St. Mel comes to do his faith healing

Central Floridians know Mel Martinez. Like most people nationally, the Schiavo memo from the junior senator's office reminded folks of the craven machinations of many people during the Schiavo debate. What's more insidious are Senator Martinez' actions during his 2004 primary battle with Bill McCollum. During this bitter struggle for the nomination, Martinez and McCollum were very close in the polls, until the fundamentalist McCollum painted Martinez as a liberal trial lawyer. Martinez hit back with a blistering series of negative attacks that caused the St. Petersburg Times to rescind its endorsement of Martinez.
The Orlando Sentinel related how "Martinez attacked McCollum as 'antifamily' and untrustworthy for his support of expanded stem-cell research and favoring a failed federal hate-crimes bill that would have protected gays and lesbians. The Martinez ad accused McCollum of appeasing 'the radical homosexual lobby.'"
(Bill McCollum, it should be known, is the least likely person in Florida State Government to wave a rainbow flag at Gay Days. McCollum is also staunchly pro-life, and will likely illustrate his passion for this position in his upcoming tenure as Florida's new attorney general. Even if one disagrees with McCollum, it can be said that at least his positions are solid, and not carefully analyzed for inherent political machinations.)
Martinez is a fast climbing political hack. He shot from the Orange County Commission into a cabinet post, and used his favors culled from the Bush administration to seek Senator Bob Graham's vacant seat in 2004. Given the trouncing Bush and company have taken not only in the polls, but the midterm elections, it seems ridiculous that Republicans would want this guy to continue in what has been such a failed direction. Then again, check out what Howie has to say about the decision to make Trent Lott the minority whip.
Martinez says he will keep his Senate seat during his tenure. Which means he will farm out all those nasty memos to disposable staffers.