New Job for Dole?

How about Ambassador to Mongolia? Today Allan Bense and David Brandon announced that they will not challenge Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), respectively. These are just the latest in a long series of recruiting failures for NRSC Chair Elizabeth Dole. So far, Dole has blown the recruitment of Rep. Candice Miller and Jane Abraham (MI), Dino Rossi (WA) and former-Rep. Jennifer Dunn, and Rep. Heather Wilson and Rep. Steve Pearce (NM). Gov. Tommy Thompson (WI), Rudy Giuliani (NY), and Rep. Shelley Moore-Capito (WV) seem to be busts as well. To be sure, not all of these are good conservatives and not all are the best candidates, but if she wanted the job, she should have been able to deliver at least a few of them.

At present, Senators Bingaman (NM), Byrd (WI), Cantwell (WA), Kohl (WI), Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), and Stabenow (MI) are without strong opposition. Gov. John Hoeven (ND) has not yet said whether he will challenge Sen. Conrad. While Allen's record wasn't perfect last year - he missed opportunities in Arkansas, Nevada, and North Dakota - he successfully recruited strong candidates in seven other states. Thus far, only two strong challengers have emerged, Rep. Mark Kennedy (MN) and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (MD). Of those, at least one - Kennedy - was going to run with or without recruitment.

The heads of the two campaign committees have two jobs. One is raising money, something that isn't easy when your base has said in one voice that it will not contribute a dime until every judicial nominee receives a vote. The other is to make sure that the Party has strong candidates is as many races as possible. Sen. Dole has been a miserable failure both in terms of ensuring that the base is satisfyied and will continue to contribute, and even moreso as a recruitor. Here's hoping the Administration can find a job for her a few thousand miles away so that we can revert to the better choice, Sen. Norm Coleman (MN) to pick up the pieces.