Jeff Flake actually said...

We join our Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake in support of this important legislation and respectfully ask for your support.

if we failed to act. I think that's an appropriate question.

I think that one would have to suspend disbelief, as you mentioned, to assume that the regime was not in charge of this.

We cannot afford to lose this critical forest management tool, which will expire on September 30, 2013 without Congressional action.