America's Dumbest Senator

John Cornyn of Texas is reputed to be America's dumbest senator for good reason. He has had to work very hard to demonstrate time and again that he may be the biggest fool in a body inhabited by dozens of dodos.

But today, Cornyn really one-upped himself. First, he blocked the Senate from considering Hillary Clinton's nomination to be Secretary of State. Because it was for a voice vote, Cornyn had the power to delay consideration of the nomination, but the nomination will sail through tomorrow through a roll call vote, which cannot be stopped in a similar fashion. So, in other words, Cornyn blocked for a single day a cabinet nomination which is sure to go through overwhelmingly, all on the day that a new President is being inaugurated. Classy job.

But what really got me was a small thing that happened in an interview Cornyn did this afternoon. While asked about Senator Ted Kennedy's seizure at the congressional inaugural lunch, Cornyn included a comment where he noted that -- and I am paraphrasing, since I don't remember his exact words -- 'while I do not agree with much with Kennedy politically, I hope for his speedy recovery.'

Earth to John: Everyone in America knows Kennedy is a liberal, and has been for decades. Duh. And we all know that it is a typical partisan dance for one hack to say that about the other party's hacks: i.e. we don't agree, but gee whiz, we still like each other and don't want each other to get sick. But with Kennedy just being stricken with a seizure, and continuing to battle lethal brain cancer, is it really necessary to qualify kind words with some partisan mumbo jumbo? I realize he is trying to really burnish his GOP credentials now that he is NRSC honcho -- then again, I don't think it is possible for Cornyn to be any more of an outward Republican foot-soldier than he has been since he took office in 2003 -- but couldn't he have just let it slide, and simply said some kind words about Kennedy?

In November, Cornyn easily won a second term over Rick Noriega. He won not because he was a great candidate or leader -- he is neither -- but because Noriega had no money, and the DSCC had too many other opportunities to lavish big bucks on an expensive Texas campaign. Cornyn has never been terribly popular in Texas. Watch 2014. Texas is slowly but surely becoming more blue. Had Noriega had really funding, he would have ended up around 47 or 48%. Come 2014, someone like moderate Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar has a good chance of ousting Cornyn.

Wise up, John.