"To me at least, Frist conveys a sense of competence."
Competence? Gang of 14.
Thank you very much.
Do not knee-jerk spit at the gang of 14. Spit at them if you must, but only after mature reflection [and it takes time to accumulate the saliva, anyway]. During the coming years the ability to botch the rats [through filibuster among other means] could come handy - thus it might be not that bad that the tool is still there.