Death v. Byrd

In the latest failure by NRSC head Elizabeth Dole, former West Virginia University basketball coach Gale Catlett announced on Friday that he will not challenge Sen. Robert KKK Byrd next year. The announcement leaves the 88 year old Senator just one remaining viable foe in his eighth reelection bid, death. Those who have seen him recently report that Byrd has seemed increasingly frail. It surely comes as a relief to the DSCC that he will not be forced to campaign at all and that he can instead focus on maintaining a pulse until Election Day. The death v. Byrd race against death could be among the most interesting of 2006.