Far be it from me to contradict what is probably good buzz for the junior senator from Pennsylvania in U.S. News this week, but he did play a key roll in the Senate, with Mel Martinez, Tom Harkin, and others, on the Schiavo bill(s). I don’t think he’s changing all too much, I think it might be more like D.C. conservatives feel slightly more free to be conservative post-2004 Election Day. Emphasis on slightly.

Re: Schiavo, btw, no one was going to be the face of congressional action on that legislation once DeLay was involved, so far as the media was concerned.