Lincoln Chafee

If Rumsfeld's resignation was in the playbook, presumably under Hail Mary Pass, then why didn't they call the play two weeks back when it could actually have done some good politically and maybe saved Lincoln Chafee et al? Paralysis at the controls. The failure would seem to underscore the general theme: these boys are in denial, and unable to come to terms with what a hash they've made of things. Here and in Iraq. W is presumably in a back hallway, praying to an oil painting.

Not that the Dems have any answers. The Fire Rumsfeld option always amounted to a form of ass-covering. Schumer and Hillary and John Kerry encouraged this fiasco. (Arguing that it could have been done better is Titanic-deck-chair-rearrangement. 500,000 troops or 250,000, disbanded army or not—imagine how you would respond to someone invading your country.)

Sheldon Whitehouse is now the third Democrat to unseat a Republican U.S. Senator tonight, ousting Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island. The magic number for control of the chamber is now three for the Democrats, with five plausibly winnable races still on the board: Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Montana, and Arizona. The numbers, however, do not look good for Democrat Harold Ford in Tennessee. -- Steve Kornacki

Consider the mere possibility of this at your own risk, but there is some speculation that Senator Lincoln Chafee, who some think is mounting a late seat-saving charge in Rhode Island, might bid in victory bid adieu to the Republican Party - potentially giving the Democrats their 51st seat even if they fall short in tonight's returns.

The idea of Chafee changing parties is not new and in some ways makes an awful lot of sense. He's often called a moderate Republican, but he's really a liberal - to the left of many Senate Democrats - and was the lone GOP vote against the Iraq war. He also publicly refused to vote for George W. Bush's re-election in 2004 and, more recently, opposed the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel Alito. Last week, he won the endorsement of Myrth York - a big-name Rhode Island Democrat who has thrice been her party's gubernatorial nominee. Needless to say, if had switched parties a year or two ago, Chafee would probably have had a much easier path to re-election in blue state Rhode Island.

But the timing on this is off. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has poured millions of dollars into Little Rhody this year, fortifying Chafee first from a life-and-death challenge from the right in the GOP primary and now against his Democratic foe, Sheldon Whitehouse. For Chafee now to stick it to the Republican Party - which has cheerfully brooked every one of his apostasies so that he will vote to give them control of the Senate - would take the term 'ingrate' to a new level.

Still, if Chafee hangs on tonight and the chamber ends up split at 50/50, who knows what inducements Democrats might offer Chafee? Actually, the scenario feels a little like the spring of 2001, when Democrats flipped another very liberal New England Republican, Vermonter James Jeffords, to break a 50/50 tie.

(By the way - wouldn't it have saved everyone considerable trouble if at this time last year Chafee and Joe Lieberman struck a deal to trade parties for one year?)

Pity poor John Bolton.

No, really.  read more »

Hats off to Eve Kessler, a political reporter at the Forward who is moving on to the New York Post. Kessler is smart and on it. For instance, here she reported that Rhode Island Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee faces a primary challenge from Cranston mayor Stephen Laffey, who is backed by members of the Jewish community who see Chafee's pro-Arab comments as out of step with America.

Which brings up my hobbyhorse. Anyone who doubts the strength of the Israel lobby should note that within days of Kessler's article, Chafee was posturing as a rightwinger on these issues, attacking Condoleezza Rice for not doing more to prevent the Hamas victory...