President Obama has a new favorite Republican on Capitol Hill and his name is Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla. While the rest of the House Republicans are standing firm against Obama’s relentless drive to hike taxes, Rooney signaled Tuesday that he is ready to surrender, telling Politico he “would rather have tax increases than cut our defense.”

Yesterday, outgoing-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stepped up the pressure on conservatives by threatening to cut active duty military pay if Republicans refused to hike taxes. Why any conservative would ever even consider giving in to such blatant hostage tactics is a complete mystery.