Hugh Hewitt has an excellent column titled "Non-Nuclear Fallout" in today's Daily Standard, which discusses the winners and losers from the "aftermath of a sellout," as Hugh puts it. After today's latest display of the so-called new comity in the Senate, as the Democrats filibustered John Bolton's nomination despite an earlier promise by Harry Reid to allow a vote, Hugh's analysis rings even more true:

ON THE PRESIDENTIAL FRONT, it wasn't only McCain who lost big with the deal. So did Senator Bill Frist, at least for the moment, as legitimate questions are being raised about his ability to run the country when he cannot even corral his own caucus. Nebraska's Chuck Hagel contributed to the collapse of the caucus with his reprise of Hamlet on every Sunday show that would have him. Winners include Virginia's George Allen and Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.

Hugh gives me a prominent mention in relation to the Not One Dime campaign, and its potential impact on the next election. Hugh has been a supporter of my effort to demonstrate the dissatisfaction with the Senate's majority caucus in their lack of urgency and unity in addressing the Constitutional affront that the judicial filibusters represent. However, he reminds his readers that my approach has its risks:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee finds itself receiving returned fundraising appeals with "not a dime more" scrawled on their letters. The brainchild of blogger Ed Morrissey, "not a dime more" conveys the refusal to send money to an organization pledged to the reelection efforts of Chaffee and Maine's Olympia Snowe. Of course cutting off the NRSC hurts all incumbents, but principled senators like Pennsylvania's Rick Santorum and Missouri's Jim Talent can go directly to donors via the web. It's the weak horses that like to fundraise as a field.

I have made clear from the beginning that I would continue to support Republican candidates that demonstrate a backbone and a commitment to the principles they so loudly espoused in the fall of 2004. People like me worked our hearts out to give the Republicans a solid majority in the Senate so that they could lead, especially on judicial nominations. Instead, we have leadership that has proven itself unable or unwilling to rise to the task they themselves set in the election.

That's what the Not One Dime campaign targets. When we donate to the NRSC, that money gets distributed by established party leadership in the Senate to campaigns around the country, as the leadership sees fit. That power essentially ties incumbents to the current leadership, because in order to ensure that they get enough funds to have a shot at winning, they need to be seen as supportive of the people holding the purse strings. If the NRSC hasn't got any money of its own, the leadership loses that influence, and the candidates have to put their loyalty elsewhere.

For the second time in a week, the Democrats have exposed Bill Frist as a well-meaning, ethical, but hopelessly outclassed Majority Leader. Frist wasted the momentum from the election and the Democrats' obvious obstructionism in January by stalling for months on addressing the judicial nominations, only bringing it up after the base finally erupted in anger and impatience. Instead of trying to consolidate whatever gains the GOP got out of the testicular bypass John McCain and Company foisted on Frist by pushing through the rest of the judicial nominees after Priscilla Owen's confirmation, Frist trusted Harry Reid and scheduled Bolton's nomination instead -- and got shafted. I warned the GOP earlier this week that this decision was a mistake.

The GOP needs new leadership in the Senate. It doesn't need millions of dollars flowing into the NRSC that will only strengthen Frist's grip on that position over the next year. I will instead donate to Mark Kennedy's upcoming campaign here in Minnesota and start building up donations for Norm Coleman's re-election in 2008, and look around for a close race where I can help a Republican with the courage of his or her convictions. The NRSC won't see any money from me until I know that the leadership it supports has both the competence and the strength to fight for its principles and to keep the caucus in line. I certainly won't donate to the NRSC while any chance remains that the Seven Dwarves who sold out the Constitution this week might get some of my cash from it.

Not One Dime. It's the only way we will force the GOP caucus to rethink its choice of leader, and the only way to be sure that our money won't wind up in the pockets of Lindsay Graham, Mike DeWine, John McCain, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, John Warner, or Lincoln Chaffee.

UPDATE: I'm honored to have Michelle Malkin join us! Welcome to all her readers.

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» Boy, I'm Glad We Made That Deal from Slublog
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