The Washington press corps had been fantasizing about a big story: John McCain would get fed up with George W. Bush, switch parties and shift control of the Senate to the Democrats. But reality was more interesting than media dreams. It took an unassuming Vermont Republican to crystallize the argument that Bush isn't quite the charming centrist he promised to be. That the point was driven home by such a spotlight-averse Senator made his message all the more dramatic.
Jim Jeffords, as it happens, is the anti-McCain. Until last week, he was known as mild, stolid, devoid of oratorical flair. His...