Early, Long Whip Race Will Test GOP Cohesion

[stevedeshazer]

Holy crap! That headline alone is enough. But there's more:



<snip>

What has been a remarkably cohesive and collegial Senate Republican leadership team threatens to be torn asunder over the next 18 months by a potentially divisive race for Whip and additional jockeying for other top Conference posts.

Aides to Sens. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) and John Cornyn (Texas) insist that the close personal friendship shared by the two Republican leaders will prevent their competition to succeed Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) as Whip from becoming bitter. Similarly, Sen. Mike Johanns (Neb.), bidding to replace Alexander as Conference chairman, predicted little negative fallout from the leadership contests.

But with nearly the entire 112th Congress to fight it out and the high stakes involved, the professional and personal relationships of a Republican team often described as close-knit and complementary will undoubtedly be tested, as will the group’s ability to deliver for rank-and-file Members. Alexander, Johanns and Cornyn, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, all hit the phones looking for votes within an hour of Kyl’s Thursday announcement that he won’t seek re-election in 2012.

</snip>

Just on a cursory read of this, isn't it obvious how thin and lightweight the Republican field of presidential candidates is?

And the Senate Republican leadership? Wow. There's no there there.

[elleng]

1. And then there's the House!

:+

[immoderate]

2. GAK!

--imm