Die-hard House conservatives failed in their coup against House Speaker John Boehner last Tuesday. By Friday they looked like winners who are pushing their Republican caucus farther right.
Rather than punish and isolate those who opposed him as leader, Boehner surprised many by embracing a major immigration plan that's more stringent and conservative than lawmakers had expected.
It not only would block President Barack Obama's recent limits on deportations, it would undo earlier protections for immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.
Mainstream Republicans say Boehner's decision probably portends firmly conservative approaches to other issues.
That will complicate life for Senate Republicans and ensure fierce battles with Obama.