As the Senate prepares to pass...

...historic health care legislation, I can't help thinking about the Republicans. And I can't help thinking about all of the ways in which they come away as losers here.

The first, of course, is that by opting out of the process in the first place, the GOP gave the Democrats free reign in writing the bill. Had they taken part, the Republicans could have gotten a bill much more to their liking. Instead, they had virtually no input into the final product.

The second way in which the Republicans lose is by handing the Democrats a huge legislative victory. After a year of tea parties, death panels and other distractions, President Obama gets to claim a big win in his State of the Union Address next month.

And finally, the Republicans lose just by being on the wrong side of history. It's not enough that the GOP will be forever associated with George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Tom DeLay, tax cuts for the rich, turning budget surpluses into deficits, 9/11, two botched wars (one of choice), Katrina, the worst recession in 70 years, a failed attempt to privatize social security, domestic eavesdropping, torture (puff, puff). Am I forgetting anything? Oh yeah, and for neglecting to address health care reform from the time they took control of Congress in 1994 until the election of 2008. And now they get to go down in history as the party that bitterly opposed health care reform.

As Republican David Frum would say, Nice work everybody.