The NRSC has effectively painted themselves in a corner by vowing not to support Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey (should he defeat Sen. Linc Chafee in the Rhode Island GOP Primary).

Should the NRSC stubbornly refuse to support Laffey, they would effectively be allowing the Democrats to take the seat, uncontested. This would be disastrous because every dime the Democrats don't spend in Rhode Island is a dime they will spend in Ohio ... or Pennsylvania ... or Maryland ... or Tennessee, etc.

By staying out of Rhode Island, the NRSC won't just be getting even with Laffey -- they will also be hurting every GOP Senate candidate in America. They should put aside pettiness and follow Chris Matthews' maxim: "Don't get mad, don't get even -- get ahead!"

Furthermore, if the NRSC really wants to be shrewd about proving that challenging their incumbent Senators is a bad move, the last thing they should do is abandon Laffey. By withholding funds, they are setting themselves up as a scapegoat; should Laffey win the nomination (but lose the General Election), conservatives will always be able to say, "We would have won, but Elizabeth Dole cost us the election."

Bottom line: Liddy Dole and the NRSC ought to pledge to support whichever candidate wins the GOP Primary in Rhode Island. That's their job. Period.