In which lifetime?

It seems that our local Attorney General, Bill Gibbons, has decided that he is going to run for the Republican nomination for Governor of Tennessee in 2010, unless Bill Frist runs, of course.

Ok, first, this is an easy out; barring an unexpected indictment, Frist WILL run, because he wants to revive his political career that he thoroughly destroyed as Senate Republican Leader by doing such bright things as diagnosing Terri Schiavo by watching tapes of this poor brain-damaged woman and determining that she could recover.  Good move, Doc.

His hope, of course, is that he will do such a good job as Governor that he will once again be thought of in Presidential terms.  Right.  And I'm going to be the next James Bond, too, if that happens.

However, is the Doc any less delusional than our AG?  Ok, let's say, and why not, that Frist's wife says no friggin' way you're running, and that opens it up for Gibbons.  First, he might not even carry Shelby County, what with Marsha Blackburn, Ron Ramsey, Zach Wamp and other Gooper wanna-bes in the race.  What's he running on, his record?

I can see THAT now: LOOK HOW SAFE I'VE MADE SHELBY COUNTY!  That's a winner, bubba, I'd take that and really run with it if I were you.  Oy.  Next, other than the Baker-Alexander-Thompson tribe, who knows Gibbons outside of Big Shelby?  Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? I digress.

Frist is the 800-pound gorilla in the race; if he runs, does Blackburn?  If she DOESN'T go for Governor and runs for re-election instead, she prevents the potential 10-candidate pile-up in TN-07 that would lead to some rube from Williamson County taking the seat.  This, of course, would frustrate David Kustoff, Senators Norris and Stanley, and other assorted Shelby Countians utterly convinced that they would not split the vote 146 ways and give the race to the aforementioned rube.

All in all, lots of ways for the GOP to shoot itself in the foot in Tennessee; grab some popcorn and sit back and watch!