She whose name must never be spoken

The disintegration of Katherine Harris' U.S. Senate campaign makes you wonder if the Republican establishment knew more than they let on last year when they were fighting tooth and claw to derail her candidacy before it ever began. Remember that, from the White House on down, nobody in the Republican party wanted Harris to run for Bill Nelson's senate seat. Remember also that Harris' shenanigans in Florida gave Bush the presidency in 2000. His failure to stand up for her was notable considering his reputation for loyalty.

Now, we have the spectacle of Dick Cheney daydreaming out loud about how delightful it will be to swear in another Republican senator from Florida... just not Katherine Harris.

The political buzz among several of those at Vice President Dick Cheney's fund-raiser for U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, was more about how U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris' Senate campaign may be unraveling.

Cheney even provided some fuel when he said he was looking forward to swearing in a Republican replacement for Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson -- but didn't mention Harris by name.

"As vice president I look forward to the opportunity to swear in a new Republican senator to serve next to Mel Martinez in the United States Senate," Cheney said.

Morgan Dobbs, Harris' campaign press secretary, said her boss wasn't dropping out.

"We are continuing to move forward to charge ahead in the campaign," she said.

Dobbs didn't have any reaction to Cheney's failure to mention her boss' name. "I can't really comment on an event I wasn't at," she said.

The Sun-Sentinel reports that if Harris bails, the most viable alternative would be Gov. Jeb Bush.