has watched his colleagues during the past six months, while not worrying or spending time raising campaign funds, attending fundraising events, or wondering whether a policy position will damage his fundraising from his base of contributors.

In a Washington Post article today Cowan states, “I think money has such a persuasive, pernicious influence on governing around here that it’s getting in the way. … And perhaps it’s not even money; it’s the fear of what may happen to you if you’re seen as capitulating or compromising too much or violating the principles of your given base.”

Says Cowan, “The absence of a campaign, the absence of a need to raise money does put me in a somewhat advantageous situation.”

Perhaps he will tell us more in the future of what he saw and heard on the inside.