The most consequential politician of the decade

When the history of the 2010s is written, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will be remembered as the most-consequential American politician of the decade.

Not President Barack Obama, though his status as the nation's first African-American president will loom large in history. Obama's presidency would have turned out much differently if not for the opposition of McConnell — and in particular McConnell's decision to deny a Senate hearing for Merrick Garland, Obama's last Supreme Court nominee. It was a critical moment in building a conservative SCOTUS majority that could...