1. Anonymous says:

    we have to write this stuff for them?

    I think the autopsy result was the last straw, given his statements on the floor of the senate. Our outrage was apparently noted, shaed, whatever.

  2. Anonymous says:

    love the ending:

    â€Ueland said Frist is so reluctant to trumpet his endeavors — such as brokering phone calls at 11 p.m. — that many in the news media and public sell him short. â€This is a very different kind of politician,†he said.â€

    So different, no one knows a thing he’s done right. Ask Dobsen about hiding your light under a bushel.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Wall Street Journal also has a huge article on Frist this am. A DeLay description â€deer in the headlights†of him in the early days makes the headline. The article is not particularly favorable toward his legislative skills. Sees him as still in over his head and clearly running for Pres.

  7. Anonymous says:

    I thought the video diagnosis was just icing on the â€HIV/AIDS via sweat†cake.

    This moron has singlehandedly devalued Harvard Medical degrees for a generation.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Who, exactly, is this â€Bill Dole†person who knows something about being Senate Majority Leader?

  9. Anonymous says:

    Hill Dole is Libbie Dole’s husband.

    emptywheel, let me know if you need the WSJ article.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Ornstein works for an outfit that declares they’re dedicated to advancing conservative goals, but they don’t say Republican goals, so clearly they’re nonpartisan. I mean, if the Democrats would just become extremely conservative, I’m sure the AEI would support them, too!

  14. Anonymous says:

    silence

    You’re probably right. Too much of a coincidence.

    Gotta give him credit. As bad as Frist’s case is, his PR may be working better than Bush’s.

  15. Anonymous says:

    Emptywheel: Sorry, I had to have a root canal earlier. That is not a joke.

    Frome the WSJ (which is a joke):

    â€His restless nature and supreme confidence have led him into waters over his head.†[Schiavo, judges]

    â€When he decided to enter politics, he had to work out whether he was a Republican or a Democrat. In the wake of his recent difficulties, he is under new pressure to explain what makes him tick. The answer isn’t clear.†[He inherited a variety of political views; his mother was against the Vietnam War.]

    â€This unusual cocktail of influences makes corralling the Senate, one of the most willful of America’s political institutions, a particularly tough slog. When he arrived as majority leader, ’it was sort of like a deer caught in the headlights: What do I do with this thing?’ recalls Tom DeLay . . . .â€

    He acknowledges his reputation has taken a beating, but sees a turnaround coming. Perfect for this Admin.

    There’s lots more, and I hope Dem from CTY sent it to you.

  16. Anonymous says:

    Here’s more:

    Hias father was a conservative from Mississippi. Not only was his mother outspoken against the Vietnam War, she supported McGovern in 1972. Her huge family argued politics while his father built HCA. His mother bought air conditioning for poor families and gave away buckets of KFC. His mother and aunt were schoolteachers, and the aunt (who appears to have supported school integration) was the one who got him to vote for Henry Foster for Clinton’s Surgeon General.

    In the Senate he was overshadowed by Fred Thompson, which caused him to befriend older Senators like Domenici. He has made missteps, but can be tough. He campaigned against Daschle and Cleland. â€Once he makes a decision to take someone’s heart out, he does it.†Says Judd Gregg.

    But his penchant for taking risks backfired this spring, as he quickly locked himself into a position where he had to psuh the nuclear button. But by his best count, he never had more than 50 votes, plus Cheney. (So how many did he need?) He left the impression of not being in control. He says he was right to stand on principle. â€That’s part of leadership. There would have been no deal to broker if I hadn’t stood on principle.†(??????)

    He says it is unlikely the WH will provide more info on Bolton.

    He acknowledges Schiavo was a mistake (or close to that).

    He says he doesn’t really want to be President–maybe head of WHO. The WSJ reporter doesn’t believe him.

  17. Anonymous says:

    I sent it, Mimikatz… what a gasbag Frist is. Trent Lott probably contributed on deep background for both pieces, and McCain filled in the rest.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Thanks Mimikatz, and I hope the root canal wasn’t too painful. I thought they might have said something useful with which to supplement the WaPo fluff. But I guess the further right you go the fluffier the Fristie PR pieces get.

    As I said to silence, this pathetic bid looks like a more successful attempt to reverse falling approval ratings. But then, without a big win soon, that’s probably an overstatement.

  19. Anonymous says:

    Media expectations for the GOP are so low that all he really has to do is not blunder on a Supreme Court fight or on some kind of spending or highway bill.