Thune: RINO.
As an alternative to Daschle, you may argue he is an improvement.
I view them as two different sides of the same coin.
In the election, he ran as a conservative.
He governs as a RINO.
Oh, no. Any more he is a card-carrying, dyed in the wool, 100% capital 'R' Republican.
The heretics are the ones who don't act like Democrats when they get to DC.
Republican does not equal "conservative", and hasn't for a long time.