In the last ten days, we've grown to appreciate three people often referred to as RINO, or Republicans in Name Only.

Would Judge Kavanaugh have made it without them?  I don't know.  I do know that Mitch guided the process superbly, Lindsey ignited the fire at the hearings, and Susan delivered the closing statement.

It is a "teachable moment," as someone said.

It reminds me of that old Reagan rule about 80%.  It goes like this: "The person who agrees with you 80-percent of the time is a friend and an ally – not a 20-percent traitor."

Yes, sir, Mr. President!

In other words, we saw this week how valuable it was that Maine is represented by Senator Collins.  Do you think a Democrat representing Maine would have done a "Manchin" on Kavanaugh?  My guess is that a Maine Democrat would have been as silly as Senator Whitehouse or obnoxious as Senator Murphy.

We also saw how wonderful it was to have Senator Graham, and his rhetoric, on our side.  Yes, I know some of you don't like his association with Senator McCain or his views on immigration.  In the end, he came through, as I'm sure the late Senator McCain would have done if he was around.  I really believe that Senator McCain would have exploded in anger over Kavanaugh, too.

And then there is Senator McConnell, the man with the thankless task of having to put all of this together.  He did it, and that's what matters.

The moral of the story, as I believe Aesop used to say, is that the GOP has people of character who may disagree but share common values.  Over the years, I've loved Senator Collins on national security, Senator Graham on judges, and Senator McConnell for putting it all together.  They didn't let me down!

Cheers for the RINOs.  They made us proud this week.

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