Doc Has Rx For GOP Senate Woes

Commentary By CBS News Senior Political Editor Dotty Lynch

(CBS)  In her latest Political Points commentary, CBS News Senior Political Editor Dotty Lynch talks to Dr. Bill Frist, physician and senator.

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This weekend, as President Bush and Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle kicked off the political battle of 2002, Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee, chair of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, got on a plane and left the country.

It wasn't because he couldn't stand the heat, but to fulfill his commitment to make an annual medical mission to Africa. Frist, who is a doctor as well as a senator, stresses that this is a medical trip, not a political one – though he says he may file some legislation on the Sudan when he returns. And, under his breath, he says that AIDS in Africa is a looming public health disaster and "we have to tackle that."

When he comes back most of his focus will be on recapturing the Senate for the Republicans, although he has a book coming out in March, which again draws on his medical background: "Why Every Moment Counts: 150 Things You Need to Know about Bio-terrorism." Frist says the purpose of the book is to "calm the public fears about infectious diseases" and prepare them with facts should smallpox or other diseases break out.

In an interview with CBSNews.com just before Christmas, Frist made clear that he is immersed in the nitty-gritty of campaign planning. He says he has three "R's" for his chairmanship: retention (of incumbents), recruitment (of challengers) and resources. He was surrounded by stacks of paper showing his success in fund-raising: The NRSC had $21 million in cash on hand at the end of the year, mostly in hard dollars, "because I wasn't sure what would happen on campaign finance reform and soft money." He is excited about this amount because "aggressive fund-raising" (read: White House muscle) "hasn't kicked in yet." He was pretty sure that would change in 2002.

Where the White House has kicked in its muscle is on the second of Frist's three R's: recruitment. The Bush administration was instrumental in persuading South Dakota Rep. John Thune to oppose Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson, and Republican Jim Talent to challenge Sen. Jean Carnahan in Missouri; and in clearing the field for St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman to take on Minnesota's Democratic incumbent, Paul Wellstone.

Frist says coordination between the campaign committees and the White House is unparalleled. He says he and National Republican Congressional Chair Rep. Tom Davis meet for breakfast every week. But it is the Senate that is first in the heart of the White House, says Frist, adding that he, senior presidential counselor Karl Rove, RNC deputy chair Jack Oliver and White House Political Director Ken Mehlman meet and talk often. "They know that the control of the Senate is key to the future success of George W. Bush," says Frist.

Frist claims he's more confident about this task now than he was six moths ago. He says his optimism stems not only from the fact that President Bush's poll numbers have skyrocketed but also because the GOP is better positioned on the issues than they were in thee dark days following the defection of Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords. Two-thirds of the seats up for grabs in 2002 are in states President Bush won in 2000, and Frist expects the White House and the president to work hard in these Senate campaigns.

Echoes of Karl Rove's mantra on the importance of the Hispanic vote can be heard in Frist's spin on his committee's work. He says they held a huge "Hispanic Day" for Senate campaign managers on how to get Hispanics involved in the 2002 campaign, telling them how the Bush campaign did it in 2000, and providing statistics on the Hispanic demographics in their states.

He says his medical background has made him very "data-oriented" and he has beefed up the research operation at the senatorial committee. He says they will provide candidates with opposition research on opponents' voting records and have prepared extensive profiles of their own candidates. He expects the committee to give technical assistance to the campaigns for Web and database creation and voter registration targets. In addition, he has personally interviewed 17 media firms in an attempt to advise campaigns on which ones would make a good match. He says he's looking for firms that offer creativity and innovation, not the same old boilerplate ads.

Frist is a confessed workaholic who admits to sleeping only two or three hours a night. He is the first physician in the Senate in 50 years and does not shrink from emphasizing his background. Recently it has put him in the forefront of issues ranging from anthrax to prescription drugs to stem cell research, and he ministered to Strom Thurmond when he collapsed on the Senate floor. The former heart and lung transplant surgeon who set up a multimillion dollar hospital corporation, HCA, says he believes that the Patients Bill of Rights is dead but that the prescription drug issue will be back in force in the next 120 days. "The Republicans will have an approach to making drugs more affordable," he asserts.

Frist sent an unusual holiday letter to his Senate colleagues urging them to get colonoscopies (not as bad as you think) and to check moles for any change in size or color. But it will be his prescription for taking back the Senate that will be his biggest political test. If he does that, Republicans are speculating that he may be headed for a place on the 2004 ticket with President Bush, if Dick Cheney decides to step down.