McConnell's great orange whale haunting him on Obamacare repeal

The super-secret, behind closed doors negotiating for Trump continues in the Senate, and just like it was in the House it's being done totally outside the regular order Mitch McConnell promised the nation we would see when he took over the majority in 2015. But the 13-member, all-white death panel faces a major obstacle that's not even the Senate. It's the orange thing inhabiting the White House.

McConnell is pretty darn determined to ultimately hold a vote on a health-care bill, members, aides and lobbyists have told me. Dissension among the Republican ranks would have to be virtually insurmountable to deter the majority leader from his quest to bring legislation to the floor, allowing Republicans to say they've fulfilled their Obamacare repeal promises.

—But as Republicans try to accelerate toward some kind of credible measure, the Trump controversies are getting in the way. On Wednesday, members insisted they can keep moving forward on health care and other policy goals. But many admit White House blunders are dampening the entire effort, especially as lawmakers fear what new, troubling news report could be coming next.

"I think policy initiatives are sort of parked right now until we get the Comey thing dealt with," said Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said the Senate is "certainly able to handle more than one issue at a time" but acknowledged news surfacing in rapid succession about Trump makes things harder.

"We've been discussing health care in lunches and private meetings and so that work continues, but obviously as there's new revelations every day coming in the press concerning the White House it makes it more difficult for us to pursue an agenda here," she said.

Well, good luck with that. We've had half a day without humungous bombshell Trump stories breaking, but with all the upcoming hearings in the House and the Senate, and with administration officials falling all over themselves to run to reporters with their astounding stories about Trump this is just a breather.

Oh, and by the way, Trumpcare is still heinously unpopular and has put the Republican House majority into play. If McConnell doesn't think his colleagues are watching that play out, he's delusional.

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