It's Every Man for Himself in the Senate GOP

Skittish Senate Republicans are ignoring attempts at leadership from George Bush and John McCain and forging their own paths with an eye toward reelection. Twenty-five GOP senators defied would-be party leaders and crossed the aisle to vote for Jim Webb's new GI Bill, the Politico reports. "The Senate has already basically decided to disregard Bush,” says a GOP aide.

"Republicans have to do what they have to do, and if the White House doesn’t like it, too bad," says a GOP lobbyist. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also was unable to deliver the votes to uphold Bush's veto of the Dems' Farm Bill. “No one wants to be seen as aligning with Bush right now,” says the lobbyist. (More Senate GOP stories.)