(UPDATE: Politico is now covering this with reference to this very NewsBusters story. Politico's Patrick Gavin claims that Baucus's office was sent an e-mail for an explanation of his strange behavior and will update later with the reply. Come on, Patrick. Do you really expect a candid response? And who in the Baucus Senate office will reply? His military affairs aide, Captain Morgan?)
How can one explain this incredibly bizarre performance by Max Baucus on the Senate floor? Was Baucus so intoxicated by the sound of his own voice that he went off the deep end? Or perhaps he was so drunk with power over shaping the Senate health care bill that it explains his strange rant. In any event, if a conservative such as Jim DeMint or Jeff Sessions had acted this way in the Senate, the mainstream media would have featured the video over and over and over again. Instead, since this was Democrat Max Baucus, this video was almost completely ignored by the MSM.
Since the MSM has provided no information on the Baucus performance, your humble correspondent has searched the blogosphere for answers. Here is an observation from Susan Flowers at Examiner.Com:
Is this acceptable, NO. Is this behavior and lack of leadership acceptable to U.S. Citizens who are paying his salary?
Have all rules established over hundreds of years being thrown out and disregarded by the Democrat party? He should be brought before his peers and punished, if they don't, should Voters, as employers, write him up for inappropriate behavior and disorderly conduct?
Americans are paying taxes to support his career. If you disapprove, call and write the other Senators and request he be charged with disorderly conduct. No one in the Congress or Senate should be allowed to be intoxicated when officially representing the Citizens of the USA.
Ease up, Susan. Perhaps Baucus, in the spirit (or spirits) of the season, was simply full of good Christmas cheer (hic!).
Brendan Calling weighs in:
Now, i have no proof Baucus is s--tfaced on expensive bourbon. I wasn’t there, I didn’t smell his breath, and I doubt he took a breathalyzer.
But just watch that performance and tell me that Baucus doesn’t look and sound like he’s polished off a couple of pints of Old Granddad. And not just his voice: the guy seems to be having trouble standing up straight. look at him reel around like the Tin Man’s dance scene in The Wizard of Oz.
We're Off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
Hey, Max! Could you hand me a pint of Old Granddad. I want whatever you're having. I wanna have fun too!!!
And, finally, Glenn Reynolds at InstaPundit answers Max's question about where the courage is:
WHERE IS THE COURAGE? I think we’ve found the liquid courage, anyway.
Is that Chuck Schumer at stage left trying to get a long hook around Baucus to drag him off the scene?
(Note: Hello InstaPundit!)
