ABH Syndrome

That stands for Anyone but Harris.

The Palm Beach Post becomes the latest Florida newspaper not to endorse Katherine Harris in her run for the US Senate.

Four years ago, Katherine Harris parlayed her service to George W. Bush during the 2000 election recount into a Sarasota-area U.S. House seat. But the district was too small to contain the ambitions of the vainglorious descendant of citrus baron Ben Hill Griffin.

So after the White House snubbed her in 2004 for Mel Martinez when Bob Graham’s seat opened up, Rep. Harris targeted incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson. Last year, she started her campaign by referring to “classified documents” showing that the Bush administration had prevented 100 terrorist attacks inside the United States since 9/11. One, Rep. Harris said, had been planned for Carmel, Ind. That came as news to Carmel’s mayor. Then she claimed that photos of her during the recount had been unflatteringly altered.

Rep. Harris has raised far less money than Sen. Nelson. She has gone through three campaign managers and about two dozen staffers, who complained that Rep. Harris is a micromanaging, self-absorbed harpy. She is under a bribery investigation. Gov. Bush tried very publicly to find another candidate. He failed, but three first-timers came in late to challenge Rep. Harris.

LeRoy Collins Jr., is the son of former Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins, who was a Democrat. The younger Collins, who is 71 and retired, changed parties in the 1980s. William McBride is a 34-year-old lawyer. Peter Monroe is a lawyer and commercial real-estate broker who served in the Nixon and George H.W. Bush administrations.

All three have some uncomfortably extreme positions. Mr. Monroe wants to build a wall along the Mexican border to stop immigration, and he would be OK with military action against Cuba to establish an American-friendly government after Fidel Castro. Mr. McBride thinks Congress was right to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case and opposes wider embryonic stem-cell research. Like the others, Mr. Collins supports President Bush on Iraq, but he is less willing to consider that the president might need to reconsider his strategy.

All, though, have the advantage of not being Katherine Harris. Republican voters can choose Mr. Monroe — who acknowledges the problems in Iraq and has served in government — and hope that the protest vote saves their party the further embarrassment of Rep. Harris’ candidacy.

The Post unsurprisingly trots out the usual attacks on Harris. The congresswoman's relations with her staff are great gossip but trivial. Yes she's being investigated, plus Harris has show other signs of questionable judgment and behavior. Those far outweigh what you may think of her personality. Not that TFM is crazy about that either.

One other comment- Only the far left Post would consider a fence along the Mexico border as extreme. TFM thinks its a good idea, plus there are much worse ideas floating around the anti-immigration crowd.

TFM is a registered Democrat, so I can't vote in the Republican primary. Dear Wife along with her mother are Republicans. Neither will be voting for Harris, and I suggest all Florida Republicans do the same.

Linked to- Adam's Blog, Bright & Early,