Speculation about U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Louisville) likely role as the foremost Republican in Washington under the Obama administration is running rampant in recent weeks, and well-renowned columnist George Will chimed in with his take on how the Senate Minority is likely to play during his fifth-term in the upper chamber.

"Because McConnell has been so thoroughly marinated in the institution's subtle mores and complex rules, he will wring maximum leverage from probably 43 Republican votes," writes Will in today's Washington Post.

Will hypothesizes that President-elect Obama may be able to twart McConnell's oft-wielded filibustering tactics on some legislation, but McConnell may still be able to rally forty votes on some legislation - including the Employee Free Choice Act heavily favored by organized labor.

Calling him "Kentucky's most important politician since Henry Clay," Will concludes McConnell  may be an asset towards "Republican recuperation."