Insider Editorial:

Is Karen Handel Georgia's Version of Katherine Harris?

By InsiderAdvantage Editorial Board

(10/30/08) I have, for several years been a true fan of Secretary of State Karen Handel. She is bright, approachable, and someone I just plain like.

But … she is quickly digging herself a Katherine Harris-style hole from which she may never emerge.

First, her decision not to seek clearance from the DOJ for extended hours for early voting in Georgia just kills the GOP in the state. A shoe can only fit so much foot. And because early voting has skewed demographically so heavily in the Democrats’ favor, it only makes sense that Florida’s GOP Governor Charlie Crist knew darn well what he was doing when he extended voting hours in Florida.

(Note to Karen: GOP voters vote before work – impossible given the current lines - or after work - sorry, parking lot full; skip the vote. As it stands, her unwillingness to extend voting hours will guarantee big problems for McCain and Chambliss.)

We must, from her actions, assume that Handel is merely trying to “enforce the law” in Georgia. If so, we applaud her apolitical leanings. But when the final votes come pouring in from DeKalb, Clayton, and Fulton a day after the election, Ms. Handel may go from “GOP candidate for Governor” to just another in a series of Republican potential gubernatorial candidates with no college degree and little to show that she has learned much from the school of hard political knocks.

We hope otherwise, because we admire Ms. Handel. But just watch the cable show “Recount” and wonder: is that Katherine or Karen.