Is it just me or did Limbaugh just do the Democrats the biggest favor imaginable? Already being tagged as the 'real leader' of the GOP, Limbaugh has just opined that Ted Kennedy will die before the healthcare bill passes and that as a consequence the bill will become the 'Ted Kennedy Memorial Bill'.

Now as of yesterday morning, that was the most likely outcome. Kennedy is severely ill, passing the health care bill will likely take a year.

But now that Limbaugh has come on the scene, not too subtly wishing Kennedy dead, the political cost of Republican filibusters just went up. One can imagine the political theater of forcing Republicans to make good on their filibuster while CNN gives daily reports from the Ted Kennedy death bed. Will Kennedy see his life long dream or will the Republicans succeed in their act of wanton political spite?

What this phony war is really about is that the Republicans know that they need to get back to partisan politics but only if they can get the establishment media to tell people that the Democrats are equally to blame.