The SouthtownStar's Kristen McQueary argues today that Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan should recede from political office if Attorney General Lisa Madigan opts to run for governor:

If the recently adjourned legislative session reinforced a consequential issue, it was this: If Attorney General Lisa Madigan runs for governor, her father better get comfortable with retirement.

And I don't mean retirement half way. I mean all the way: house slippers, bird watching, 7 a.m. at McDonald's, coupon cutting, Jello eating, AARP donating, Wheel of Fortune-watching, cholesterol-checking retirement, where Madigan's briefcase merely will be an accessory.

No more Speaker of the House. No more chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. No more state representative from the Southwest Side.

The prospect of a Madigan in both the governor's and speaker's chair is indeed untenable, as we've previously pointed out.  From a political standpoint, it's the kind of thing that would surely be exploited by Ms. Madigan's opponents in the primary or general.  As Paul Meinke said in April, "I think she'd have a real hard time hopping that hurdle." Meanwhile, the constant speculating about familial maneuvering would hamper her legislative agenda if she were ultimately elected.  

But would Michael Madigan give up both the speaker's gavel and his leadership of the Democratic Party of Illinois? The latter seems hard to imagine.