Sen. Lincoln Chafee is still thinkin’ over the Alito nomination. An item by Chris Cillizza in the Wash Post has this to say:
A source close to Laffey said “voting against Alito, and doing so in the indecisive manner in which [Chafee] is conducting himself, underscores exactly what Rhode Island Republicans most dislike about Chafee — he sides with the liberals on all the big issues, and he’s weak and can’t make up his mind.” … One source close to the Chafee campaign said the the senator “can survive a ‘yes’ [on Alito] vote a lot easier in the general election than he can survive a ‘no’ vote in the primary election.”
Cillizza also calls Chafee “perhaps the most moderate Republican in the Senate,” which is of course laughable. He’s probably the most liberal GOP senator. You might even call him a radical, in the sense that he is so unlike his colleagues. But “moderate”? Please.