On Senate Democrats’ entertaining defiance against Barack Obama.

Somebody tell me again how brilliant Barack Obama is. No, seriously.  I enjoy a good laugh, now and then.

In a lengthy phone call, Obama pressed his close friend Dick Durbin to help advance his fast-track bill, which would pave the way for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the largest trade accord in history.

[snip]

In the end, Obama’s schmoozing didn’t persuade Durbin. He opted instead to stick with Reid (D-Nev.), joining all but one Senate Democrat in a stunning rebuke that imperils a centerpiece of Obama’s second-term agenda. The vote does not kill the trade agreement — the Senate could reconsider the bill anytime — but it amounts to an embarrassing setback for the White House at a key time in the delicate, 12-nation TPP talks. Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware was the only Democrat to back the White House.

Now, I understand that a bunch of folks on my side were against that bill. I feel compelled to note for the record that I personally would not feel comfortable about being on the same side of an issue as Senator Elizabeth Warren; but with that sidelong mutter out of the way I hope that we can all agree that there is some pleasure to watching this particular crack-up. Especially since nobody actually expects the trade agreement to be permanently scuppered. Doubly especially because the way that this gets resolved will undoubtedly be via the judicious use of dirty intramural fighting on the Democratic side.

Moe Lane

PS: I wonder when the first racism accusations will hit the floor?  Gotta be soon, yes-no?