Okay, Kathy, reward's over

Remember Katherine Harris? Li'l Miss Florida? The ultimate "team player?" Jeb's hatchet girl? She did a very specific batch of dirty jobs during the 2000 election, she was rewarded with a congressional seat. Apparently, Ms. Harris thought that GOP lovin' would keep on comin', but it seems the magic has gone out of the relationship. See, Katie's next conquest is supposed to be the U.S. Senate, but the Republican establishment has other plans.

Recent reports have painted a bleak picture for the woman who systematically scrubbed away the eligibility of black voters in one key Florida precinct and played nudge-nudge wink-wink during the vote recount in 2000. At first it was just a nebulous "they" who seemed to be asking her not to run for Senator Bill Nelson's seat in 2006, but as details came in, "they" became a much more clout-endowed bunch, including Karl "I'll Let You Out" Rove, Florida Governor and First Brother Jeb Bush, and Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

That musta stung.

But why would these loyal Republicans want Ms. Harris, ALSO a loyal Republican, out of the race? Don't they know she's "all that?" She is, after all, part of the future of the Republican Party. Or is she? Even Fox News seemed to be trying to get the message out in this July 25th piece.

According to sources in Washington and Florida, the Republican establishment is not thrilled with the Republican congresswoman's recent announcement that she is strongly considering a run for U.S Senate in 2006. In fact, GOP leaders are actively courting another Florida Republican to run against Harris in next summer's primary.

The resistance from the establishment is based on their perception, and that's based on public and private polling that she would have a very, very hard time winning," said Stu Rothenberg of the Washington D.C-based campaign tracker, the Rothenberg Political Report.

And winning this particular seat is something the Republicans are unusually determined to do. It's not just any seat. Some analysts believe that a GOP loss could bring about a similar fate in the Governor's race, and that mansion is something they're not anxious to give up. They also look at it as a 2-foot put they have to be able to make. Bill Nelson is a very liberal Democrat who won his seat with just 51% of the vote. Rove, Dole and Co. want to blow past Harris and find the perfect candidate who can bury Nelson in the general. As the Washinton Times points out...

Florida Rep. Katherine Harris thinks she is that candidate, but Mr. Rove, Mrs. Dole and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush do not agree. They think she remains a lightning rod because of her role as secretary of state in charge of the bitter ballot recount in the 2000 presidential election George W. Bush won by the skin of his teeth. And they have a thick sheaf of polling data showing, while popular among Republicans, Mrs. Harris is still hated by Democrats and many swing voters, who would turn out in droves to defeat her.

So you figure she'll slink off into the sunset now, having gotten 1/10th of what she deserves, but not yet. Seems she's flipping her uplines the bird. Yesterday she formally announced her candidacy. If those polling figures hold, she may get the entire spanking after all. One can hope.

Meanwhile, the Republicans with power are hot on State Senator Alan Bense to be the guy who takes on Nelson in 2006. Watch the headlines for some infighting that's likely to turn ugly fast.