The conservative Human Events says it could happen:
The Westchester-county-based 24th District [sp–they mean the 20th] could be a focus of national attention if one Republican in particular makes the race: Ari Fleischer, one-time press secretary to George W. Bush, left the White House in 2003 and returned to his home county to do communications consulting (at one point, he advised major league baseball teams on public relations matters), write his memoir of the Bush White House and take on speaking engagements and TV commentary.Friends of Fleischer note that the Westchester native has done just about everything congressional-managed campaigns, worked as a press secretary in both houses of Congress and served as a field operative for the National Republican Congressional Committee-except run for Congress himself. Kelly’s defeat at the hands of Hall now opens up that opportunity for him.
Fleischer isn’t saying anything about any political plans, but fellow New Yorkers who know him well bet that he will make the House race in ’08. As Larry Casey, onetime top aide to former New York Republican Rep. George Wortley and a canny political operative, told me: “Ari is the natural and best candidate for Congress from Westchester and, if he chooses to run, the obvious Republican candidate.”
Few people irritated me more from January 2001 to July 2003 than Ari Fleischer, the condescending public face on one of the most cynical and malevolent periods in White House and American political history. It would be one hell of a race to see a dovish progressive like John Hall square off against the point man for selling the disastrous Iraq War to the American public and media. But make no mistake–the amount of money that a hypothetical Fleischer candidacy could draw in would be very, very formidable. Stay tuned.
(Hat tip to the Political Wire.)