I don’t believe it is a coincidence that Don Nickles’ name is so easy to confuse with Don Rickles. I believe it is a sign from God to the Republican Party to choose Bill Frist whether Bill Frist likes it or not.
As a Democrat, let me wholeheartedly endorse Don Nickles. I don’t believe there could be two better party leaders than Nickles and Delay for the 2004 election for Democrats to run against. Nickles is a conservative twit who happens to be the leftist in a the bizzarro world of the Oklahoma Senate Delegation. While he might be smart enough (editor: errr…slipped there I guess, add ‘not’) to endorse segregation and the CofCC, he is certainly enough of a wingnut to push through a whole wad of policies assured of pissing off suburban white women.
My prediction, is Lott stays. Frist doesn’t want it and the rest of the Senate Republican Caucus knows Nickles’ tin ear is as bad as Lott’s. Cochran would be the natural candidate, but it is unlikely he wants to take another charge at a Senator from his home state, no matter how much he hates the guy.