I Don't Think I've Talked Enough About Lincoln Chafee Today...

Yeah, right. But The Hill has an article about the importance of Chafee in the Bolton fight, and the importance of GOP party dollars to Chafee's re-election campaign.

It seems we're approaching one of those rare times when Chafee actually needs the support of his fellow Republicans and knows that he needs to act at least somewhat like them instead of constantly criticizing them and hanging out with the Democrats.

"To win in a state that Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry carried by a greater margin than any state but his home state of Massachusetts, Chafee will have to maintain his independent reputation. But he also needs to remain in the good graces of conservative party leaders to raise the money to run a competitive race.

The Bolton nomination has been a particularly difficult test for Chafee, who expressed his surprise at President Bush’s pick almost as soon as it was announced. The Boston Globe reported last week that Chafee said his constituency was “overwhelmingly” opposed to the nomination."

The Rhode Island Senator has been getting financial support from PACs organized by Majority Leader Bill Frist and Majority Whip Mitch McConnell. Despite efforts by Chafee to appear "independent" to his constituents, it seems he understands where his bread gets buttered.

"Chafee needs the resources of his party more than ever to withstand an escalating barrage of attacks from Democrats, who consider Chafee to be one of their prime targets this election cycle."

Funny how the Democrats, who are normally so buddy-buddy with Chafee become such fair-weathered friends when the rubber meets the road. I'm sure if he is re-elected, he'll once again forget who brought him to the dance and go back to being a thorn in the side of the GOP. But for now, it's up to the Republican leadership to squeeze as much as they can get out of him.

Posted by: Gary at 08:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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