McConnell faces questions, but no test to his leadership

One Republican senator — who requested anonymity to assess McConnell’s performance — said the leader “needed to pitch a perfect game” to pass the healthcare bill.

“Unfortunately, he pitched a two-hitter,” the lawmaker said, extending the baseball metaphor.

At the same time, there have been complaints about how the negotiations unfolded.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), one of three GOP “no” votes last week, lamented that she often had been left in the dark and didn’t know what was in the bill until it was unveiled.