Why it's spineless
Collins — the self-styled independent who once refused to pre-judge Kennedy based on "press clippings" — folded on her own terms. She announced her yes only after Kennedy gave her private assurances: he would "re-examine" devastating NIH cuts and had her convinced he supported some vaccines, including polio. Once confirmed, Kennedy slashed cancer research funding, fired all 17 members of the CDC's expert vaccine advisory panel, and cost Maine $91 million in public-health funding and dozens of jobs. Collins's response? "No regrets." The assurances she traded her vote for were spent within months, and she says she'd do it again.