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Cutting and pasting a hundred lines about how Barney Frank was completely in the tank for Fannie and Freddie does not excuse the weak, inept leadership of the Republicans.

There is only so much Republicans can do. They are hampered by congressional rules.

Look, the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 (S. 190) -- was Republican legislation introduced by Sen. Charles Hagel [R-NE] in January of 2005. And it was the Democrats who opposed it in committee, fearing that its restrictions and portfolio caps might impair mortgage market liquidity, and subsequently, affordable housing. Despite the "nay" votes of all 9 Democrats on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the bill moved to the Senate floor, where it died in limbo lacking a filibuster-proof majority.

How much better could the GOP have done under such circumstances ? The main solution would then have to vote MORE OF THEM in so that a filibuster proof majority could exist.

The Bill was reintroduced in the 110th Congress as S. 1100, but was kept on ice by committee chairman Chris Dodd, who, coincidently, received $133,900 in grease from Fannie and Freddie over the past decade.

How could the GOP have been blamed the second time when they did not control the chair of the Senate Banking Committee ?

It's very easy to be an equal opportunity blamer, but the details tell us otherwise.

The Democrats win as long as the Republicans let them operate in the dark. The Senate Majority Leader has the right to force the minority to stand up and perform an actual filibuster on the floor. The minority would have then been forced to explain themselves. Would the Democrats have been willing to come out publicly and explain why there were making a stand on this issue? If they had at least there would have been public debate. There would have been some coverage. Everyone would remember who opposed reform. Senate Rule 22 has been used to allow the mere threat of a filibuster to prevent legislation from coming up. Therefore Senators can operate in the dark without controversy ever being played out on the floor of the senate.

I expect Republicans to take a blood bath in the senate this year. Not only do Republicans have far more seats up for election than the Democrats, but the base is not very enthused about the bailout that breezed through last week. My own two Senators (Georgia, both Republicans) both voted for it even though they are from one of the most conservative states in the country. Senator Chambliss is now in a tight race when his reelection should have been a cakewalk. The two of them have accounted for almost $250,000,000 in pork this year while in the minority.