Retiring Mark Meadows leaves scorched earth behind him

Good riddance to Rep. Mark Meadows, who announced Thursday morning that he is retiring from Congress after just four terms. He has been one of the most destructive members of the House Republican caucus, and his legacy is one of a more poisonous political process.

More than any other member of Congress, including the late Sen. John McCain, Meadows was to blame for the failure of Republican majorities and a Republican president to repeal and replace Obamacare. By leading the all-noise-but-no-sense House Freedom Caucus to make the perfect the enemy of the good, the North Carolina Republican and his henchmen killed the single most likely vehicle to eliminate that horrid healthcare law.