How come no one is mentioning Kirsten Gillibrand as a Democratic rising star?

During the lame duck session of the 111th Congress, Senator Gillibrand scored two substantial legislative victories: the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Both were issues she had advocated for during that session. In the aftermath of these victories, many commentators opined that these victories marked her emergence on the national stage.

To top that off, she’s an excellent advocate for women’s rights, food programs for the poor, and looks great on TV (it’s this culture we’re talking about, after all…)