The Insurgency Continues

Yes, the Republicans continue to battle "the insurgency." No, not in Iraq. Right here in the good, old US of A.

Senator Robert F. Bennett of Utah faces questions about whether he is "conservative enough" while running for re-election for a fourth term. He has drawn seven challengers and may not even be the Republican on the ballot and this despite the fact that he has been given consistently high ratings by the NRA, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the American Conservative Union.

Also, John McCain is facing a "consistently conservative" challenger and is threatened enough that he had to turn to Sarah Palin for support, or for hopes of support from Tea Party types. He seemed to need Sarah's imprimatur! Everyone knows by now that Palin and McCain did not jell - to say the least - during the presidential campaign. What to do? Grin and bear it, John, along with your wife, Cindy, who reportedly really did not care a whit for Palin or her clan. This might help McCain and it keeps Palin in the spotlight.

So the battle within of by the Republican Party with an insurgency continues. The party's "regulars" want to hold onto their power and privileges and, therefore, need to control or co-opt the Tea Partiers. The requirements of this battle will determine what the Republicans say and do, not a concern with the nation's well-being, to say nothing of a concern with the Democrats and defeating them. Hence, even if what they say and do leads to Democratic victories, like the recent victory on health care, the Republicans don't really mind - that is, so long as they preserve their power.