Gale Force Winds?

Robert Novak reports that former West Virginia basketball coach Gale Catlett is considering a run against Sen. Robert KKK Byrd if Rep. Shelley Moore-Capito chickens out. For months, reports have shown Capito doing the hokey pokey. A recent poll showed Byrd widening his lead in a hypothetical match-up. Rather than take the risk of challenging Byrd, Capito is likely to opt out of the race, run for reelection, and seek Sen. Jay Rockefeller's seat should he retire, as many expect.

Catlett is the winningest coach in West Virginia basketball history and enjoys statewide name recognition. Rumors began last month about a possible bid, and Catlett has shown an interest in politics for some time. Last August, Catlett spoke at a rally for President Bush in which he said, "Thank God we have a President whose life is guided by Christian principles." While little is known of Catlett's policy positions, this suggests that he would be able to do at least one thing that Rep. Capito could not: rally the base. Conservatives going into 2006 will likely be disappointed by the President's Supreme Court picks, so it will require candidates willing to campaign on pro-life, pro-marriage platforms to turn out voters who could be less inclined to show up at the polls.

One of the most intriuging stories of Catlett involves his retirement. In 2002, Catlett resigned after his team's humiliating performance against Virginia Tech, saying, "It is obvious that our players did not play with any understanding of basketball. It is obvious that our players did not play with spirit and they did not care what shirt they wore. It is perplexing to me. There is no pride." Those words could easily be coming out of the mouthes of Senator Tom Coburn regarding his Republican colleagues. If Catlett's words are reflective of his character, then he would be a welcome addition to the Republican caucus.

KKK remains the odds-on favorite in the race, but Catlett could give him a run for his money. Byrd is slowly doing what Sen. Bunning did quickly last year, i.e. fall apart mentally before the voters. If Catlett manages to shine a spotlight on Byrd's decline without appearing to attack him while at the same time rallying the base, lightning just might strike in the Mountain state.