Is there an insurrection brewing in the House? George W. Bush thought he could count on his friends there; he thought the place he'd have trouble keeping Republicans together was the evenly divided Senate, where moderates of his party seemed prone to side with Democrats to thwart legislation he wants. It seemed a safe bet that House G.O.P. leaders would be able to keep Republican Congressmen in line and steamroller his bills through that chamber.
But nothing's easy anymore. Two weeks ago, 19 moderate Republican Congressmen gave House Speaker Dennis Hastert a procedural slap in the face, voting against a...