I seem to recall a time back in the distant past (possibly last week) when at a bare minimum, all the sane people could still agree that the party in the minority who filibusters the spending bills is the one that “shut down the government.” Yes, I know… the Democrats would still blame us and the media would spin like a nuclear gyroscope to support their argument, but if nothing else we could look ourselves in the mirror and know we were on the right side of the argument. Sadly, before long, our leadership in the Senate was busy building a narrative which the Democrats could use to great advantage. What I didn’t realize was that it was such a convincing presentation that they totally sold Congressman Peter King on it.

King said [Friday] that he’s incredibly frustrated with the “self-righteous, delusional” wing of his party that may shut down the Department of Homeland Security because they’re “obsessed” with stopping President Obama‘s immigration action. King appeared on MSNBC’s online platform Shift to tell Luke Russert that while he also has serious problems with the immigration action too, the GOP shouldn’t be playing politics on a life-or-death issue like this.

King said (hours earlier, before the initial failed House vote tonight on DHS funding) conservatives are fighting a losing battle and “putting people’s lives at risk” for an issue where they gain nothing. He explained that in conference, he said, “I’ve head it with this self-righteous, delusional wing of the party.”

There’s just about every discredited Democrat talking point in there that you’d hear every thirty minutes during the MSNBC evening lineup. Putting lives at risk for politics? Check. Pushing a bill that can’t be passed? Check. There’s nothing to gain from this? Check.

And this guy seriously wanted to run for President on the Republican ticket. Recall also that we’re not talking about some retired person from the private sector who isn’t up on current events. He’s in the House. He had to vote on the bill. And he is sadly not the only one. How are we expected to apply the leverage of having gained the majority to accomplish anything if we can’t even keep all of our own horses in the corral? Sitting in the middle of CPAC is probably precisely the wrong moment to sink into a funk and have a moment of negative revelation, but there have been too many of these stories surrounding the DHS funding question to ignore.

I have to tell you, there were plenty of times during the midterm campaign where I know I frustrated a lot of you with my rah-rah attitude, and I was frustrated in return by some of you Eeyore types who said it didn’t matter if we obtained a Senate majority if we loaded the seats with a bunch of stiffs. This week I’ve been coming around more and more to your point of view. This should have been easy as pie and it required absolutely nothing from the House and Senate Republicans beyond a simple bit of cohesion and determination. Eventually the Democrats would have caved and the amnesty blocking party would be well underway. But it seems we have too many weak sisters who are ready and willing to capitulate and sing the same tune as the Democrats.

We are yet again on the verge of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. And I’m feeling old and tired.