Lautenberg wins no matter who you post against him. I bet five bucks. Any takers?

I love him, I really do, but Frank Lautenberg will be 90 years old at the end of his next term if he wins in 2008. Strom Thurmond's last years were not pretty. Do we need to watch Sen. Lautenberg's decline on C-SPAN? Let's face it, folks -- 90 is the new 85. 90 is WAY too old. Surely, surely it is time for him to step aside and allow a new Democratic candidate for US Senator to ride in on both NJ's strong-blue bias AND the almost inevitable coattails of the 2008 Democratic presidential candidate. US Senators from NJ are virtually guaranteed reelection -- so let's take advantage of the unusually high chances that a new face would have now, and lock in that person for 2014, 2020 and maybe beyond, rather than make the change in the second year of the second term of a president to be named ... Who, you ask? I dunno ... but looking over the utterly uninspired field that njpolitics is projecting for the Republicans (I voted for Mike Pappas, of course), I think we can reach beyond the obvious and find someone who has never held elected office before, much like Frank Lautenberg himself, or Bill Bradley ... the nomination needn't, really shouldn't, go to some party stalwart whose 'time has come ... ' that's how we got Torricelli as a candidate. Menendez may be spotless, but his travails point up how easy it is to paint big bright bull's-eyes on anyone with a public record. How about a njpolitics poll of Democratic candidates for US Senate in 2008? THAT would be interesting ...

First, assume Latenberg is running.  This, the money advantage and NJ being a true BLUE state is more than most GOP candidates can overcome.

Secondly, who wants retreads and the same ol, same ol candidates.  Bill Baroni?  For God's sake, who knows him?  Jenny Craig?  Big head, tremendous ego, empty suit.

Al Leiter might be the ticket.  Newcomer, name recognition, seems to be his own person and not on anyone's boss list.

How bout it? 

And the qualification is what, being able to play ball?

GIVE ME A BREAK!

Mr. Democrat knows the facts, Doherty or Allen, and the webmaster posting up a bunch of others is nothing more than diversion. Mr. Democrat must not be in on the joke yet, dilute the percieved power of the potential winners here so they get discouraged. Mission failed!

Republicans DO have a chance in '08. Voters are plain sick of the status quo in Washington, and Frank, regardless of his age, is weak because he is part of the problem. Doherty is clearly not in the status quo mold and is refreshingly frank... so watch out Frank, cause Doherty could just take you out on the issues, and I don't think cash can fix that.