What happened to "staying the course"?

There was an amusing article in today's New York Times about how the Republican swift boat crew has apparently been slacking off at the helm in the race to challenge the alternately "angry" and "brittle" Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for her seat:

To put it nicely, the Republican game plan is nowhere after a year of strategizing and overtures to at least six potential challengers. One of those challengers even calls the selection process "a Keystone Kops operation," and the only Republican now running, John Spencer, denounces "party elitists" who are against him.

Even Captain Karl "Eats babies and questions their patriotism post-mortem" Rove seems to be steering his attention in other directions:

"Karl would love to see Hillary defeated, but is that the best use of time and money?" said one strategist who described a conversation with Karl Rove, President Bush's political adviser, and was granted anonymity in exchange for recounting a private conservation. "It doesn't help matters that New York Republicans can't figure out who to run against Senator Clinton."

It's not the best use of their time and money to boot Hillary Clinton out of the Senate and challenge her presidential hopes? Does that mean they're crafting their entire 2008 presidential slime campaign around Hillary being the Democratic nominee? (If so, I'm thinking it's going to be versus John "Dirty Republican pretending to have a rational soul" McCain, or Condoleezza "Check out my shiny blue ball gown, starving, destitute Indian peons!" Rice.)

Well, even though this may be just a bit premature, it's clear what the Dems have to do–dump the shrew and nominate Russ! Feingold, D-Wis., that is. Reading the entire Constitution on the Senate floor to protest limiting debate on the Patriot Act renewal bill... now that's just plain dreamy.