Cowards with pitchforks,all of them.

he makes Bunning look like a genius and would destroy the repub party in Kentucky, if Kentucky Republicans weren't so ignorant.

Every time I see Mitch McConnell, I think of that last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. He always looks like he's melting away to me.

"Look. I've got a big job to do dealing with 40 Senate Republicans and trying to advance the nation's agenda, and better things to do than be the speech police over people who have their views about a very important appointment"

This is quite clever. For a Republican. By using the phrase Speech Police, he conjures up images of the dreaded PC Brigade that stomps around in iron-soled Birkenstocks and stifles freedom of expression with their non-stop scoldkriegs. But Mitch is a RealAmerican gosh dang it and he's not going to tell other RealAmericans to shut up.

Actually, that's so clever I can't believe Mitch did it on purpose. And as you point out, the GOP will still have to deal with the aftermath. Oh well, I guess he didn't want to come out and say that he's afraid of the Wrath of Rush. Jackass.

Interesting conundrum. The base will demand a racist/sexist witch hunt. The party needs to deliver that, but without coming off as racist/sexist witch hunters to the rest of the voting public. It's a tough to walk that fine line. It will be interesting to see how they go about it.

It's one of the increasingly frequent episodes where the demands of the crazy but vital base serve to destroy the future of the Republican party with the saner parts of the electorate. McConnell would like to hide under his desk until this all blows over, but instead he's going to be too busy reorganizing the supply cabinet and trying to fix the office phone bill.

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of conflicted amoral freaks.

Why is Sen Cornyn willing to speak out but not Sen McConell? What percentage of Kentucky voters are Hispanic? What percentage of Texas voters are Hispanic?

I can't think of an example right now, but I feel certain that Mitch has found a few moments in his packed schedule to "police the speech" of Democrats on various occasions.

What a candyass. Rush might get him. BOO!

Once again, it's good news. McConnell's refusal to engage the nuts allows them to be the public face of the Republican Party. And the GOP will continue to wonder, wonder, wonder why Americans think the party is racist.

Given an opportunity to halt, or at least put the brakes on the Republican Death Spiral, what does Ol' Mitch Do? "Full speed ahead!"

Whenever anyone starts a conversation or a response with "Look,..." I run the other way. What usually follows is non-substantive, obfuscatory, or both. Dems do it, too, alas.

This particular issue is just so tired. People who represent one side of an issue say inflammatory things, while those who hold lofty political positions (usually) distance themselves from those things, while telling us that there's nothing they can do about it. Rinse, repeat.

Maybe Newt's doing a fund-raiser for McConnell.

This is a KY Republican. He agrees with Rush, Newt, and The Big Dick.

The next time he objects to a statement by a Democrat, somebody will have to point out he's not the speech police.

Mitch McConnell:"I have better things to do."

Y'know, If I only had a nickel for every time some Republican political coward fell back on that paltry little bit of an excuse, I could (a) move my family to Kentucky, (b) manage to shake the hands of every man, woman, and child in the state of Kentucky, and (c) whip Mitch's ass to the infernal regions and back in a general election, leaving him with less than 30% of the vote.

It's HARD work being a Senator from KY. First, you have to try and get rid of Jim Bunning. Then there are mountaintops to level, Coal mine sludge ponds to allow and tobacco companies to appease.

Who the the hell has time to stop fellow party members from slandering and libeling some Puerto Rican chick?

The exercise and feeling of faith that one experiences in determining the meaning of a member of the paranoid authoritarian clubs sober cant . Hmm ... Exploring "better things to do," free thrills ? Equal to the rapture ?
One imagines the fine people chuckling ever so subtly (yet effusively) over the irony of murdering Ole Doc Tiller . That is if they are not too busy correlating the one to one right wing imaginings to a growing death tax on the sillies who forget the danger of crossing "too busy better things to do" paranoid authoritarian asylums . Those who study in endless complaints about serious metaphysical noodling of ontological determinations . Illustrating plainly and dramatically , so when one unknown unknowable becomes marked by the mercy of their own mark of Cain it brings the desired peace . Verdict to be distributed by lottery , bullets (or both) . No more mistakes like leaving law abiding productive members of society alive will need to be tolerated .
Geez it werks ! I'm already losing the reasoning of why more people being murdered by the loyal ditto community and their passionate hate are not ostracised . Plus I lost five pounds !

