Almost a year ago, Senator Jeff Flake announced he wouldn’t be running for re-election because “it would require me to condone behavior that I cannot condone.” Yet here he is, announcing support for Brett Kavanaugh. Obviously sexual assault is not in the category of behavior that Flake cannot condone.

The question is why. Flake’s decision not to run gave him the leeway to criticize Donald Trump and the partisanship in Washington. But when it comes to actually voting, Flake doesn’t stand up for true conservative principles like free trade and eliminating budget deficits.

Maybe he thinks he will get back into politics at some point and doesn’t want to alienate  his Republicans.

Or you can go the conspiracy theory route. Maybe the Republican establishment has something on him and is making him vote against his principles, which is why he decided not to run again in the first place.

Either way, he remains a reliable vote and will look the other way, no matter what behavior is involved.