(image via kybiz)
The power of the South in the Republican Party -- especially in the Senate -- is astonishing. Will Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell take over from Tennessee Senator Bill Frist (Who followed, we cannot fail to note, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott) as the next Majority Leader? That depends, of course, on sa few uncertain variables, namely: a) that the Republican Party remains a Majority Party in the Senate after 2006 midterm elections, and, b) that McConnell can steer clear of the whiffs of scandal surrounding his political apprentice, Governor Ernie Fletcher. According to TheHill:
"Mitch McConnell is waiting patiently in the Senate�s wings, but he will soon be standing in the spotlight � a fact not lost on lawmakers, lobbyists and aides.
"As fastidious in appearance and command of legislative details as he is in accumulating political capital, the Kentucky senator has been widely considered the heir to the Republican leader�s post since 2003, when self-term-limited Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.) took the helm and McConnell settled into the No. 2 job of whip.
"Frist is slated to retire from the Senate in January 2007. He is beset by twin federal probes into his sale of stock in a company founded by his brother and late father.
"Frist�s impending departure and the questions raised by the probes have elevated McConnell�s stature.
�'There are definitely people out there who have woken up and realized that Mitch McConnell is going to be the next leader of the U.S. Senate,' one member of McConnell�s inner circle said."
The full story here.
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