Boehner, Flake, Cole and Approps

One of the stories that I have been concerned about today was one that I first saw on Twitter (Joshua Culling) that Republican Leader, my Congressman and a Great American -- John Boehner -- was to "endorse" Tom Cole "over" Jeff Flake.

Let's play the telephone game...you remember this one from grade school, right?

Culling got it it from the National Taxpayers Union Twitter feed, who got it from Club for Growth, who got it from Roll Call, who got it from Boehner's office.

Let's watch the message evolve...

Culling:

johnboehner to endorse Tom Cole over @JeffFlake for Approps #pork

NTU:

Tom Cole for Approps?: That is the question, now that Roll Call is reporting that Boehner will support him.

Club for Growth:

House GOP Leader John Boehner will endorse ($) Rep. Tom Cole to be on the House Appropriations Committee. This is a crushing blow to fiscal conservatives who have been outspoken in their support for anti-earmarker Jeff Flake to get a seat on the powerful committee. There are at least two seats open, so Flake still has a chance, but if the Cole endorsement is any indication, Flake and the conservative base will be ignored again.

FYI...Cole had an anemic 8% rating on our 2007 RePORK Card. Worse still, he received a 0% in 2006.

Roll Call:

Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.) did not receive Minority Leader John Boehner’s (Ohio) endorsement to continue as the head of the House Republican campaign operation, but Cole will have the GOP leader’s backing for a plum spot on the Appropriations Committee, according to Boehner’s office.

Here is what I got from Team Boehner when I asked about the "truthiness" of Mr. Culling's statement:

No. We don't have ratios for Committee assignments yet (Democrats are still deciding how many to give us) but we will almost certainly have more than one vacancy on Appropriations. It was reported last year that Rep. Boehner had agreed to support Rep. Cole for an Approps seat in the 111th Congress, but he is not supporting Cole "OVER" Flake.