Stardate 20010824.0844 (On Screen): One of the reasons I hope the human race never develops immortality is that the one sure way of getting rid of an asshole is to outlive him. Even if you can't do anything else about him, the Grim Reaper will take him away and solve your problem. Case in point: Senator Jesse Helms, Senator-for-life from North Carolina. He is very old and his health is failing and he has decided not to run again next year. Good riddance.
Of course, this leads to all sorts of speculation about who will replace him. The Democrats will, needless to say, view this as an opportunity and mount a serious attempt to take the seat. The Republicans, on the other hand, would early like to keep it to prevent further erosion in their minority position in the Senate. There had already been considerable speculation that Elizabeth Dole, wife of retired senator Bob Dole of Kansas, might give it a try, and that now appears likely. On the very day that Helms announced his retirement, Dole sent a letter to voter registration officials in Kansas asking them to remove her from the voter rolls, due to her intention to register in another jurisdiction. While Dole is a Republican just as Helms is, in all other ways they are as different as night and day. I have to say that I would applaud her election. Libby Dole is a fine person, with plenty of experience in government. She's not just a "political wife", she served as Secretary of Transportation under Reagan and as Secretary of Labor under George Bush Sr. (discuss)
