New Jersey Nets

The Star-Ledger reported yesterday that the Governor Jon Corzine's administration is considering a proposal from jailed developer/McGreevey fundraiser/video producer Charles Kushner and embattled ex-U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli to operate a for-profit medical school in New Jersey; today the same newspaper broke the story that Kushner is being moved from a federal prison in Alabama to a halfway house in New Jersey after serving just half of his sentence. One might think that a story that involves Kushner and Torricelli gives New Jersey Republicans a great opportunity to take a shot at their rivals -- yet by 5 PM today there has been no Republican comment.

Corzine is in a bad spot. One of his aides complained that the medical school plan began when James E. McGreevey was Governor and progressed under Richard Codey's tenure in office; Codey declined to make a final decision, leaving it up to Corzine -- who was criticized by Republicans last year for his interest in purchasing the New Jersey Nets with Kushner in a deal brokered by the sometimes toxic Torricelli. If Corzine approves plan, which may not necessarily be bad public policy, the headlines of his doing favors for Kushner and Torricelli may be unavoidable.

Besides Bruce Springsteen, some fun and intriguing caretaker U.S. Senate appointments that will never happen:

* Alan Alda, has played three United States Senators in the movies and on television. While starring in M*A*S*H, Alda commuted to Hollywood from his home in Englewood so his daughters could grow up in New Jersey. The 69-year-old Democrat reportedly mulled a Senate bid in 1996 when Bill Bradley retired.

* Peter Benchley, best known for writing Jaws, started out as a White House speechwriter for President Lyndon B. Johnson. The 65-year-old Harvard graduate lives in Princeton, where his wife, Wendy Benchley, is a Councilwoman. They hosted a fundraiser for presidential candidate Howard Dean at their home in 2004.

* Harlan Coben, 42, is a best-selling mystery writer from Ridgewood who serves as an informal advisor to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. The Amherst College graduate recently wrote an New York Times Op-Ed piece slamming Senate Republicans for refusing to pass a resolution honoring Springsteen.

* Willis Reed would become the second Basketball Hall of Famer to represent New Jersey in the United States Senate. The 63-year-old Cedar Grove resident, who was Bill Bradley's teammate, later served as the Head Coach and General Manager of the New Jersey Nets. He would become New Jersey's first African American U.S. Senator.