USA Today: Conservatives Say McConnell Is Running Scared

The USA Today feature says what conservatives in Kentucky now know all too well. We need a nominee who can win in 2008, and its not Mitch McConnell. He knows he's in trouble, and we no longer know where he stands on conservative values because he flip-flops from one poll to the next. Its time too send the Louisville liberal back home and elect someone like Larry Forgy, who represents Kentucky values - not a politician who says one thing in Louisville and does another when he's scared in Washington:

Even so, some Democrats sense an opportunity. "I think he's the most vulnerable that he's been since he ran the first time," said state Sen. Joey Pendleton, a Democrat who represents Hopkinsville.

The local congressman, Rep. Ed Whitfield, is a Republican and a McConnell ally, but he doesn't dispute the forecast. "All of us on the Republican side do have concerns about the political climate next year," Whitfield said.

McConnell denies that he's worried, but there are signs that he's moving to protect his political flanks:

•Two weeks ago, after helping to shepherd the president's immigration bill through several tough fights on the Senate floor, he helped kill the legislation by voting against it.

Conservatives took credit for changing the senator's mind. "If he had voted for that legislation, his position would have been in danger," said Leland Conway, a Lexington radio talk-show host and blogger.