Deval Patrick has been making news lately with the State of the Commonwealth and his public support of presidential candidate Barack Obama. But what of Massachusetts' other top dog, Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi? Bostonist read Paul McMorrow's lengthy Boston Magazine profile of the Speaker of the House and found the article too interesting not to sum up.

McMorrow shows how DiMasi's success has been the result of good instincts, understated intelligence, a quick wit, and quite a bit of being at the right place at the right time. McMorrow also provides the best description we've seen so far of the inherent tension between the head legislator and Governor Deval Patrick. While DiMasi hammers out legislation with his colleagues in private, Patrick "doesn't float trial balloons so much as trial zeppelins, issuing flurries of press releases addressing some problem or other, and then hoping the proposals, backed by his sweeping oratory, will win over the legislature..."

Patrick ran as a progressive agent of change, so he needs to eventually be able to point to policy victories. Which means, unless President Hillary Clinton makes the North End's favorite son the ambassador to Italy, Patrick will have to find a way to work with DiMasi. The governor could start by reading this article.