Go ahead Lou. Run against Kanjorski again. You couldn’t beat him in a great GOP year like 2002. Can’t wait to see what would happen in 2008? Bzzzzz!

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta met with national Republican Party leaders in Washington last month about the prospect of running for Congress.

Barletta, who is in the middle of a court battle over a law he proposed last year to crack down on illegal immigrants, said he had a “very informal” discussion with members of the National Republican Congressional Committee during a trip to the capital at the end of February, but that he has no plans to run for any other office than mayor of Hazleton.

“I am really not thinking of anything other than being mayor right now,” said Barletta, who is seeking a third term as mayor this year. “I haven’t given [a run for Congress] any serious thought. Obviously, I am going to listen.”

Barletta lives in Pennsylvania’s 11th district, whose seat is held by Democrat Paul Kanjorski. The two ran against one another in 2002, with Kanjorski winning 56 percent of the vote.