It was only three days go ago that Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey repeated that he was "unlikely" to change his mind after initially leaning against running for Nebraska's open Senate seat in 2008. Whether the Omaha World-Herald is just toying with us or not, the following report seems to paint a decidedly different picture:
Mayor Mike Fahey's Saturday breakfast for supporters had all the markings of a campaign rally. The big question between bites of pancakes and sausage was what office, if any, Fahey will seek.
A decision could come as early as Monday, Fahey said in an interview. He will visit on the phone that day with officials of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee who have urged him to run for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel.
But the Omaha Democrat said he probably will visit with others before declaring his intentions.
Regardless of what Fahey will be announcing, it's definitely a good sign that Nebraska Democrats shouldn't have to wait another four to six weeks for an answer.
I'm not going to read too much into the apparent change in Fahey's tone over the last few days. We've had our hearts broken by high expectations too often in the past. But, with the strength of the Democratic brand nationwide and the universal dissatisfaction with President Bush and the Republican Party's inability to offer constructive solutions to our most pressing problems, it's just impossible to imagine that a strong Democratic candidate wouldn't take a chance on this race.
Nebraska Democrats' best-case scenario is still Mike Fahey for Senate, with Scott Kleeb taking another shot at Adrian Smith in the 3rd Congressional District. With a team like that, one has to expect strong challengers in the 1st and 2nd Districts would come out of the woodwork to get in on the action.
Sound like too wishful of thinking? Absolutely. But, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed until I hear a reason why I shouldn't.
http://newnebraska.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=299
