------Senate President David Williams says if he were governor, he would have asked Pence to resign immediately. Williams told me it's obvious Pence has lost his fervor to go out and sell Governor Fletcher's agenda, so he needs to step aside. Williams says he was surprised Fletcher didn't call for Pence to quit during their Tuesday night phone call. So was I. But maybe that was Pence's plan. If he resigns right now he's labeled "a quitter". But if Fletcher requests his resignation, that'll show Pence has no ties to Fletcher and is truly an "outsider" to the Fletcher administration.

------Pence isn't running for Governor, Lt. Governor or Attorney General in 2007. I'll take your money if you want to bet. He knows he can't win the governorship with Fletcher/Pence tied around his neck. Lt. Gov. is out. Attorney General is an option but he'd have to get in a nasty battle with bare knuckles mountain boy Greg Stumbo. Not very exciting. Pence has five kids. His wife is a partner in a law firm who, I suspect, would like her husband home a little more. My guess is Pence stays in Louisville, goes after the C.E.O. job at Churchill Downs, rejoins his old law firm, or gets Mitch McConnell to find him a federal judgeship. Fork over your money in February 2007 after the filing deadline.

-----Pence's move hurts Fletcher's campaign in the wallet. According to Registry of Election Finance records, the Fletcher/Pence slate committees had about $144,000 cash on hand at the last reporting date in November 2005. Registry director Sarah Jackson says that money can only be spent on a Fletcher/Pence campaign. If Pence drops from the slate, it's no longer a viable campaign committee. Therefore, the money has to: a) go back to the donors b) go to the GOP c)go to charity or d) go to the state treasury.

-----Anybody else wonder what hand Mitch McConnell played in Pence's final decision? Anybody else think McConnell has looked bad through this whole Fletcher debacle? After all, Fletcher was McConnell's man. Now he's left the Governor hanging. Dealing with the Republicans dirty laundry in private is probably a good move on McConnell's part. Failing to admit mistakes and apologize to your party faithful makes Kentucky's senior senator look like he's better than his constituents, who admit their mistakes and make apologies every day. Maybe, like the rest of us (especially reporters), Sen. McConnell needs a big slice of humble pie.