Suspicious “no” votes: Naming names

Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama deliberately threw the fight on the bailout.

John Gibson on his radio show spoke to a livid Karl Rove, who had a long list of Democratic legislators at hand who voted “no” on the bailout bill, but would never conceivably have done so if Pelosi and Obama had given them the slightest push for their support.  That assumes, of course, that the two of them had even the slightest intention of seeing this bill passed.  (Via Allahpundit.)

• Pelosi couldn’t deliver committee and subcommittee chairmen who owe their positions and posh offices to her good graces?
• Obama couldn’t deliver the Congressional Black Caucus, including those from Chicago’s South Side, one of whom (Jesse Jackson, Jr.) is his campaign co-chair?
• Neither of them could deliver safe incumbents who haven’t faced a competitive election in years, and will probably be in Congress until they die?

Laughable.  These representatives were told they were free to vote “no” without risk of repercussions from voters, Speaker Pelosi, or a prospective President Obama.  All this, to preserve the Wall Street meltdown as a crisis to blame on the Republicans and John McCain.  The cherry on top is Pelosi’s disgraceful speech, which if nothing else at least alerted Republicans they were being set up.

MORE: The New York Times reports the number of Democratic holdouts Obama called to ask for their votes for a bill he ostensibly supported: zero. Scroll down to where the Times usually stows nuggets like this one — third paragraph from the bottom.

EVEN MORE: Power Line has some more insight.