Frist to challenge Lott for Republican leadership.

Fox News | 12/19/02

[Sparta]

John Gibson is reporting that Frist will challenge Lott for Senate Majority Leader. Details coming soon.

[Sparta]

Let the games begin.

[Right Wing Professor]

Thank heavens! I was worried Lott was going to be able to pull this one out.

With a real candidate out there, and the backing of the President, game's over.

[WILLIALAL]

This had to come directly from the White House.

[SunStar]

Game, set, match. Time's Up Trent!

[w_over_w]

I like this guy . . . he "gets it" and has Bush's full confidence. Let's get this bloody segregation issue behind us and start segregating terrorist cells in America to Lucifer . . . uh . . . I mean Allah.

[Uncle Hal]

Frist is a big favorite of the White House. If this report is true, then Bush is behind it and Lott is toast.

[LS]

Yes, but will he go through with his blackmail to leave the Senate? Not good, if that is the case.

[inkling]

HALLELUJAH!

[Tree of Liberty]

UPDATE: Fox News reporting that Don Nickles is throwing his support behind Frist

[BlessedAmerican]

Hooray! I am still predicting that Lott will step down late in the afternoon tomorrow. Maybe the pressure of Frist stepping forward will encourage Lott to do the right thing and give up the leadership.

[jcsmonogram]

Yes, but will he go through with his blackmail to leave the Senate? Not good, if that is the case.

He stated yesterday from the steps of the Broadwater Beach Hotel in Biloxi that even if he is voted out, he'll remain as a Senator. I'm paraphrasing, but he said that he "had a contract with the people of Mississippi to serve a 6-year term," and that he would finish it, as Leader or not.

I think all the talk of him resigning was Democrat Wishful-thinking.

Jeff

[areafiftyone]

Good News. For a while there I thought Frist wasn't going to even challenge him.

[cyncooper]

The way Fox is reporting this is their on-screen type states "Frist will challenge for Majority Leader" (paraphrase), but when the reporters talk about it they say that Frist is considering challenging.

I agree, though, my first thought was the WH is behind this as they observed the Lott team dig in its heels.

[Reagan Man]

Bill Frist or Mitch McConnell would be the logical choices. Even though McConnell is one of Lott's assistants, if the opportunity opened, I think he would go for it. It would be interesting to see Frist go toe to toe with the Senate Democrats. Intellect versus pinhead liberalism. We shall see.

[SBprone]

If this is true then Bush has finally gotten off the dime. I don't know how those Senators could be expected to ditch Lott without having someone of substance to support for ML. Frist is the real deal and I can't believe Bush kept him on the bench all this time.

Memo to GW: It's your team. You've got the headset and the clipboard. Send in a GD play why don't you!

[WilliamWallace1999]

Sounds like the deals are cut and the rest is window dressing.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Yes, but will he go through with his blackmail to leave the Senate?

Did he ever threaten to leave the Senate? On the contrary, he always said he would fulfill his term of office.

All this "leaving the Senate" talk was started by D'Amato who has his own problems with a mouth that runs before his brain gets in gear. D'Amato knows so much that he isn't even a Senator any more.

[Sparta]

Doesn't McConnell have some problems with Second Amendment votes? Many Freepers consider him a RINO. (Even though he fought McStain-Feingold)