Bill Frist - Presidential TIMMMMMMBERRRRRR

Y'know, sometimes I wonder if I've been laboring under a massive misconception of how representative government is supposed to work. Today's Tennessean has an article entitled Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law.

It states:

Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.

It may be wishful thinking on my part but I simply refuse to believe that one of only two choices I may have in November 2008 is the inventor of the "Fristian Diagnosis" and this absolutely goofy political and legislative answer to high gasoline prices: $100 rebate checks to every American household!

The Republican House Majority Leader called the proposal "insulting" according to Reuters.

A Senate Republican proposal to offer a $100 check to taxpayers to offset high gas prices is "insulting," House Majority Leader John Boehner said on Tuesday.

"The really insulting part of this whole proposal is the fact that somebody is offering $100 to every American family over this. This is not going to solve the problem," Boehner said at a press conference.

"I don't like the proposal. And over the weekend I heard back from my constituents. They thought it was stupid," said Boehner, an Ohio Republican.

So today in the Washington Post, Dana Millbank reports on the Republican's latest attempt to enact limits on medical malpractice suits. Our illustrious Senate Majority Leader must enjoy going on fools errands, otherwise explain this:

Kicking off what he dubbed "Health Week" in the Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) admitted from the start that he didn't have the 60 votes he needed to force action on the two malpractice bills. But this is an election year, and limits on jury awards are a favorite of the chamber of commerce set. So Frist and his colleagues dusted off their two-year-old medical malpractice speeches and read them again.

Now that's a really fine example of doing the peoples business. If Frist is the seriously considered Presidential timber, this nation is truly experiencing a leadership crisis.