A Word On The "Circular Firing Squad"

Tell you what, Chris Van Hollen. I and my "liberal groups" will lay off of fellow Democrats the moment that political leaders who call themselves Democrats stop doing things to deserve my wrath, such as the head of the DNC banning funding for stem cell research in Virginia, for example.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has signed a bill into law banning the use of some state funds for embryonic stem cell research [...]

It contains language inserted by the General Assembly that would prevent a state fund from providing dollars to organizations or businesses that undertake "research in Virginia on human cells or tissue derived from induced abortions or from stem cells obtained from human embryos."

Kaine's support for the legislation is not surprising: He is a staunch Catholic who has long opposed using taxpayer money for embryonic stem cell research. But the platform of the Democratic Party, now headed by Kaine at Obama's behest, describes embryonic stem cell research as "research that could save lives."

See, I care more about principle than any party designation, and when Tim Kaine screws up, I'm likely to tell him he screwed up. Van Hollen's problem is determining who started "the circular firing squad": the politician who operates in a fashion dramatically opposed to Democratic core beliefs, or the "liberal groups" who respond? Obviously, Van Hollen is a politician himself, so we know where he lies on that axis.

“What I’ve been warning people very clearly is, beware of forming a circular firing squad,” Van Hollen said. “We believe people should be focusing their efforts on expanding the Democratic majority, and that should be their singular focus."

No, it shouldn't, the focus should be on improving the lives of the American people.