Former Republican Senate Leader Bob Dole is introducing Kathleen Sebelius before the HELP Committee. The beginning was much as you'd expect: Kind words about the nominee and sorrowful words about the missed opportunities of the past. He vene extolled bipartisanship. But not in the manner you'd expect. "Look at the numbers," said Dole. "Look at the numbers. There's really no need to talk about bipartisanship. The Democrats have the numbers." He went on to argue that the process should be bipartisan. That a bipartisan process is a healthier process. But Dole's words were a warning to the Republicans: It doesn't have to be bipartisan. If Franken is seated, a unified Democratic Caucus would only need to flip one Republican to break a filibuster. If even that proves impossible, the relevant actors have clearly signaled their willingness to crack through minority obstruction by loading health reform onto the reconciliation process. Observing that health reform should be bipartisan is often understood as a plea to the majority party. But sometimes it's really an instruction to the minority party.
