Nelson targeted for defection to GOP

Novak, in this "quick hits" column, briefly discusses GOP efforts to coax Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson to leave the Democratic Party.

However, those efforts were lent a blow when Nelson blasted Bush's federal testing mandate in an op-ed in the Omaha World-Herald, coinciding with a visit from Education Secretary Rod Paige.

Also in the same column, Novak reports that the GOP will go all out to oust Daschle next year, running the same candidate that unexpectedly lost to Democrat Tim Johnson -- former Rep. John Thune. The White House is trying to hand Thune the nominantion, despite rumors that SD's House member, Bill Janklow, may challenge Thune for the nomination.

And finally (lots of good stuff in this column, btw), remember the unexpected vote cutting Bush's tax cut in half? Apparently the Dems sprung the amendment at a moment when tax cut supporter Zell Miller (DINO extraordinaire) was absent. With Zell present, the vote would've been 51-49 for the amendment, and the GOP leadership would only have needed one vote from the Republican defectors to kill the amendment (with Cheney's tie-breaking vote).

Posted March 30, 2003 09:11 AM | Comments (21)