PARISI: RINO Treachery

Apparently, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican, didn't get the memo, or, because she's a woman, perhaps she didn't think it applied to her. Either way, despite being beaten fairly and squarely in the Alaskan Republican primary for the U.S. Senate on Aug. 24 by Tea Party favorite Joe Miller, Mrs. Murkowski on Sept. 17 announced a long-shot write-in bid to retain her seat - the only probable outcome of which will be to siphon off enough votes to hand the Democratic nominee a chance to win he wouldn't have had otherwise.

This is the same Mrs. Murkowski on whom the irony apparently was lost when, on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sept. 19, she castigated Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican, for backing Mr. Miller in the primary: "I don't think it's particularly helpful to undercut fellow Republicans."

One is left to ask: Where is Karl Rove now? Suddenly something of a folk hero on the left for repeatedly assaulting the Senate candidacy of Delaware's Christine O'Donnell, who toppled another Republican in name only (RINO) in Rep. Michael N. Castle, Mr. Rove has been strangely mute on this latest example of what I call RINO treachery.

As the Electoral-vote.com blog noted, "Right-wing pundits and bloggers are infuriated with [Mrs. Murkowski], pointing out that ... when conservative Ovide Lamontagne lost by the slimmest of margins to Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire, he didn't even ask for the recount he was legally entitled to, but simply endorsed her as the winner. The message is that when conservatives lose, they accept defeat and graciously concede, but when moderates lose, they refuse to accept the will of the people."

As such, don't be surprised if Mr. Castle - who didn't even have the decency to make the customary call to congratulate Ms. O'Donnell on primary-election night - endorses the Democratic candidate, New Castle County Executive Chris Coons, aka Sen. Harry Reid's "pet." Mr. Castle has said he won't, but he spoke by phone with President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. the night of his loss, so don't rule it out.
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