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According to one of The Hill's people on TV, JEB was quite put out that the White House encouraged Martinez to enter the race prior to their getting JEB's advance blessing for the idea. IMHO, the White House and JEB should leave well enough alone and let the primary process work. I can support whichever Republican candidate gets the nomination but I don't appreciate any arrogant, and counterproductive, decisions as to who that candidate will be.

As I think you know, I believe the Republican Party of Florida succeeds in spite of itself and that JEB has been anything but helpful. The less JEB and the RPOF micromanage the better off they'll be.

I can understand national Republicans encouraging Mel Martinez into the Senate race. He has excellent credentials. But a reluctant candidate can sometimes turn out to be an ineffective candidate. Does anyone remember ex-Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornburg in the 1991 special election? Also, the author shows his bias when he says that the White House considers the Senate field too conservative. The problem is that the candidates are too little-known and underfunded. State Senator Daniel Webster, who would make an outstanding U.S. Senator, has only $170,000 cash-on-hand. State House Speaker Johnnie Byrd has only $734,000. Ex-Congressman Bill McCollum, who's been in the race the longest, has only $334,000 on hand. And Pinellas County Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd hasn't gotten her campaign started yet. Republicans need to rally around one candidate, preferably Webster.