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Lamont's battle to oust Lieberman was billed by many pundits as yet another example of disarray within the Democratic Party. Some DC insiders even claimed it meant they'd never retake a congressional majority this year. So I wonder... what precisely do they make of this news about the Republicans and RI Sen. Chafee?

Not to beat a dead horse, but this is yet another example of why its nuts for progressive groups to support moderate Republicans. Any resources spent by the Republican Party on this race come at the expense of spending them elsewhere. And while its true that this is a fight between Republicans, you have to ask yourself - why precisely is the national party in such a panic to keep Chafee in?

The answer, of course, is that Chafee's challenger, Cranston mayor Stephen Laffey, is running from Chafee's right, and although he might be able to win in a primary, there's no way Laffey would ever get elected in true blue Rhode Island's general election. In other words, if Chafee loses in two weeks, it'll be a virtual walk for the Dems in November. Plus, as this report shows, in their effort to save Chafee the Republican Party is being forced to divert resources from other hotly contested races, helping the Democratic Party's chances around the nation.

While its true that all politics are local, most House and virtually all Senate races have national consequences. This story is yet another demonstration of that important fact.