It seemed that most Republicans chose to follow the tone of polite graciousness in defeat set earlier in the day by House Minority Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — and there were hardly any Republican sponsored receptions held. An exception was one hosted in the evening by Sen Jon Kyl (R-Az). Sen Kyl is a staunch supporter of Israel and his role as the new chairman of the Senate Republican Conference will be important in confronting the threats of Iran and global terrorism.