Okay, I read it. :D)
Now I’m really more than ever, dug in. Stupid Boehner.
The GOPe is about maintaining perks from safe seats and just having enough juice to keep the money coming in for corporate client donors, who are their major responsibility, by keeping the agencies off their backs as much as possible. They are extremely uncomfortable in the majority, as running things takes too much time away from business as usual.
Road trips are a wonderful way to deflect attention. Israel? Cynical equation. The GOPe knows it will be very lucky to pull 25% of the "Jewish" vote in most districts. But nothing like a trip to the Holy Land to excite the Christian voter, though!