Republicans hope Hamas terror attack will fix their 'rudderless and leaderless' caucus

In the wake of he worst terror attack in Israel's history being carried out by Hamas, people are wondering if the House, led by Acting Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, has the power to respond, Politico reported.

As the fallout from the attack escalates, there's fear that a new speaker won't be elected this week. But as Politico points out, Republicans are hoping the attack provides a "rally-around-the-flag moment" for the party.

“Our hope is that this whole situation would be clarifying for our membership, that we need to get our shit together and elect a new speaker,” one senior GOP aide told Politico. “Because stuff like this can happen … and we’re rudderless and leaderless.”

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The current crisis in the Middle East also brings up the question as to whether the House in its current state could function if a similar tragedy struck in the United States.

“What if we were in the kind of scenario for which the rule was originally drafted? Would we actually want a speaker with limited powers/who could only drive the House towards the election of a new speaker?” Molly Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told ABC.

“I’m not sure, and I worry that setting a precedent now could hamstring the House in a future crisis.”

Read the full op-ed over at Politico.