It would be wonderful if Dick resigned his post, then ran for President. I assume he'd have to give up his House seat to run for President, too. Buh-bye!
Pelosi sounds like she'd be worse than Dick, though, if that's possible.
Gephardt knows that this cycle of redistricting did not favor Democrats. It is worse for Democrats than 1990. That means that if the Republicans are only
down a couple of points in the Generic house polls, then the Republicans will hold the House. Right now the Repulicans are up a couple of points. In 1994 the Republicans were dead even and won by 20 seats. They were down a point in 2000 and still held control. Republicans can be further down than they were in 2000 and still hold the house. But they are UP not Down. Republicans will likely be up a couple of points in the fall. Gephardt is almost certain he could not be speaker before the 2010 redistricting takes effect in 2012. He will most likely be retired by 2012.
So if the Democrats don't win, he will retire. He will take a shot at the brass ring of the presidency, but in truth he knows he doesn't have much of a chance. But then in early 1990 it did not look like Bill Clinton had a chance either. If the polls stay the way they are or do not fall too much for the Republicans, then the Republicans hold the house and win the senate.
If the economy seems firmly in expansion and the war on terror is going well, lots of Democrats will see the first big oportunity not happening for them until 2006. And even that may be a long shot. Some will retire to try to make big money in the years they have remaining.
When the brass ring is out of grasp, politicians just naturally reach for the Gold sack.