A few House Republicans have already rebuffed yesterday's claim by their leadership that the bailout vote might have gone differently if only Speaker Pelosi hadn't insulted Republican members with her partisan floor speech.
These members are right to reject such "nonsense," as California's Darrell Issa dubbed it, and others may want to consider following suit asap--especially if these negotiations look like they're going to drag on. As former Speaker Newt I-shut-down-the-government-because-Bill-Clinton-made-me-sit-in-the-back-of-Air-Force-One Gingrich can tell them, voters tend to be unimpressed by lawmakers who derail important legislation because of personal pique.
--Michelle Cottle