At last! The Democrats' elan vital.

This was from today's Political Diary as featured in place of today's Best of the Web at Opinion Journal.com, emphasis mine:

He also believes that when it comes to a vote, as many as 30 or 40 Democrats will likely jump onboard for two reasons. One, this bill is going to be rolled into a larger package to include pension and other reforms aimed at helping older Americans. And secondly, Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have put a "gag order" on their party, preventing members from saying anything positive about Republican reform proposals. "But you can't stay silent on a vote," he said.

There's our "new tone" in Washington. If this is true, then Democrats are gagged!! by their leadership from agreeing with anything Republicans say. I always suspected that, but there it is in black and white. And to think we'd been racking our brains trying to make sense of what they were saying. What they say doesn't have to make sense as long as it is contrary to Republican policy--never mind what's best for the country, or even their constituents!

I haven't been able to find any support for this assertion in the news, after roughly 2 minutes of searching on the Web. But it sure does explain their behavior.

I've always held liberal Democrats in contempt, but, you know, there was always a voice of discretion in the back of my head: Maybe s/he's just confused, doesn't have all the facts, is misguided and sad .. At this point, any such benefit-of-the-doubt is swept clear. The Democrat party is about power, at any cost. Even the cost of our citizens' lives, even the cost of the lives of our soldiers in a time of war.

Sick, and disgusting. If I were a Democrat and I'd read those words, I'd have no choice but to utterly renounce my party affiliation. I have friends who are Democrats, and for the life of me I'll never understand how they can be proud of their party.