Senator Patrick Leahy isn't running for anything this year, but that doesn't mean he's free of the slings and arrows of Campaign '06.

According to the Republican National Committee's Web site, one reason why Republicans need to retain control of the Senate in November is the prospect of Leahy becoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Leahy is identified in the memo, dated Sept. 25, as "ruthless" and a partisan "who will obstruct judicial nominees and weaken tools to fight the war on terror."

“If Dems win control of (the) Senate, the ‘angry,’ ‘most partisan’ Democrat would chair the Senate Judiciary Committee,” the RNC said in a memo included in its America Weakly, a e-mail newsletter sent to out by the party to energize GOP loyalists around the country.

"Sen. Leahy's mission: obstruct and smear qualified judicial nominees," another part of the memo says.The report attacks Leahy for being "wrong on the war on terror" by voting to kill the Patriot Act and for criticizing the domestic surveillance program. It also brings up the 1987 incident where "Leaky" Leahy resigned from the Senate Intelligence Committee for showing a draft report about the Iran-Contra investigation to a reporter.

For a full look at the GOP's four-page anti-Leahy memo, click here.

In a report on the GOP attack on Leahy, the Associated Press also quoted RNC spokesman Josh Holmes saying Leahy was one of a handful of Democrats being targeted by Republicans because “he’s had a reputation of obstructing qualified Republican nominees to the bench.”

Leahy, who has disputed the claim he made it difficult for GOP judge nominees to get confirmed when he was the committee chairman, told AP that Republicans are right to worry about him chairing the panel if Democrats win control of the Senate in November.

“They may be concerned that I might actually ask questions. We may put the attorney general under oath,” Leahy said.

Ouch!

-- Sam Hemingway