Bill Frist

Even with the ill-fated Dubai ports deal now sinking out of sight, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is bracing for a difficult few months. The Tennessee Republican faces more pressure to post legislative victories because the GOP congressional majority is running out of time to improve the political climate before the November midterm election.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee avoided embarrassment Saturday night by finishing first in a straw poll of presidential preferences by Republican Party activists here, an exercise that was seen as an early -- if dubious -- test of strength for the 2008 campaign. Frist, who bused in supporters to ensure he came out on top in the home-state balloting, finished with 37% of the vote, followed by Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 14%. Sen.

As he prepares to leave the Senate and position himself for a presidential bid, Bill Frist faces mounting criticism that he has proved an ineffectual majority leader whose legislative agenda increasingly is dictated by his White House ambitions. Complaints about the patrician Tennessean by fellow Republicans intensified this week, sparked by his decision to force Senate debate on illegal immigration.

The Federal Election Commission has determined that the 2000 Senate campaign of Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) violated federal campaign finance laws. The FEC fined Frist 2000 Inc. $11,000, according to a lawyer representing Frist's campaign. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington had filed a complaint against the campaign committee last year. The FEC found that Frist 2000 Inc. failed to disclose a $1.44-million loan, in violation of federal law.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist did not meet all the requirements needed to keep his medical license active -- even though he gave paperwork to state officials indicating that he had, a spokesman acknowledged. Tennessee requires its licensed physicians to complete 40 hours of continuing medical education every two years.

As rebellious Republican lawmakers tried on Tuesday to reach a compromise with the White House over interrogations and trials of terrorist suspects, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) sharply criticized a measure sponsored by his dissident GOP colleagues. They include Arizona Sen. John McCain, a potential rival for the party's presidential nomination. Frist contended that a bill advocated by McCain, along with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John W. Warner (R-Va.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said Monday that the war against Taliban guerrillas in Afghanistan could never be won militarily, and he urged support for efforts to bring "people who call themselves Taliban" into the government. Frist said he learned from military briefings that Taliban fighters were too numerous and had too much popular support to be defeated on the battlefield.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is back in good standing with the Tennessee medical board after catching up on continuing education and paying a fine for being late with the work. Frist spokesman Matt Lehigh said the board ended up giving Frist credit for articles he had written that were published in medical journals and for speaking at medical conferences. In addition, Frist took exams in recent weeks that earned him 15 credits, and paid a $140 fine, Lehigh said.

Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee announced Wednesday that he would not run for president in 2008, a decision that may boost support for other Republicans who have courted the party's social conservatives. Frist had advanced the key bloc's agenda during the four years he was Senate majority leader. With his withdrawal, several potential GOP candidates will have less competition wooing those voters. They include Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, Arkansas Gov.

As Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist pushed Congress to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case, he drew attention to a part of his resume many expect him to spotlight as he prepares for a likely 2008 presidential bid: the fact that he is a physician.