Announcement coming on Sen. Kerry’s temp replacement

>>> what does that mean?

>> anybody but --

>> no, don't be like that.

>> this is a chance for you to make history, are you going to make history?

>> well, i'm going to make an appointment of somebody who i think will be competent, and will be a goo steward.

>> deval patrick is expected to announce wednesday who will fill john kerry 's senate seat. the appointment would fill the seat until a special election is held june 25th . the governor is lucky enough to have an experienced former house of representatives chairman who has volunteered to be the interim senator. barney frank has offered his services to the senate. and here is deval patrick 's reaction.

>> has he totally annoyed you?

>> he is a compelling candidate for that appointment. he is a fabulous congressman, and would make a great senator. unfortunately, we have a few others on the list who are also compelling.

>> are you close to making a decision? have you narrowed it down to one or two people?

>> i'm close, yes.

>> have you approached the person you're thinking about?

>> we've talked, i should say my team has talked with all or most of the candidates.

>> here is what barney frank had to say about all of this tonight.

>> i want to respect the governor's choice on this, i had not previously been interested in it. i was ready to make a little money doing some things, making speeches and writing a book. and then i saw the important decisions coming up, so i expressed my interest doing it.

>> ari, i have breaking news for you. i want you to include this as a factor in your analysis. governor patrick is going to announce his choice on wednesday. and after doing that, he has committed to coming on this program with me to discuss that choice. could he possibly be coming here to tell me why he chose someone other than barney frank , which will make absolutely no sense to me if he does that?

>> well, you showed the interviewer asking if he would make history. i guess it would make some sort of history, following your engineering, if he comes to barney frank headquarters on what would be a disappointing day here at "the last word."

>> well, that was -- he indicated he suspects, the local boston reporter suspects it is a woman candidate. and i guess the history would be the first woman senator from massachusetts. but the women mentioned -- one is a former chief justice, massachusetts -- with absolutely no legislative experience. it would be a very peculiar sacrifice of experience if you chose anyone other than barney frank , because there is no one in the mix who has actual experience in legislating in washington.

>> yeah, i mean, i think judge marshal's name has been floated. and there are judges who have gone on to be big effective senators, george mitchell , of course, being a classic example. but it is not common. barney frank , and you, have outlined a very substantive case. and for most who have watched politics from a distance, it makes sense if you have a job are limited time you want somebody with experience, the way you want somebody who played in the minors, before you have them play in the majors, particularly if it is only for a few games.

>> like you and me, of course, he used to be a senate staffer before he ever went off into his judicial career.

>> people always tell me that lawrence o'donnell and ari remind them of george mitchell .

>> same guy, thanks, ari. "the