Senator Bill Frist (who, due to the idiocy of video diagnosis, is one of several Beltway folks I refuse to refer to as "Doctor") said on PBS' The Newshour:

SEN. BILL FRIST: Jim, I just have to keep coming back to the Constitution of the United States. Last week or last month when thirty-three, thirty-four senators took an oath, they didn't take an oath of government overall; they took an oath to the Constitution of the United States of America

You'd think a guy so dedicated to upholding the Constitution would be rather upset over attempts to undermine the independence and integrity of the judiciary. We're talking about a principle...separation of powers...so fundamental to the Constitution that it precedes the Bill of Rights.

So what does Frist, a man with Presidential aspirations, do about a gathering attack on the very structure of our government? What does he do when when a member of government who had been slammed for ethics violations threatens the independence of the judiciary with impeachment threats?

He supports him. Of course.

Conservative leaders say defending House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is a litmus test for any Republican lawmaker seeking their support

Morton Blackwell, Republican National Committee member from Virginia and a member of ACU's board, said Republicans are being told support for Mr. DeLay is mandatory if they want future support from conservatives.

    "Conservative leaders across the country are working now to make sure that any politician who hopes to have conservative support in the future had better be in the forefront as we attack those who attack Tom DeLay," he said.