Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn did his best imitation of a pingpong ball in [last] Wednesday’s State of the State address, bouncing from one issue to the other with often the oddest of transitions. ...

Ultimately it goes to the ability to focus, a characteristic that has been sorely lacking in Springfield, no more so than over pensions, the significant reform of which the Legislature has routinely passed on even as the state’s credit rating has been downgraded to the lowest in the nation as a result.

Perhaps that explains why, in a speech just short of 40 minutes, the governor began with pension reform and ended with it, with yet another mention or two in between.