The late-spring book in Washington has the Republicans keeping control of the Senate in November, but narrowly. A putative buoyant economy in the fall reinforces that forecast. Power maneuvers and jostlings for key committee chairmanships are already visible; they will be the summer staple of pool and patio chitchat as we head into the regrouping and plotting season.
The Armed Services Committee is the key piece of an intricate committee succession puzzle that could affect a number of Republican political futures. Barry Goldwater, the current head, is retiring at the end of the year, so that coveted chairmanship will be up for grabs. Whether or not there will be a political donnybrook depends on the decision of the party’s eldest statesman, South Carolina’s Strom Thurmond.
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