Much has been made of the ridiculous behavior of Senator Richard Shelby-for those who don't know, he has put a hold on all of President Obama's appointees until his state gets some pork the President took away. But all of you blaming Senator Shelby for this behavior are severely misguided. It's not Shelby's fault. The President is making him do this. And it hurts him a lot more than it hurts the President. From TPM:

"Sen. Shelby has placed holds on several pending nominees due to unaddressed national security concerns," Shelby spokesperson Jonathan Graffeo said in a statement. "Among his concerns" are the progress on multi-billion dollar defense contract that would see planes built in Mobile, AL and Obama's decision to scrap a $45 million FBI improvised explosive device lab Shelby secured an earmark for in 2008. "The Obama Administration wants to read terrorists our Miranda rights and try them in U.S. courts but is impeding the processing of evidence that could lead to convictions," he said. "If this administration were as worried about hunting down terrorists as it is about the confirmation of low-level political nominations, America would be a safer place."

You see? It's not Shelby's fault that the President wants us all to die. Shelby is protecting us from a dangerous President by blocking the appointees who run the agencies that help keep us safe. It makes perfect sense to me.

Of course, while Shelby is grandstanding and parroting the idea that the President is soft on national defense, he ignores the fact that the President's policies are working. The FBI got the underwear bomber to talk by not torturing him, and he's still talking over a month later. But as has become clear over the past year, policy is of no importance to the GOP. Only the failure of the President matters.