Double Face-Tusk

Stupid, stupid, stupid:

A GOP source in the room tells CNN, despite anger towards Murkowski, the conference decided not to even take up the question of the Senate Energy Committee post because “there was a sense that she’s resigned her leadership post, she lost her primary, she will probably lose her race, and she’ll be gone. She will not be ranking [Republican] because she will not be here.”

This, despite strong words from colleagues like Senator John Cornyn a day earlier, who was among many Republicans who predicted they would remove her from the committee post.

FWIW, I can actually buy that explanation, as far as it goes.  I can't believe the Murk isn't going to turn heel turning the Lame Duck session and give Dirty Harry everything he wants, particularly as ranking minority member of the Energy Committee for a cap & trade ram-down (which is what makes Mark Kirk's Illinois election so crucial since he'd take office immediately and offset her).  But there's no pressing need to remove ALL doubt by clotheslining her to the bottom of the totem pole, as cathartic as that would be.

What bugs me is the optics.  If Senate 'Pubbies simply don't take any action against her, the base grumbles for a while, her departure from Congress is confirmed on Election Day, any dreamed of lame-duck revenge is nullified, and that's that.  But to make a big flourish of confiscating her seniority and her "pork-fort" along with it, and then renege a day later is the worst of all possible PR worlds.  The "establishment" is already held in contempt by too many grassroots conservatives, leading to overpowering fratricidal impulses that distract from the core mission of saving the country from the Obamunist menace (COFFCOFFdelawareCOFFCOFF).  Now they make THIS unforced error that makes them look like they're cravenly afraid of this pathetic, sociopathic mercenary - and that's the LEAST poisonous take.

Or did Senator Cornyn write a verbal check his caucus wouldn't cash in order to mend fences with the base?  Way to whip your colleagues there, John, and leave us in the dark to dream up our own [ahem] theories.

Which makes the following development the perfect karmic companion:

“I don’t want to necessarily interfere with Republican chances,” said Castle, although he added, “I’ve had a lot of people approach me about [a write-in campaign].”…

Asked directly whether he was considering a bid, Castle said: “I’ve given it some thought. I probably won’t do it…. I’m not exactly approaching this with bated breath.” Castle spokeswoman Kate Dickens said the congressman has had conversations about a write-in effort but that he likely won’t pull the trigger.

“We are getting a lot of mail and calls on it,” Dickens told POLITICO. But she said the likelihood of Castle mounting a campaign was still, “under five percent.”

One could reasonably ask why he's talking about it if he has no real intention of doing it.  The answer, of course, is that he IS thinking of doing it, and if he's still as "hurt and stunned" as he keeps saying he is, the chances of his taking the plunge in the next week (the deadline would be September 30th) are a helluva lot higher than "five percent".

You know what the only possible outcome of this fiasco would be, don't you?  Let's take this one step at a time:

1) Chris Coons is vastly more popular in Delaware than Christine O'Donnell;

2) Mike Castle is vastly more popular in Delaware than Chris Coons;

3) Christine O'Donnell is nominally more popular in the Delaware GOP than Mike Castle.

So: If Castle jumps into the general as a write-in, he draws off most of Coons' support, rendering him the Kendrick Meek/Scott McAdams Donk also-ran, but succeeds where Sorry Charlie and the Murk did not because Delaware is such a "blue"-heavy state and passes up O'Donnell to narrowly win the Biden seat outright at the finish.

And then, on Election night, surrounded by cheering supportors in his moment of vindicatory triumph, Senator-Elect Castle announces his intention....to caucus with the Democrats.

And really, who could blame him?

It'd almost be worth it to me just to see Mark Levin's head explode.