Did Mel Martinez resign because he's a closet Marco Rubio supporter?

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So, what's the point here? Well, when I ask "cui bono?" I come up with a pretty good explanation. With Martinez retiring, it will be up to Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for Martinez's Senate seat, to name a replacement. This puts Crist in an impossible position. If he puts in some drooling, mindless supporter who will serve out the term and then leave the seat open for Crist himself in 2010, he looks like a conniving, Machiavellian politician. If he puts in a competent politician, said politico will want the seat for himself in 2010. And of course, if he nominates himself, he comes off looking like a jackass. There's no good option.

And that, of course, is great news for Marco Rubio, the former House Speaker of the Florida state legislature who is running for Martinez's seat as well, competing against Crist in the Republican primary by running to his right. Rubio has already picked up the endorsements of far-right politicians like Jim DeMint and Mike Huckabee, but with Martinez's early retirement, he may just have picked up his most important endorsement yet.

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More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-sweeney/idle-speculation-mel-mart_b_253952.html

just to babysit the seat for a year, or does he put someone in who might decide he likes DC and will run, and gets to run as Incumbant, thus hurting Charlie CG Crist's chances?

Sad to think that all he had in mind was getting his seat to another arch-conservative.

Yeah, I suppose there could be. Anything's possible, and I'd like to have faith in humanity, up to and including Republican senators. But, well, experience tells me otherwise.

:(

That has to be one of the stupidest takes on the resignation I've seen, and that's including the speculation that Crist will shoot his chances to hell by appointing himself.

Other than immigration issues, I can't thinkof a single instance in which Martinez differentiates from, say, Jim DeMint or Tom Coburn.

http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Mel_Martinez.htm

to Politico:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15940.html

He also defended Sotomayor's wise Latina remark:

http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/06/09/martinez-defends-sotomayors-wise-latina-remarks/

But of course, that allows Rubio to yell, "See?! He's just appointing one of his sycophants! Why won't he appoint the best person for the job, instead of a toadie?" or something similar.

Certainly a net positive for Rubio but Crist still has most of the cards.

It's definitely Crist's race to lose, and has been from the get-go.

more info. I'm off to "Docent" duties at the old court house..