Bill Frist is giving up politics, at least for the time being, and has ruled out a White House run for 2008.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Wednesday he will not run for president in 2008, the most high-profile campaign dropout among Republicans more than a year before the first convention delegates are chosen. “In the Bible, God tells us for everything there is a season, and for me, for now, this season of being an elected official has come to a close. I do not intend to run for president in 2008,” Frist said in a statement — his only planned comment on the decision.

Earlier, Frist had decided not to seek a third term in the Senate. His announcement Wednesday caps a 12-year stint in electoral politics in which he rose from an underdog in his 1994 Senate campaign to the position of majority leader a mere eight years later.

Given that he had virtually no chance of winning, this is a smart move. It’s rather hard to claim that one is ready to lead the country after having presided over the loss of every single close race in the preceding election.