and did so horribly.

Snowden should get quite a bit of the credit. A lot of the political class, particularly the Intel committees in both the House and the Senate do not like to be straight up lied to.

In my write up, which does not belong here, we just straight told it as it happened and quoted the three speeches at the end. But we did neary of any analysis.

And it does not belong here because last night we saw amounts of dishonesty that would lead to that being represented. Gasp, I led with Paul, but his party is in the majority, ergo the majority speaks first.

Given the recent court rulings and the bipartisan support for the compromise bill to try to steer around those rulings. My guess that much like Rand Paul's grand stand it had to do with the GOP primary. People he likes must have wanted to push people's position on the Patriot act. I think Sunday was all about the GOP primary and imaginary gains in the minds of those running and little to do with the NSA. The winner is clearly Obama who is managing to fulfilling another Campaign promise to revise the Patriot act. That hard liner Lindsey Graham announced one day after the senate drama seems to heighten my belief it had to do with the primaries.

I honestly don't know who on the GOP side won this because I can't think like a potential GOP voter

Perhaps therein lies your error.

My belief is that, in large part, the GOP voters don't think. That they are TOLD what to embrace and blindly accept it, with no thought whatever.

JMO based entirely upon my own observations of teapubs I am acquainted with.