[Alter Kaker]

Orchulli is a businessman and the GOP candidate for senate against Dodd in '04. He ran an acceptable campaign against a popular incumbent -- O'Connor and McKinney would definitely be stronger candidates, but neither has the same ability to self-fund that Orchulli has. Why settle for Lieberman when we can win this? Do we have enough seats in the Senate that we can afford to burn them?

[BlackElk]

The far less convoluted path to a better Senate outcome would be re-election of Conrad Burns in Minnesota, re-election of Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, election of Tom Kean, Jr. in NJ (holding our collective nose all the way!), election of Congressman Kennedy to Dayton's vacant Senate seat in Minnesota, electing the challenger in Washington State over Cantwell, re-electing Jim Talent in Missouri, re-electing Mike DeWine in Ohio and similar races. If Orchulli or some GOP candidate were elected in Connecticut, he/she would likely be gone in 6 years. Jodi Rell may well be able to go to the Senate at some point but I feel sure she would be as thrilling as Susan Collins or Olympia Snowe. Nice lady but....