Frist has managed to work himself into the worst of both worlds. He has alienated moderates because of his positions on Terri Schiavo. Then he has alienated conservatives on embryonic stem cell research. |
He bottomed out on Iraq even before Cindy Sheehan's protest started. Look at the poll numbers, Americans have been increasingly disaffected. |
He bowed out relatively gracefully, and that gave him a ticket to future political life. |
He continues to do it because when he gives a series of high-profile speeches, his numbers go up, but as soon as he shifts focus, the numbers return to a lower level. |
He could have made millions in the private sector. |
He doesn't instinctively know what he should do in these circumstances. |
He has a great deal at risk. He is coming up for re-election in 2007. This is his last, best chance to recover. |
He has diplomacy written all over him. |
He is obviously a single-issue candidate, and they do not do terribly well in the presidential process. |
He is trying to have a very significant presidency at virtually any cost. The cost includes the Republicans' reputation for fiscal conservatism. That's dead and it may be dead for a generation. |
He is very sharp. No one has any questions that he is well-qualified. |
He knows very well that is an important signal. If you are not interested, you don't accept invitations like that. |
He learned that you have to play ball. You have to serve the caucus and the leadership. And one of the primary ways to do that is to raise money for the caucus and help members who are politically in danger at the next election. |
He may be closest to what activists regard as a conservative. |
He needs to restore his Republican base and this is the way to do it, |