What We've Got Here is a Failure to Communicate

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) sent beleaguered Fourth Circuit nominee Terrence Boyle a letter last Friday, offering him a chance to defend himself against a now two month-old Salon report showing that he has broken conflict-of-interest laws a number of times as a U.S. District Court Judge. Judge Boyle's home-state senators, on the other hand, see no need for an explanation. On the same day that Specter and Frist sent their letter, Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr began circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter that dismisses Judge Boyle's ethical violations as "trivial" and urges his swift confirmation. Apparently, they're not talking much to the Republican leadership these days. But wait -- Senator Dole, as head of the Republican Campaign Committee, is part of that leadership. What exactly is going on here?