Nuclear Fallout: Who's to Blame

To the degree there was a betrayal, it was not by "the Republicans". It was by John McCain.

by Rod D. Martin
May 24, 2005

It is very important to remember that the only reason there wasn't a vote implementing the "Nuclear Option" today is that Frist didn't have the votes to win; or more specifically, that he was short by two.

Let's put that another way: virtually the entire Republican Party was united in doing the right thing. To the degree there was a betrayal, it was not by "the Republicans". It was by John McCain.

I do specify McCain. Warner, Snowe, Collins and Chafee are to be expected. DeWine and Graham are good guys who ought to know better, and who will vote with Frist (giving him the margin of victory) if the Democrats abuse the deal.

McCain, though, did this purely because it puts him in the news as "a statesman", a "selfless public servant above politics". In other words, he's running for President, seeking to replace a real statesman and a true public servant.

McCain is the only person in the whole thing who needs or deserves punishment. Don't slam the party: it was the…