American Bridge wants everyone to know that GOP Sen. Susan Collins is disappointed in Donald Trump:

Collins 2020: Very Disappointed https://t.co/sxcd40H24p — Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) May 2, 2019

And Twitter’s Chief Expert Tom Nichols thinks that should be of extra-special interest to Washington Examiner mag deputy editor Jay Caruso:

Apparently Caruso’s supposed to feel bad about the fact that he applauded Collins last fall for going to bat for Brett Kavanaugh:

“I’m very disappointed in the President and that means Brett Kavanaugh is not qualified to be on the Supreme Court.” pic.twitter.com/vVBdRrmBsR — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

And thus began a verbal beatdown that ended very badly for Nichols:

Kavanaugh revealed that he did not have the temperament to be on the Court. She made a big production of making sure she covered the GOP, for Mitch, for Trump, and for Manchin, because the Senate is the Senate. — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 3, 2019

Oh that’s nonsense. His temperament was evident in the 300+ opinions he wrote while on the DC circuit. You get pissy when someone doesn’t agree with you. He was accused of gang rape. — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

If the Devil wanted your soul, Jay, all he'd have to do is offer you a SCOTUS pick and two appellate judges to be named later 🙂 — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 3, 2019

Nah. I just choose to evaluate people on the merits. You think people shouldn’t have voted to confirm Kavanaugh because of how you felt. — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

“And if Kavanaugh were to withdraw, recognizing that either of those first two scenarios would likely cause lasting damage to the court and to the country, he would be rewarding the disgraceful behavior of the Democrats who brought us to this moment.” – TWS — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

TWS editors made the best case for Kavanaugh. It was Democrat’s who decided when he was nominated they’d vote against him. They knew it wouldn’t be enough, so they took the lowest road possible. https://t.co/WoyyvS9fd7 — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

All stuff I agreed with until he promised there'd be payback for the Clinton conspiracy behind it all. — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 3, 2019

He didn’t say that. — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

Jay, you got what you wanted. You don't have to rationalize it again. I didn't say a negative word about Gorsuch and called it a good pick. This was an entitled Deke who probably shouldn't have gotten as far as he did, but okay, Mitch did his thing and got it done. — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 3, 2019

Your continued asininity in boiling it down to “what I want” is yet another example of you making LOUSY ARGUMENTS. You claiming Kavanaugh said something he did not has nothing to do with what I wanted. Jfc — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

You are, and on this have always been, a bundle of post-hoc rationalizations for GOP judges. — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 3, 2019

No, the argument is over Kavanaugh and whether or not he deserved confirmation. You say no and you offer up a bogus rationale for doing so and and can’t make the case about Collins. In one tweet it’s about “bowing to Trump and then “She doesn’t care about Trump.” Keep trying! — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

You're usually a bit smarter than this. One of the things to hold against people like Collins is their hypocrisy: "I don't care about Trump, and don't like him, but if doing what he wants is the way to keep power, then I guess I better pucker up."

That's pretty much the GOP now. — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 3, 2019

For an alleged “expert,” Tom sure does seem to be unfamiliar with the concept of quitting while you’re behind.

And that’s where your Trump hate blinds you and you wind up sounding like the nitwits who said “A vote to confirm Kavanaugh is a vote to advance Trumpism.” There’s nothing in Kavanaugh’s history or judicial record to remotely prove that — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

You sound like the angry conservatives who went on spittle-flecked rants over Collins when she “caved” to Obama and voted to confirm Sotomayer and Kagan. — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

Except that wasn't me, but nice "whatabout" move there. Her Sunday school lecture was wrong, it was theater, it was part of the Senate's ongoing enabling of this administration, and it, by your lights, it all worked out. That's how that one went. — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 3, 2019

Jesus learn what words mean. It wasn’t a “whatabout.” It was a comparison. Like them, you can’t make a cohesive argument as to why Kavanaugh didn’t deserve confirmation. Instead you dress it up with what sounds like rational talk such as “wanting power” and “enabling Trump” but — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

It’s really nothing more than partisan balderdash. You can’t lay out why Kavanaugh wasn’t qualified. And you’re mad because Collins didn’t do what you wanted her to do and that’s the bottom line. — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

Okay. I have. I've written on both. But at some point, it's okay for you to just live with the choices you're making instead of demanding affirmation about them. — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 3, 2019

Then only one demanding affirmation is you. I quoted you at length and made a concise case about nuance and you’ve been hollering about it for two days. — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 3, 2019

You chose to quote me, and interpret that quote, and I objected to the characterization, and you've strung it out into two days of stamping your feet about the rectitude of Susan Collins and the excellence of Brett Kavanaugh. I should have known better. Next time, I will. pic.twitter.com/lt0D6iWgjb — Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 3, 2019

If you knew better, Tom, you’d’ve known not to have tried to start a fight you couldn’t win.

Accurate.

Jay FTW in this argument. https://t.co/k1UfyAIcKx — Ge?rge Wept (@GeorgeWept) May 3, 2019

It wasn’t even close. The death of expertise, indeed.

"I found the one way to plausibly oppose Kavanaugh (because Orange Man Bad) and still pretend, despite the mountains of evidence to the contrary, that I'm still a conservative." https://t.co/kxuj5Rftwk — RBe (@RBPundit) May 3, 2019