Paul Ryan, smug son-of-a-bitch, and Mitch McConnell trying to put lipstick on their Obamacare repeal pig

After seven years of failure when it comes to Republicans crafting anything to replace Obamacare, only Republicans could have believed they'd come up with something at their retreat this week. Spoiler alert: they failed again.

Republicans gathered Thursday morning specifically to discuss what should be in the reconciliation package to repeal Obamacare. Republicans voted to repeal Obamacare earlier this month, but now the hard work of outlining the parameters of that are in the committees' hands, and Republicans say no consensus has emerged. […] So far, what appears to have been settled is a timeline in which Republicans first pass a reconciliation bill that dismantles major parts of Obamacare, akin to the 2015 legislation vetoed by President Obama, but with a few additional “replace” elements—though there were few details of what those provisions would look like. Republicans in Congress would then depend on the Health and Human Services secretary (nominee Rep. Tom Price, a Republican from Georgia, awaits Senate confirmation) to use administrative actions to change other pieces of Obamacare. But there were few details on that front, either, besides the fact that 1,400 administrative items have been identified as within Price's power to change. After that, there would be other replacement bills considered in the regular order, to use Senate parlance, but because they would require 60 votes in the Senate, those would need Democrats to pass.

The tearing apart—they've got that part all worked out, mostly. They still have a big issue in whether or not they maintain the taxes and fees under Obamacare because they're going to need them to implement their still-elusive replacement plan. But the taxes have been one of the primary things they've railed against, and the Freedom Caucus maniacs, and they're unlikely to line up for that.

But the putting back together? They can't do it. They won't do it. And when they've destroyed health care for millions of Americans? They will own that.