I don't presume to know all of the reasons Underwood lost in '00, but do know - from covering some of Wise's campaign stops as a reporter - that it couldn't have hurt him (Wise) that he promised the sun, moon and stars to senior citizens wherever he went. By now, they all should have received all those free prescription drugs that were expressly or impliedly promised, but I doubt they'll remember that Wise failed to deliver, come 2004.
Just put a smile on your face, find a comfortable spot, and wait for the implosion...er, I mean, entertainment to begin.
I had strong concerns that he wasn't likely to win reelection in '00 namely because of how he won in '96. Had the 'Rats not put up a lunatic like Charlotte Pritt as the Gubernatorial nominee, Underwood never would have won (I believe even Gaston Caperton cast his vote for Underwood). Underwood was a nice man and ran a fairly clean outfit, but I'm not sure he ever projected that he was aggressively leading the state and bringing in the jobs (not to say he wasn't, since he was, just that how it was perceived after the 'Rat attacks). The question is whether we have anyone that could take down Wise next year (because no matter his failures to deliver on his promises, a 'Rat is always going to have an advantage in that state, sad to say). It's hard to ignore the fact that the only two Republicans of any conceivable stature (especially ones who can raise serious money) who have won since '56 are Underwood and Arch Moore, and neither one is going to be running next year (although Arch's daughter has potential, I think we should hold Shelley in reserve until Byrd buys the farm).