After He’s Gone
Silver linings for the GOP.

By NR’s John J. Miller & Ramesh Ponnuru
May 24, 2001 4:20 p.m.

t least the obnoxious Strom Thurmond deathwatch may finally come to a welcome end, and not because the old man has died.

But the announcement by Sen. Jim Jeffords that he's leaving the GOP and will caucus with the Democrats provides another kind of silver lining for Republicans: They have a clear enemy. In politics, enemies can be useful, especially when your "friends" are people like Jeffords.

Under the old dispensation, Tom Daschle could obstruct GOP proposals and then deride Republicans for not getting anything done even though they "run" Congress and the White House. He can't do that any more. Daschle probably won't let himself become a Gingrich-like bogeyman, but he will face an accountability he hasn't had to deal with previously.

This first evidence of this came across the transom right after Jeffords' announcement. "We do look forward to seeing Democrats in the Senate transition themselves from nay-sayers and obstructionists to a majority that actually has to lead and legislate," said J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, who heads the House Republican Conference, in a statement. "Democrats, as a minority, have been the obstructionist party in the Senate. Under Minority Leader Daschle's leadership, they blocked the Social Security and Medicare lock box, marriage-penalty relief, death-tax relief, Social Security earnings-limit repeal, and pension reform. They now have the challenge of holding hearings and moving legislation."

This turn of events may also make it more likely that Bush will veto bad legislation coming out of Congress, such as bloated spending bills. Last week, it would have been tough for him to explain why he's against what a "Republican Congress" had just approved. Next week, he can blame those liberals in the Senate.

Make no mistake: The Jeffords loss will hurt, not least when it comes to confirming judges. But it may also provide some hidden opportunities, if the GOP is willing to seize them.

Air Force Lanny
Not that we're against forgiveness or anything, but did Karl Rove really have to find room on Air Force One for Lanny Davis on Monday? Today's Washington Post reports that after President Bush's speech at Yale, the weaselly defender of Bill Clinton hitched a ride back to the Beltway along with his wife and son. The White House likes to pretend that the last few years of the Clinton administration are ancient history. Let bygones be bygones. But that's not what the Democrats think, as evidenced by their treatment of Ted Olson. The White House could have waited for Davis to speak out on Olson's behalf before doing him a favor.

On the Site
NR's editors on Ted Olson.