CAPITOL LETTERS

1) Asleep at the wheel: That these members were daydreaming, passing notes, or watching American Idol re-runs on their new iPhones when they should have been paying attention to a bill on arguably the most important issue of the session. So when they heard the bell ring, they woke up, snapped to, and hit "yes" because they thought, "Oh, we must be voting on the bill." Or, "Oh, we must be voting to table the amendment."

Without looking up at the big black screen over the Speaker's head that said "Amendment #2". Without checking to see how Madden was voting on his own bill (which is typically how members figure out how to vote on some of these things).

After nearly two hours of debate? Seriously?? They weren't paying attention to the vote? When DUNNAM'S at the mic? Have they never met this man?

If its true, then because they weren't watching what they were doing, a bill that Madden said was key to helping stop abuse in TYC immediately got delayed at least a week. Madden should be furious. Instead, he's relieved.

2) They were so surprised that the amendment won and the bill got pulled down because of it that they're now backpedalling with Madden. That sounds likely, too.

But at the same time, a look at a few of these surprise "yesses" on Dunnam's amendment tells me it's scenario number one.

Gattis, Taylor, Phil King, Bonnen, Gattis, Crownover? These are not typically breakaway Rs. So that means they mistakenly voted "yes" and accidentally injured the bill.

Here's the 411 on at least two of them: Apparently, Rep. Larry Taylor voted for himself and for Phil King, at King's request in case the vote came up while he was called to the lobby. Sure enough it did, and Taylor thought it was a motion to table (kill) the amendment ... and voted yes for both of them.

Sigh. Not that this is going to teach them to vote themselves and not trust anyone else to do it. Nothing ever does.

You know what? Whether it's option 1 or 2, either way, it just looks bad. No. Win.