Dispossession must be good for the soul. In final Senate days, Joe Lieberman adioses the Three Amigos on the McCain-Graham call for a special committee to investigate Benghazi attacks, as do other GOP colleagues.

Meanwhile, McCain himself jumps for another spotlight by urging that the President send Bill Clinton to oversee cease fire talks between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza.

What’s really going on here? Between closing the books on Obama I and starting the overture for II, the Republican orchestra is tuning up, with future soloists piping new sounds and past performers trying to horn in for one last chorus.

As McCain and his ilk recede, the 2016 hopefuls try out their arias. Paul Ryan hopes to survive Romney discord by vocalizing in the debt ceiling talks. “He helps us toward creating a product,” says Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who didn’t help the ticket carry his home state, “and he helps sell the product.”

Chris Christie, who embraced Obama for the Sandy cleanup, tries out his new act on Saturday Night Live, and Bobby Jindal leads the chorus for a new likable GOP. In an interview, Marco Rubio waffles about the age of the earth.

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