Nail in the coffin for Frist.

And I thought if nothing else, Frist was at least smart.

Let's run through the missteps. First, he very directly declines to state that he isn't going to run for president in '08, lines up the research group and begins feeling out major donors. Then, in an effort to pull in the religious right crazies but losing the center, he misdiagnoses Terry Schiavo from a videotape, which no doctor in his right mind would attempt. Then in a further bid to reach out to the christian wackos, he goes on This Week with George Snuffleupugus and refuses to deny that you can catch AIDS from tears and sweat to George's complete disbelief asking the question again and again.

Then, having lost the non-christian wackos with those two actions, he loses the christian wackos he was just trying to win, by publicly breaking with the White House by advocating stem cell research.

Now, add in the last few days, an SEC investigation into a sale of HCA stock, which he blantantly lied about, and now an apparent role in the cover up of some of the worst of the prisoner abuses in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bill Frist. Running from the presidency in '08.