Giving the GOP it's props

I'm usually hard on the GOP because, more often than not, they seem more than willing to compromise basic conservative principles for political expediency.

But in the case of health care, republicans did show up for a change.

How do I know? I read this piece defending Max Baucus's drunken tirade on the house floor where the writer laid out this claim.........

Now, if you can read that, and you can, then you have to agree Baucus was not "slurring" or "drunk" , or "slobbering" when he was speaking. Otherwise he could not have got off such a great blast against Wicker.

And Conservatives know it.

Rather, Baucus was just plain tired and really angry. The product of long hours of debate against Republicans who just don't play fair at all.

Baucus made a great point. People like Maine's Republican Senator Olympia Snowe were really interested in passing health care reform, but were relentlessly pressured into not doing so. Personally, I think they're on the wrong side of history.

Now let's look at this for a moment. (nevermind that the writer never offered anything on Baucus's drunkeness)

Let's assume that these health care bill(s) were a totally kick ass pieces of legislation that would cure all of our country's health care woes.

1) You're telling me that that not one republican wouldn't have signed up so they could go back to their constituents extolling everything they do for them? That's not a politicians nature.

2) You're telling me that not one liberal republican like Snowe, Rinovich, Collins, Grahamnesty, et al wouldn't have loved to jump ship to the dark side given their "bi partisan" make up? Getting all these guys together is like herding cats; next to impossible.

3) If these bills are so awesome, how is it that it took billions of dollars of bribes to even get all the democrats on board?

4) What kind of calculated risk is there here? Again, assuming that this thing is awesome, it means that republicans will be out of power for for at least a half a century for trying to obstruct it. Why would any of them do that?

5) Why do democrats care if any of these get bi partisan support? Let's face it, if I have a great bill I want all the credit. Unless, maybe it's not so great, then I'm looking to spread the blame.

On second thought, maybe I'm giving the republicans too much credit here. Maybe these bills are so horrible that not even one of them can support them; taking no political courage what so ever.

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