"The Mav" had quite the day for himself yesterday.
Aside from calling Tea Partiers "hobbits" while addressing the Senate, Senator John McCain also managed to bash Nevada Senator Harry Reid, President Barack Obama, Reid's opponent in last year's Senate race Sharon Angle, one-time Delaware Senate candidate/possible witch Christine O'Donnell, and even took a swipe at Minnesota Senator Michelle Bachmann.
McCain's sarcasm-filled address focused on one main point: Republican members of Congress better follow the advice of House Speaker John Boehner and "get your ass in line" and support the Speaker's debt ceiling proposal, even if that means doing so before Congress can pass a balanced budget amendment.
Referring to several Tea Party-backed members of Congress, McCain said the following: "What is really amazing ... is that some (Senate) members are believing that we can pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution in this body with its present representation - and that is foolish," McCain growled on the Senate floor yesterday.
"That is worse than foolish," he continued. "That is deceiving many of our constituents.
"To hold out and say we won't agree to raising the debt limit until we pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, it's unfair, it's bizarre," McCain added. "And maybe some people have only been in this body for six or seven months or so really believe that. Others know better."
Then came Reid, whose plan, McCain says, is "full of smoke and mirrors."
Then Obama, who McCain says is leading "from behind" because he hasn't presented "a specific plan that perhaps could be considered by both bodies."
The most cutting of McCain's jabs seem to be directed at O'Donnell and Angle -- and hobbits.
Referring to the Tea Party's refusal to back Boehner's plan, McCain said the following: "Then Democrats would have no choice but to pass a balanced budget amendment and reform entitlements, and the tea party hobbits could return to Middle-earth. This is the kind of crack political thinking that turned Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell into GOP nominees.
"The reality is the debt limit will be raised one way or another."
O'Donnell was quick to fire back. See her statement below:
I think that it is inappropriate to insult the judgment of the majority of Republicans in Nevada and Delaware and that the implication that nominating RINOs somehow means we win was irrefutably disproven by McCain's own presidential candidacy debacle. After that nightmare, McCain had to veer right so fast he almost got whiplash from all his flip-flopping just to keep his Senate seat. It doesn't help him to attack those conservatives and Tea Partiers who graciously gave him another chance to keep his job.
Flip-flopper or not, you can't help but admire McCain's new fuck it, I'm probably not running for Senate again attitude.
