CHICAGO (AP) — When Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. disappeared from Washington last month for a mysterious medical leave, it took weeks for anyone there to even notice.

It was a measure of the disconnect between his famous name and his stature on Capitol Hill. The 47-year-old son of the legendary civil rights leader has instead become simply a congressman who can deliver the pork back home.

Jackson arrived in Washington 17 years ago with a star quality that set him apart from his 434 colleagues in the House. Yet he has never lived up to those high expectations on the national stage, gaining a reputation in the nation's capital for quixotic pursuits such as trying to impeach President George W. Bush and push through constitutional amendments that had no chance at all.