If the Republicans on the Foreign Relations Committee wanted to make trouble for Hillary Clinton, they could unearth any number of skeletons (or just use today’s Associated Press reporting). But the GOP isn’t doing that. Ranking Member Richard Lugar opened the hearing with praise and his questions were all substantive and related to his areas of policy interest. I can imagine that Republican partisans, who are familiar with every potentially damaging bullet point in Hillary’s long life (dating back to her time as an undergrad at Wellesley), are pulling their hair out and asking why the Republicans are so obsequious and spineless. I think we all know how they feel. After all, we sat through confirmation hearings for Condi Rice at State, Alberto Gonzales at Justice, and Sam Alito for the Supreme Court. We know what it’s like to see our senators lie down and act like doormats.

As I have long argued, the behavior of politicians is driven far more by the dynamics of power structures than by ideology. The Democrats were not uniquely spineless during the Bush years. They behaved the way they did largely because their cost/benefit analysis led them to limit their fire in battles they knew they could not win. This isn’t an apology for the Democrats, it’s just an observation about human nature. If the Republicans had the votes to kill Hillary Clinton’s appointment, they might very well go after her with everything from today’s AP piece to the ‘murder’ of Vince Foster. But, without the votes, it’s all about how great she is, how smart she is, and how fantastic it will be to work with her.

This is just a small example of a larger point. The sheer numbers of Democrats on the Hill creates a power dynamic that it is impossible for the old GOP to navigate using their old tactics. They cannot maintain unity and discipline while in the minority, nor can they bully through the terms of the debate. For the foreseeable future they will be weak and ineffective.

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