Who could replace McConnell? Trump has a critical view of the possible short list

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It would be a mistake to presuppose these are the final days of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s record-setting run as the Republican leader in the Senate.

But his recent public freezing spells make it imprudent not to consider what comes next. Each member of the acknowledged possible short list of replacements has been on the receiving end of former President Donald Trump’s insults. And yet, who Republican senators choose could mean either elevating someone vocally at odds with the former president or someone who has tried very hard not to criticize Trump.

The conservative publication National Review, which three years ago bestowed the title “Master of the Senate” on McConnell, today is calling for Republicans to begin the process of replacing him.

McConnell is among the more controlled and calculating lawmakers in US history, and after his repeated inability to answer questions during portions of news conferences, the National Review editors suggested calculation and prudence are required now.

“This gives us no pleasure to say this,” National Review’s editor-in-chief Rich Lowry said on “CNN This Morning” on Friday. “I think he’s one of the most effective – the most effective and consequential – Senate leader in memory.”

CNN’s Manu Raju reported McConnell has been moving behind the scenes to reassure his colleagues, even providing a doctor’s note from the Capitol physician that says McConnell is fit for duty.

But there is also, according to Raju, “initial chatter” among some Republicans about trying to force a special conference meeting to consider McConnell’s future as their leader.

Raju writes: “Even if they have a meeting, there’s no mechanism to force a vote on the…