Karl applies the whip:
"I think I should have kept my mouth shut back in January," Mr. Grassley told reporters at the White House after a half-hour meeting with the president, other Republican senators and Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's top political adviser. -- from the NY Times. Senator Grassley (R-IA) had suggested in January that eliminating taxes on dividends would be a tough sell.

This highlights one of the core problems with our so-called democracy. Members of Congress, especially Republicans but also too many Democrats, recognize the Bush Administration as their most important constituency, followed by their corporate donors, then, maybe, the citizens of their states or districts. Almost none of them are representing the good of the country, or, perish the thought, the world. When someone like Grassley forgets his role and tries to change the priorities, Karl Rove and the other goons in the White House quickly beat him into submission.