In our relief at finding the reconciliation bill skittered through both chambers without too big a battle, we may have overlooked what's been happening to the Republicans' united front.
Political momentum has shifted so fast over the last week that it has given Republicans whiplash. ...Cracks emerged in the unified front Republicans held throughout most of the healthcare debate. At one point, they had threatened to drag out the final battle over changes to the bill with an endless stream of amendments and budget points of order. But by mid-week, Republicans seemed to lose their appetite for an extended and acrimonious fight. ...The Hill
Meanwhile, Eric Cantor, um, lied got it wrong was misinformed looks like a damfool. The bullet that threatened his office wasn't fired at his office. It was fired into the air from ... who knows where.
Rep. Eric Cantor, R-7th, said yesterday that a shot was fired through a window at his campaign office in downtown Richmond.
Gene Lepley, a Richmond police spokesman, said a first-floor window in the building at 25 E. Main St. was struck by a downward bullet Tuesday about 1 a.m. Police said there are no suspects.
... The police report said a bullet was fired into the air and struck the window in a downward direction with enough force to break the pane but not penetrate the blinds. Lepley said the bullet landed on the floor about a foot from the window. Cantor occasionally uses the room for meetings, police said.
... There is no sign identifying the light-green building as the campaign headquarters for Cantor, although its principal occupants, Ray Allen Jr. and M. Boyd Marcus Jr., are well-known in the political community as advisers to Cantor. It is identified as the Reagan Building. ...Richmond Times-Dispatch
See? The bullet was meant for Reagan, if anyone. Poor Eric. He'll have to try again. Is Ann Althouse fuming?
... It appears that a Republican leader in Congress was guilty of trying to fudge the facts in order to use an act of violence for purely partisan reasons; to portray himself as the victim. ...Media Matters for America
