UM System Uniter or GOP Lapdog?

(NOTE:  My original post had a mistake in my scholarship.  I was wrong about the historical precedent of university presidents in Missouri becoming elected officials after their presidency.  Many thanks to Grasshopper for pointing this out.  I apologize to the board for my unscholarly error and have amended this post.) 

Well, it's official.  Kenny really does have his hat in the ring for the MU presidency.

Two things concern me with this news. 

First of all, the University of Missouri has proven to be quite a handful to manage even when you have impeccable academic credentials.  It involves the ability to maneuver one's way through a variety of factions, to bring both sides of a lot of aisles together.  Unfortunately, the thing that seems to be Kenny's most noticeable quality is the ability to show undying loyalty to one side of the aisle in Congress.  I'm not sure that's a strong suit in managing a university. 

The other concern to me is the speed of this selection, especially when you consider the fact that six of the nine curators are Matt Blunt appointees.  This fact alone makes this process smell with the overripe taint of "eau de political agenda". 

Is this a done deal?  I hope not.