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Who among us thought that the Ken Buck weve known for so many years would apparently end his political career by calling out the Republican Party for its, well, fecklessness my word, not his and doing it on MSNBC?

Seriously. Raise your hands. Ill wait.

OK, still waiting.

It wasnt a shock that Buck said he wouldnt run for reelection in 2024. It wasnt a shock that Buck once again called out the absurdity of GOP election denial despite the fact that 70% of Republicans still wont say that Joe Bidens election was legitimate.

It wasnt a shock that in a tweeted video yes, Im staying with tweeted announcing that he wouldnt run again, Buck said, Too many Republican leaders are lying to America.

Of course they are. But Buck could have come out against Trump at any time. He could have called out election deniers at any time.

Why now?

You must remember the old Ken Buck. The one who blew up his 2014 Senate run against Michael Bennet by comparing gays to alcoholics in a nationally televised late-campaign debate. And now hes the conscience of the Republican Party?

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The one who was a Tea Party candidate back in the day before the Tea Party gave way to MAGA Trumpism.

And, yes, the one who said he wouldnt vote for Jim Jordan for speaker because Jordan was an election denier and then voted for Mike Johnson, who is not only a denier but who helped draw up the House plan to refuse legitimate electors on January 6.

My bad. That wasnt the old Ken Buck. That was last months Ken Buck.

Did Buck suddenly get, uh, religion? Or is it part-time religion? Or does he really want to give up politics and go where the money is as a TV talking head?

Or is he afraid that now, despite his status as a longtime member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, hed be stuck with the dreaded RINO label and face a serious primary challenge next year if he ran again?

I dont know. Im confused. But its a good confusion for now or at least until the heavily Republican Fourth Congressional District, which Buck has represented for more than a decade, picks someone to succeed him.

I dont know who that would be. The only thing we know for sure is that the primary will be, as someone once said, wild. But its fair to note that among the leading candidates is state Rep. Richard Holtorf. Do I need to say more?

Buck was definitely going to be primaried. You dont move to the anti-Trumpist camp, where Buck has taken up residence, even going so far as to say he wasnt sure what hed do in case of a Trump-Biden rematch, and not face a primary in the most Republican district in the state.

That doesnt mean he would necessarily lose, but Buck wouldnt necessarily win, either.

I mean, lets look at Bucks last vote, which was to table a Marjorie Taylor Greene resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat who is the only Palestinian in Congress, for her criticism of Israel in its war against Hamas. Greene didnt stop there. She also accused Tlaib of fomenting an insurrection.

I wish Tlaib had accused Greene of failing to understand irony. You see, the only person apparently allowed to criticize Israel, in Greenes view, is her pal, Donald Trump, who also added for good measure that Hezbollah was very smart.

Still, Buck was one of 23 Republicans to vote against Greenes resolution, which was enough to sink it. And Greene, of course, went ballistic, or should that word be reserved for Lauren Get Your Guns Boebert?

So Greene called Buck a CNN wannabe for his vote. Of course, Greene also lashed out at vaping, groping Boebert, who actually voted with her. You also might have heard theyre not so friendly anymore.

Its that kind of comity that the House GOP has embraced. And Buck is ready to give all that up?

Hes not the only one. I dont know what the over-under will be on the number of retiring Republicans or the even greater number of Republicans who will face a primary, but both numbers will be significant.

And of course over in the Senate, theres Mitt Romney, who announced hes not running again, but only after telling author McKay Coppins what he actually thinks of his GOP colleagues in Coppins new bestseller, The Reckoning.

Romney called Newt Gingrich smarmy and smug. He called Ted Cruz scary and a demagogue. He said that Pence, in his loyalty to Trump, was more willing to ascribe Gods will to things that were ungodly.

Of Ron DeSantis primary challenge to Trump, he asked, Do you want an authoritarian whos smart or one whos not smart.

The question being asked about Romney is whether, at this late stage, hes trying to save his soul.

And Buck? Whatever his reasons for leaving the House, he must know this: Hes got a better chance of trying to save his soul than saving the Republican Party.

Mike Littwin has been a columnist for too many years to count. He has covered Dr. J, four presidential inaugurations, six national conventions and countless brain-numbing speeches in the New Hampshire and Iowa snow. Sign up for Mikes newsletter.

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Littwin: Ken Buck had his pick of good reasons to give up his House ... - The Colorado Sun