DOWN FLORIDA WAY: Katherine Harris thinks she knows why she's been shunned by GOP leadership and ignored by big donors in her U.S. Senate campaign.

"Perhaps in some elite circles, the reason I have not gotten more support...is because they don't believe I can be controlled," Harris said today during a speech to the nonpartisan Forum Club of the Palm Beaches.

No, Katherine. It's because when you make a point of declaring that if elected you would refuse to "kowtow" to the Bush administration, the donors and party leaders are no longer are certain of your sanity. They see your stunning series of gaffs and missteps as a train wreck in slow motion and they can't quite believe they find themselves actually rooting for the crash. But they're grateful to be able to write you off so early in the game, making it possible to focus their donor activity on competitive Senate races, like the one in Ohio.