The big picture: After promising for 10 years to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, and with a lawsuit pending at the Supreme Court that could do exactly that, Republicans are making a new argument: c’mon, nobody’s getting rid of the Affordable Care Act.

“I’m not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act,” Barrett said yesterday…

What they’re saying: Sen. Mike Crapo brought up a moot-court exercise in which Barrett “ruled” that the ACA’s individual mandate was unconstitutional, but let the rest of the law stand.

“I think that’s kind of an answer, frankly, to a lot of those who are raising this specter that you’re going to take the whole Affordable Care Act away from everyone because of this very narrow case,” he said, despite Barrett’s repeated reminders not to read a real legal position into that practice exercise.