Last Friday, the four GOP Senators tapped by Bill Frist to find enough sweeteners to get the Democratic votes needed to pass the three-part package known as the “trifecta” were due to offer Frist a legislative option.

But no such recommendation issued from them and, at this point, the only chance for action on the package before Congress’ pre-election adjournment would if Frist, heeding his colleagues' cries from the campaign trail, allows a stand-alone vote on the popular extenders. Don't expect Frist to extend himself.

Last Friday, the four GOP Senators tapped by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to find enough sweeteners to get the Democratic votes needed to pass the three-part package (H.R .5970) known as the “trifecta” – a set of popular tax credit extensions, a permanent reduction in the estate tax and an increase in the minimum wage – were due to offer Frist a legislative recommendation. H.R. 5970 fell three votes short in the Senate on a cloture motion in early August.

But no such recommendation issued from them and all acknowledge that the trifecta package is dead, at least until after the Nov. 7 midterm elections.

Sen. Trent Lott, one of the four trifecta horsemen, floated the idea of adding language opening up the Outer Continental Shelf to oil and natural gas development, the thought being that this provision would make it hard for Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) -- who voted against cloture on the trifecta -- to oppose the package. But she didn’t bite and even if she had, that would still leave the measure two votes short.

So at this point, the only remote chance for legislative action on the package before Congress’ pre-election adjournment next Friday, Sept. 29 would be an acquiescence by Frist and other GOP leaders to allow a stand-alone vote on the popular extenders.

Senate Finance Chairman Charles Grassley was burned twice this year by Frist’s refusal to allow such a vote. This summer, Grassley was irked when the extenders were removed from the pension overhaul (PL 109-280) and moved separately as part of the “trifecta” bill. Grassley had been promised that the extenders would move with the pension overhaul after they were excluded in May from the $70 billion tax reconciliation measure (PL 109-222).

Having exhausted almost every argument in support of the extenders, Grassley is now making an election season appeal.

But Frist is not running for re-election. Even if he were, he would be unlikely to abandon what he regards as the legislative leverage afforded by the extenders, which would pass so overwhelmingly that Frist figures they represent a perfect vehicle for his own pet, repeal or a drastic reduction in the estate tax -- a horse so dead in the Senate that Frist sees no harm in beating it further.

This stubbornness may come out of the hide of GOP candidates bristling under the yoke of the “Do-Nothing” Congress label. Meanwhile, Grassley couches his bid to pass the extenders in terms of saving the GOP’s skin in November:

I think that people up in '06 ought to be concerned about the extenders, because it's pretty easy to make a 30-second commercial about Republicans not delivering on tax exemption for college tuition, tax deduction for teachers' supplies, and R&D, retraining for young workers in small business and all of these things that ought to be [extended]. So I'm suggesting to '06 candidates that they ought to consider this could be a problem for them... And they've got one week to change leadership's mind about whether or not the extenders shouldn't be passed by themselves next week.

It’s probably too little too late, but some congressional GOP candidates are hinting that they agree with Grassley and hope that Frist will relent.

"If the trifecta's out, we need to see the extenders move," said GOP Rep. Kevin Brady, whose home state of Texas is one of eight that would benefit from an extension of the state sales tax provision.

Reportedly, there have been staff-level discussions about moving the extenders separately among some GOP Senators up for re-election this year, including Mike DeWine of Ohio, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, who may side with Grassley on this score.

Expect Frist to be unmoved. After all, he has now batted away three bids by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) to bring the extenders to the Senate floor as a stand-alone bill. And why should he be moved to move the extenders now? Dr. Frist is moving on.