[crasher]

"Nickles is not going to be the next majority leader. I wouldn't waste a lot of time doing research on him."

Why are you so sure of that. For obvious reasons, he's who I would be rooting for. I think it will be Nickles, Frist, or McConnell. And I don't think Frist wants the job. All he has to do is keep his nose clean the next 6 years and he will be the Republican frontrunner in 2008, assuming Jeb and Cheney don't run. Becoming Majority Leader would be so risky.

[Torie]

Read my later revised and extended remarks. Thanks.

[Reverend Bob]

Nickles, by calling for a new vote for ML, did a great service to his colleagues. Others of lesser standing can now speak up without fear of retribution. But, by providing that cover, he's also drawn the enmity of Lott's allies and partisans upon himself. He will now be too wounded within his own caucus to succeed to the ML posistion himself.

In short, he just took one for the team.

It's McConnell or Frist at this point. Normally I'd give the edge to McConnell, but the White House seems to be backing Frist.