Republican Versus Republican

The battle lines are forming --  and the schadenfreude, it tingles:

On shutting down government to de-fund Obamacare:

A growing number of Republicans are rejecting calls from leading conservatives, including Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, to defund the president’s health care law in the resolution to keep the government running past Sept. 30. The rift exposes an emerging divide over how the GOP can best achieve its No. 1 goal—to repeal Obamacare—while highlighting the spreading fears that Republicans would lose a public relations war if the dispute leads to a government shutdown in the fall. 

Most prominent among those rejecting the "de-fund or else" hostage-taking:  Sens. John McCain, Tom Coburn, and Richard Burr, a.k.a. what passes at times for the "just- sane- enough wing" of the Rethuglican Party.  Round One.

On libertarian national security and anti-terrorism views:

Highlighting a growing split in the Republican Party over national security policy, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Thursday harshly criticized libertarians -- including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) -- by invoking the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Gov. Christie, starting to echo Rudy "Noun, Verb, 9/11" Giuliani,  pushing back against current Rethug front-runner (!!!) Sen. "Ayn" Rand Paul.  Round Two.

On "Mr. Tangerine Man" John Boehner and the anti-immigrant "Steve King wing of the Republican Party":

Despite a firestorm of criticism — including another rebuke from Speaker John A. Boehner Thursday morning — the Iowa Republican defended his comments last week that such [immigrant] children have “calves the size of cantaloupes” as a result of carrying drugs across the border.

You'll never get the crazy out of the Republican Party.  You can only hope to hide it in the attic or the basement until after the next election.  Round Three.

BONUS:  It's not just warfare at the national level, either.

(Image:  Apologies to Mad Magazine, but bombthrowers... it's just so a propos.)