And so it begins.

Novak fires one of the most direct opening salvos in what conservatives typically do best -- divide our own ranks and conquer.

Novak may indeed be right, that Smith's merits as a pro-life conservative should have spared him the wrath of the leadership for his transgressions on labor issues. But can there be any doubt that labor funding and manpower is a leftist tool of the first order?

It's a tough call, but I'm gonna have to err on the side of party discipline.