One day she's questioning Barack Obama's choice to head the C.I.A., the next day she's getting an apology from the president elect. One day she's defying Majority Leader Harry Reid and saying that Roland Burris should be seated in the Senate, the next day Reid and other Democrats are playing buddy-buddy with Burris.
Meanwhile, she's heading the inaugural ceremonies for the guy who just apologized to her. You can also see historical footage of Feinstein in the opening scenes of "Milk," the critically acclaimed film by Sean Penn about the slain San Francisco supervisor.
All this attention can't hurt but help Feinstein as she decides whether to run for governor or stay in Congress, where she will be the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee. It's a tough choice -- as the Associated Press's Erica Werner notes in a feature about Feinstein that has just hit the wires.
Feinstein said she hasn't yet decided, but she's always wanted the (governor's) job, which she came close to winning in 1990. She passed up the chance to run in the 2003 gubernatorial recall, when she was viewed as the only Democrat who could have beaten Schwarzenegger. Now, her new chairmanship provides powerful incentive to stay in Washington -- even as the prospect of being in a position to tame her unruly home state tugs her in the opposite direction, according to advisers.
This is terrific political theater. Nearly every major politician in California -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Leon Panetta, Gavin Newsom, John Garamendi and other possible gubernatorial candidates -- is waiting to see what Feinstein will decide. And Di-Fi seems to be in no hurry to provide them with further clarity. This is her moment. She's relishing it.
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