Perhaps it is clever, unless and until someone asks him why it is that the distinguished minority leader seems to make time to police the speech of anyone who want to uphold the rule of law (in the form of enforcing anti torture statutes or habeas corpus, e.g.), or someone who might profess pride in being something other than a reactionary, anglo male....

This is a KY Republican

I'm sure there is a good joke in there somewhere at McConnell's expense, but I have had enough coffee yet to make it work. . .

dont blame the ignorance on the kentuckians... they're all good people.. they just have the bourbon.

mitchie is the manifestation of a real mean bourbon drunk, exactly as if the demon had climbed up out of the bottle and en-corporated...

Yesterday's Sunday morning shows presented a parade of impotent Republican Senators who lacked the balls to condemn Gingrich, Rove, Buchanan, Tancredo, and Limbaugh's statements that Sonia Sotomayor is a racist. When asked directly, Sessions, Mitchell, and others lacked the honor and integrity to respond "yes" or "no" the direct question, "Do you agree with Rush Limbaugh that Sotomayor is a racist?" For the past week, they have been all too happy to have unelected, disgraced former Republicans and media entertainers, political analysts, and pundits do their dirty work for them. Now, back from recess, elected Republican "leadership" contends that they must first "examine her record" before they can make that determination. And where have prominent Republican Senators McCain, Cantor, and Boehner been on this issue? The quiet has been deafening. They're straddling the line between the Hispanic vote and the conservative, white supremacy, anti-immigrant base. What will it take? Will Republicans require proof that Sotomayor is not menstruating before they are able to bring themselves to condemn Gordon Liddy's disgusting, mesogynist remarks? Shameful!
Looks like the Republican Party doesn't care about the women's vote or the Hispanic vote either.

So, why isn't McConnell willing to offer similar rebukes?

Because the Muppeteer in charge of making the jaw go up and down didn't have that on the script.

When it comes to coordinated manipulation of language and perception the rethugs are anything but dummies. They are damn good at it. The only relevance of the actual content is it's appeal to those stupid enough to fall for it.

This is pure good cop/bad cop/'statesman above the fray only looking out for justice' kabuki.

They are the puppeteers to the media muppets.

They are the puppeteers to the media muppets.

Good one! I hadn't thought it through that far - every time I see McConnell standing at a podium, he just looks like a big Muppet to me. He's got the dead eyes, the flat voice, the caricature face. The only things he lacks are sticks moving his arms and anything remotely humorous to say.

For Carol:
And where have prominent Republican Senators McCain, Cantor, and Boehner been on this issue? The quiet has been deafening.

I'm picking nits, but Boehner is in the House, and doesn't have a dog in this hunt, procedurally. I'm with you on all else - any political party that lets Liddy and Limbaugh do all the talking deserves to wander in the political wilderness for a couple of decades.

"So, why isn't McConnell willing to offer similar rebukes?"

thanks, steve, for asking the EASY questions this morning.

i know the answer to that!

he is a chinless weasel and doesn't have the intelligence of dryer lint!

wow...40 whole senators to watch over...how did he ever manage when he had, say, 55 to watch over....

maybe he had a play to go to...[just kiddin'...]

Hmmm. How about "KY Jelly Quivers at the Thought of Confrontation"?

"KY Jelly Lets Controversial Statements Slide"?

Oops, here comes the guy with the hook.

"So, why isn't McConnell willing to offer similar rebukes?"

I see JohnMcC beat me to it, but I too am thinking maybe there aren't enough Hispanics in Kentucky?

Still, as others have pointed out, although earlier in the week Cornyn and Kyl were decrying the "racist" meme, when it came to doing it again on the Sunday gasbags, they passed. Must have heard from Rush in the meantime.