“Republicans’ weakness invites terror.” Those words on X (formerly known as Twitter) from the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin perfectly captured our new politics of chaos. Rubin and others either accused Republicans of benefitting or actually inviting terrorism with the removal of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

In reality, the vacant speaker’s chair will not materially affect our response to the massacre in Israel. Moreover, you have to take leave of any sense of reality to believe that Hamas was watching the U.S. House of Representatives to coordinate this attack. The massacre happened to occur on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago.

And, no, the Yom Kippur War was not launched due to any looming motion to vacate the chair of then-House Speaker Carl Albert (D-Okla.). Indeed, when that war started, Vice President Spiro Agnew was preparing to resign over a tax-evasion scandal. No one suggested that his pending vacancy invited the 1973 attack on Israel by Egypt and Syria.

[I’m not sure what point is served any longer by rebutting Rubin’s stream of partisan foolishness. Does anyone really consider her a serious voice — other than the editors of the Washington Post, that is? A more accurate criticism of the House mess is that it’s preventing Congress from taking any additional action needed in response to the crisis, but that’s probably a marginal concern at best at this point. The House GOP’s circular firing squad is doing most of its damage to itself. — Ed]