Some nonpartisan analysts see deeper shortcomings in the way Frist approaches difficult issues, such as judicial nominees and Bolton. He sometimes compounds his problems, they say, with ill-timed comments and actions that a cannier Senate leader might have avoided. "We still see a bumpy learning curve," said Norman J. Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

For example, he said, Frist could have sidestepped Tuesday's row over Bolton simply by deferring comments until after the White House lunch, at which he knew Bush would discuss the nomination.

On broader and more complex issues, Frist's tendency to stake out early and firm positions has restricted his ability to negotiate in the crucial later stages of compromise efforts, when leaders sometimes need every inch of political leeway. As early as Nov. 11, he made a speech suggesting Senate rules should be changed to ban filibusters of judicial nominees. When the matter finally culminated more than six months later, the bipartisan "Gang of 14" drafted their accord in a room that excluded Frist, as well as Democratic leaders.

"He showed his greenness in a way that took away his running room," Ornstein said. "Going and meeting with some of these groups, that left him no way out."

Posted by: Jonathan Singer / 8:14 PM | Basie! Home