Posted by William Neikirk at 11:05 a.m. CST
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has decided against running for president in 2008. That surprise announcement came today from the senator himself. It reduces what is expected to be a still-large Republican field.
"In the Bible, God tells us for evereything there is a season, and for me, for now, this season of being an elected official has come to a close," he said in a statement. "I do not intend to run for president in 2008."
So far, he is the most prominent potential contender to forgo the race. Former Democratic Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia announced earlier that he will not run in 2008. Another possible candidate, Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), has announced his intentions, but since his loss in the Nov. 7 election, it is presumed he will not put his hat in the ring.
This leaves Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the leading candidates for the GOP nomination. Other Republicans with presidential ambitions include Sens. Sam Brownback of Kansas, Charles Hagel of Nebraska, Gov. George Pataki of New York and Rep. Duncan Hunter of California.
Frist's tenure as majority leader has at times been turbulent, especially when he attempted to shut off filibusters for judicial nominations. The loss of the Senate to Democrats was a further blow.
A race for the presidency would have likely been an uphill battle.
In his statement, Frist, a physician, said he intended to return to the health-care field, but he seemed to leave the door ajar for a future race.
"Karyn (his wife) and I will take a sabbatical from public life," he said. "At this point a return to private life will allow me to return to my professional roots as a healer and to refocus my creative energies on innovative solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges Americans face."
Frist has served 12 years in Congress, but decided against running for another term, presumably to run for the nation's highest office. He had begun organizing and raising money for the campaign.
The Tennessee senator has faced one nagging problem--a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into insider trading allegations in the sale of his shares of HCA Inc., a health-care company founded by his father and brother. Frist has denied any wrongdoing.
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Comments
AAhhh,Grand Wizard Bill,say it ain't so...
Posted by: John E. | November 29, 2006 11:54 AM
Could Mr.Frist be facing some legal problems?
Posted by: Raving Loon | November 29, 2006 12:09 PM
"At this point, a return to private life will allow me to return to my professional roots as a healer...."
Must be some strange new demand in the medical community for doctors to diagnose patients from 2000 miles away. Yep, she's smilin' all right, and I think I just saw her blink. Give her a couple of aspirin and send her home.
Posted by: Bubba | November 29, 2006 12:16 PM
Typical Loony Left comments here. Funny, actually sad, how you hateful losers make fun of a man who goes to other continents, and usually Africa, to perform surgeries for those who need them. You folks really don't understand true humanitarian charity. Actually that is not a surprise as studies continually show that those who are conservative and religious give far more to charity than those on the left or who are not religious.
Bill Frist is an honorable man, who vowed he would only serve two terms as senator and stuck to that vow. And yet, the lowest denominator of all, John E., says Frist is a KKK Grand Wizard. Meanwhile, you dregs continually support and accept the criminal activities of Bobbie Steele, Strogers, Daleys, Blagoyevich's, Schakowsky, and on and on and on and on.
Posted by: John D | November 29, 2006 1:29 PM
John D off subject can you explain why three Republican Senators stopped the VA Budget that was passed last week. The New VFW Commander is hot. You can read it again at http://www.vawatchdog.org
Posted by: Dale Peters | November 29, 2006 2:30 PM
I guess that's denial then John D. Nice broad brush job. Hateful? You're kidding right? I find most of us loonies to be rather funny really. Nice job staying true to form by pointing out some dirty dems though. I suppose we could point out all the good deeds done by the dems you mentioned but I doubt you'd get it.
By the way, why do you presuppose that we are all non-religious, don't give to charity and freely support and accept criminal activity from members of one party and not the other? Don't you realize that we support illegal activity from all parties equally?
Please cite the studies you mention in your reply. And don't forget to blame Clinton for something.
Posted by: Bubba | November 29, 2006 3:54 PM
Typical Loony Left comments here. Funny, actually sad, how you hateful losers make fun of a man who goes to other continents, and usually Africa,
Posted by: John D | Nov 29, 2006 1:29:52 PM
Thats kinda funny John D...You were one of the big Obama bashers because he went to Africa. Remember how you made those mildly racist comments about his "roots"? Did you vote for the war before you were against it? Yell all you want about race but when you use the term "roots"
you are using a racist tone. Plane and simple John.
Posted by: bill r. | November 29, 2006 7:03 PM
JohnD, did you hear?
...a study by [Christopher Lohse], a social work master’s student at Southern Connecticut State University, says he has proven what many progressives have probably suspected for years: a direct link between mental illness and support for President Bush.
…Lohse's study, backed by SCSU Psychology professor Jaak Rakfeldt and statistician Misty Ginacola, found a correlation between the severity of a person's psychosis and their preferences for president: The more psychotic the voter, the more likely they were to vote for Bush. (from the Huffington Post)
Now there's a study that doesn't surprise me.
Posted by: Catherine | November 29, 2006 8:40 PM
Well, here we go again with the Swamp editor's refusal to enforce the rule about "unfair" attacks. Mental illness just because you don't agree with the lefties? Frist is a member of the KKK? OK, I'll play along. Democrats are all pedophiles (not as catchy as "Grand Old Pedophiles" from a post a few weeks ago, but it works.)
Posted by: SwampWatcher | November 30, 2006 10:49 AM
Well, here we go again with the Swamp editor's refusal to enforce the rule about "unfair" attacks. Mental illness just because you don't agree with the lefties? Frist is a member of the KKK? OK, I'll play along. Democrats are all pedophiles (not as catchy as "Grand Old Pedophiles" from a post a few weeks ago, but it works.)
Posted by: SwampWatcher | Nov 30, 2006 10:49:38
Stop crying like a baby....You all felt it was such great fun to question one's patriotism because we we're not lock-step with this blunder of a war. Get a little backbone and don't dish it out if you can't take it.
Posted by: bill r. | November 30, 2006 12:19 PM
Inside Bill Frist's mind:
'If only another Terri had come along.
I looked so good during that one.
Why why why!'
Posted by: c.morris | December 1, 2006 8:04 AM