"That's total buncombe."
Probably. I play the Strategery angle. You know, being part of the VRWC. :)
I think a lot of people look for explanations that don't involve acknowledging that the president screws up sometimes. I think he just screwed up. He picked the picker, and that left no fail safe to avoid what would have been a mistake. Initial meetings with senators, plus a total outcry from the best conservative advocates in the business, stepped in to fill the void.