Free Republic

The shutdown/debt limit imbroglio wasn’t a defeat. Defeats leave the losers feeling defeated. But the designated losers, the conservative base of the GOP – which, more accurately, now is the GOP – is more eager and excited than it has been in a long time. Why? Someone fought. Finally. Sure, we didn’t win the repeal of Obamacare. The only people talking about actually repealing Obamacare as a direct result of the tactical moves of recent weeks were the doddering dinosaurs and their media accomplices trying to put out the notion that Ted Cruz and his band of merry marauders had...

Still, it was probably too much to assume every Republican would work out that their side was winning this issue. And so, last Friday, in stumbled Sens. Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Saxby Chambliss, Bob Corker and Johnny Isakson -- alongside five Senate Democrats. This "Gang of 10" announced a "sweeping" and "bipartisan" energy plan to break Washington's energy "stalemate." What they did was throw every vulnerable Democrat, and Mr. Obama, a life preserver.

Van Hilleary, candidate for Tennessee's U.S. Senate seat, on Friday called on "his fellow conservative opponent" Ed Bryant to join him in a "conservative truce." Later in the day, Bryant said he agreed. Hilleary "emphasized the importance of electing a sincere conservative to the U.S. Senate and of mutually refraining from campaign attacks on fellow conservatives." He said he is "optimistic Bryant will agree.