In many ways, Corker is an unknown quantity in the 2006 Senate primary. I did a brief round-up on his pros and cons earlier... However, he has no voting record, or even position record to judge him by, as the other three candidates do.

He's a Republican. His reputation is as a moderate, but his website advertises him as being a staunch supporter of other Republicans and the GOP agenda. Would he repeal the estate tax? Would he oppose or support civil rights for gays? Would he join the chorus calling for of censure of Dick Durbin, or would he join the chorus calling for censure of prisoner abuse, illegal detention, and torture? Would he take the side of auto manufacturers and oil companies, or the side of stewardship of resources, global climate, and energy sources? Would he bolster the power of mega-corporations at the expense of the working class? The only answers I have, at this time, are the suppositions that come from the "R" next to his name. More evidence may not come in until after the 2006 senate race is over

Still and all, he governed well in Chattanooga - mostly. I did a mini-opposition research on him this morning, and found very little to criticize. His most stringent critics are in the radical rightist TeamGOP faction, that mostly supports Ed Bryant's candidacy.

I had planned to talk about why Corker lacked stature - why he was "no Al Gore". I'll have to put that on the back burner. I suspect that he will sell out to the radical factions of his party in an effort to gain and hold the Senate seat, but he still has plenty of opportunity to prove me wrong. If he surprises me and comes out with a better platform than Harold Ford (not much of an accomplishment, really), then I may choose to support him in 2006. Time will tell.