Snowe belts the wingnuts for criticizing her

Snowe smacks down Pawlenty for implying she’s committed “deviations” from the party line:

"I've been a lifelong Republican -- I haven't changed, I don't know what the problem is -- I really don't….I know Gov. Pawlenty to be a thoughtful person and I know if he could have rephrased it or recharacterized it he would….All I know is that I've been a life-long Republican, I [spent] 16 years toiling in the minority in the House of Representatives and [was part of] the effort to get us the majority in 1994 -- now were in the minority and I'm still here….So, I don't know -- I think they could probably borrow more from me in that sense, in terms of being in touch with your constituents...I don't expect the national party organization to be a substitute for the people in Maine….We're a states' rights approach party and we should leave it at that... I think we've got to be inclusive in in the model of President Reagan...the big tent, I think that's what we have to be all about. I always think that we have to be flexible in accommodating a variety of views if we want to be a majority party in reflecting the spectrum across America."

Like I said months ago, Olympia needs to join the Democrats, and bring her friend Susan – the GOP clearly doesn’t want them, and will not let their voices be heard.