WASHINGTON -- Georgia Republican U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss will back a procedural vote Wednesday on a bill to extend government spending into December, spurning the "defund Obamacare" charge led by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

The Cruz effort has tied itself into a knot: He is urging Republicans to oppose a bill they like, in this case the House-passed "continuing resolution" that forever denies funding to the Affordable Care Act. If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can get 60 votes Wednesday and once more later in the week for the House bill, he can swap in his own version -- funding Obamacare -- with only 51 votes and send it back to the House.

Still, Chambliss does not think voting for the House bill hands Reid a tactical victory.

"To get on the bill? No, I don’t think so," Chambliss said today. "No, I think the House sent us a good bill. And we’ll see where it goes from there."

Isakson had a similar defense of his vote. Asked for his thoughts on Cruz, Isakson smiled and declined to add to the criticisms the Texas freshman has received from other Republicans:

"Foxholes have been dug and I’m in mine. I’m going to comment about my defense, and I’ll let other members comment about theirs. ... Debate is healthy. Differences of opinion are healthy. The ability to unify after you have a difference of opinion is the key. Whether this is a divisive situation or a unifying situation remains to be seen, but it could be either one."

It appears the Cruz effort will only attract a handful of the most conservative Republicans, as Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and GOP Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, are against it.