Today’s Washington Post tells us that NOW 7 GOP Senators want to debate the Warner/Levin amendment, making this one of the biggest WTF moments in recent history:

Senate Republicans who earlier this week helped block deliberations on a resolution opposing President Bush’s new troop deployments in Iraq changed course yesterday and vowed to use every tactic at their disposal to ensure a full and open debate.

In a letter distributed yesterday evening to Senate leaders, John W. Warner (Va.), Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and five other GOP supporters of the resolution threatened to attach their measure to any bill sent to the floor in the coming weeks. Noting that the war is the “most pressing issue of our time,” the senators declared: “We will explore all of our options under the Senate procedures and practices to ensure a full and open debate.”

The letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was not more specific about the Republican senators’ strategy for reviving the war debate. But under the chamber’s rules, senators have wide latitude in slowing the progress of legislation and in offering amendments, regardless of whether they have anything to do with the bill.

The letter began circulating yesterday evening after it became apparent the Senate was deadlocked over the war resolution and Reid was prepared to move on to other matters. McConnell and many in his party have aggressively defended their decision to block the bipartisan resolution as an issue of fairness because Democrats would not agree to GOP procedural demands.

So what is causing the WTF moment? Well the fact that ALL GOP Senators voted against ending debate, resulting in the ultimate filibuster. Now we got John Warner, Chuck Hagel, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Norm Coleman, Gordon Smith and George Voinovich all saying it should be voted on. Why didn’t they say that on Monday? Is the GOP leadership or White House pulling the strings on these people? If that is the case then they need to go ahead and leave the Senate. They represent the people – not the party.

The biggest crime here is the fact that they are so quick to play these little political games. Well what is happening in Iraq is not a game. Don’t worry though – the decisions of these Republicans will be echoed throughout election season.