Weekend Question 1: What’s the Obsession with Mike DeWine’s “Independence”?

From the RNC after Mike DeWine’s primary victory was supposedly assured (8:03 PM on Tuesday, or about 90 minutes before any results were released — Hmm):

WASHINGTON, May 2
U.S. Newswire — Statement by RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman on Senator Mike DeWine for re-election in Ohio:

“Mike DeWine is an independent conservative who has served Ohio since he was a prosecutor in Greene County. In the Senate, he is working to create jobs in Ohio, supporting tax cuts for families and small businesses, and working to protect our soldiers fighting overseas and help their families at home. His opponent, Congressman Sherrod Brown has a more extreme record than Dennis Kucinich. This race will offer voters a clear choice come November between DeWine’s record of accomplishment and independence versus Brown’s knee-jerk liberalism. The Republican Party stands firmly behind Mike DeWine.”

I guess publicly criticizing Rumsfeld is part of “protecting our soldiers fighting overseas”?

Anyway, keep track of how many times the RNC calls spending hawks like Oklahoma’s Tom Coburn or South Carolina’s Jim DeMint “independent.” I doubt you’ll run out of fingers — on one hand.
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UPDATE: Linked to Right on the Right’s Trackback Party.