I ran the 400-meter in high school and college, so I know sprinting the first turn doesn’t win the race. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) never learned that. On Sept. 15, he forced his eighth privileged resolution to impeach President Donald Trump onto the House floor. The House tabled it 232 to 147, with 18 Democrats crossing over to kill it and 47 more ducking behind present votes. Green won’t get a ninth try. Texas redistricting cost him his primary in May, so this was his last lap. He ran out of track before the line, same as seven times before.

Here’s my thesis, and I won’t bury it the way Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) buried his vote: This was never a case built on evidence. It was a press release wearing a constitutional costume, and even Green’s own leadership wouldn’t wear it.