Keystone Kops

"Republicans -- from McCain's top economic aide to the House GOP leadership -- initially blamed Pelosi, saying her floor speech . . . poisoned the atmosphere and invited partisan retribution.

"In truth, few Republicans were on the floor to hear that speech, and those who were there showed no signs of discomfort, as they often do. Republican leaders backed away within hours, conceding they never had the votes they had promised."

Washington Post, 9/30/2008

I'd like something a little more definitive, but the Post is by and large pretty trustworthy. The GOP leadership is just weak. Both Pelosi's speech and the blame assigned were stupid. I'm reading different things about the count Boehner promised the Democrats -- one account says he promised 70 and thought 10 more might follow a surge on the floor, but it seems odd that the Democrats would call the vote without knowing they had enough Democrats. Then again, it's the majority's job to pass bills, and while that's easier with a reliable minority count, it's still the majority's responsibility.

All in all, further confirmation that our politicians are mostly just incompetent.