John Bolton and Lincoln Chafee's right uppercut

Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee's got a bit of an identity problem. As a New England Republican, he has frequently broken ranks with the divisive far-right-wingers who currently run his party. But there comes a time in every politician's life when he must fall in line with the party or face the possibility of losing support. Now the time is here.

In the fight over John Bolton, Bush's proposed U.N. ambassador, Chafee has stood on the fence. "I wish this wasn't the nominee to the United Nations," Chafee said in April. But the Republican sheepdogs have gathered the stragglers, and Chafee's jumped off the fence. The senator from Rhode Island, who happens to be up for re-election next year, has sided with Bush. If Chafee votes for Bolton, Rhode Island will remember in 2006.