This article is from the archive of our partner .

Scott Brown will soon be out of a job, and it's no real secret that he will become the leading contender — even with new competition — in a special election to fill John Kerry's soon-to-be vacant Senate seat. So why the heck is he making all this stuff up?

Brown has no clear job prospects once his current term as Senator ends and he is replaced by Elizabeth Warren. Kerry, of course, has been tapped as Hillary Clinton's successor at the State Department. Two men on two very different paths. But Brown wants Kerry's old job, presumably, because everyone is pretty sure he does.

So it surprised a lot of people today when Brown announced, on his way to board a plane back to Washington one last time — and on Facebook no less — that the president had made a new offer on the fiscal cliff ... that didn't exist. There's some indication he might not be completely making it up, but almost all signs point to him making it up.

Brown's going to face some stiff competition back home, too. Longtime Democratic congressman Edward Markey officially threw his name in the hat today. He's served in Congress since 1976, so it's not like people don't know who he is. He's been around forever. Brown won't have to worry about Ted Kennedy Jr., another suspected heavyweight contender for Kerry's seat, dropped out of the race. (Or Ben Affleck, for that matter.) Reps. Mike Capuano and Stephen Lynch are both expected to enter the race, too, but we suspect it will be Markey vs. Brown that has top billing.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.