The worst political move of the 21st century

[The Rabbi]

Looks like Obama's pushing gun control will go down as the worst political move of his career. At least until Obamacare is fully implemented.
Strassel: Obama's Gun-Control Misfire - WSJ.com

President Obama's vast gun-control agenda, unveiled in January, was never designed to pass this Congress. Its purpose was to rile up Americans and inflict political pain on the party that stood in the way.

Two months later, liberals are indeed keyed up, and Democrats are indeed getting hammered. Ready . . . aim . . . whoops.

In Harry Reid's Senate, Republicans have serenely sat by as the president's sweeping plan goes nowhere—and all the attention stays on the dozen gun-rights Democrats that have guaranteed that failure. Mark Begich (Alaska), Mark Pryor (Arkansas), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana), Max Baucus (Montana) and Kay Hagan(North Carolina) in particular are up for re-election in red states next year, and they prefer political survival over Mr. Obama's political grandstanding.

Yet even "safe" Senate Democrats have, in the words of newly minted North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, judged their president's proposals "extreme." Mr. Obama intended to lay the blame for the failure of his package on the House GOP, but the headlines instead accurately explain that his "assault weapons" ban and magazine-capacity limits have been tanked by his own party.

This has been accompanied by a humdinger of a Democratic brawl. Since Mr. Obama made guns a priority, Mr. Reid was obliged (a rarity) to cobble a majority of his party together for something. The bill he will soon introduce has, as a result, been watered down to little more than a bipartisan proposal to increase the penalties on the (already illegal) "straw purchasing" of guns, and perhaps some grant money for school security.

Liberals are furious, with California's Dianne Feinstein unloading on her party for not including the gun ban. Their pushback has put in doubt even enhanced background checks (which Democrats once crowed were a slam-dunk issue against the GOP), since liberals are digging in, demanding provisions that gun-rights Democrats can't abide. And their anger has compelled Mr. Reid to allow Ms. Feinstein and Co. to offer amendments, guaranteeing that his more vulnerable members take some tough gun votes.

Republicans? What Republicans?

More at the source.