Bunning May Be Senile But He's Ready To Take His Revenge On Miss McConnell In A Big Way

Bunning shows us how much he hates Cornyn and Miss McConnell

As you have probably guessed, the Republicans will do anything to prevemt a filibuster-proof Senate. They have been encouraging Norm Coleman to keep suing and fighting a tawdry battle over every single ballot that wasn't cast for him to keep Al Franken out of the Senate for as long as possible. Now that Reid has said that the Senate will seat Franken on April 1 despite Coleman's frivolous challenges and appeals, the Republican obstructionists are gnashing their collective teeth or, in some cases flapping their collective gums, worried that between the two Maine senators and a very independent-minded Arlen Specter, they can be in for a rocky road. The RNC's new jive-talking chairman, Michael Steele, made a major blunder when he threatened to fund primaries against Specter, Collins and Snowe, any of whom could guarantee re-election for themselves by shedding their Republican patinas and joining the Democratic Party (although Collins has no reason to do so, not having another election to face until 2014, long after Michael Steele will just be an embarrassing footnote in the history of the GOP).

But Specter is known as a vindictive and ornery character and if Steele and other extremists push him, he's certainly capable of saving himself the misery of tough primary and general election campaigns by rediscovering his Democratic roots. And Specter is hardly the only one with a grudge and a vindictive streak.

Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn have been pushing Jim Bunning to retire. Bunning may be suffering from severe dementia but he's hardly the first senator afflicted with that and it hasn't, at least in his own opinion, hampered his performance for the last 6 years. He doesn't want to retire and he really doesn't want to be pushed around by McConnell, who he has an old fashioned idea is only "half a man" anyway. McConnell and Cornyn seemed to have cooked up a scheme to starve Bunning of institutional Republican funds, making it impossible for him to run. They've also been encouraging primary opponents-- namely Secretary of State Trey Grayson (who McConnell is rumored to have a thing for) and KY state Senate president David Williams-- to rattle Bunning's nerves.

Well, they have certainly succeeded in getting on Bunning's nerves and yesterday he struck back with a threat that probably caused Miss McConnell to ask David Vitter if he could borrow some diapers. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Bunning is ready to give the Democrats their 60th member!

Already in conflict with his party’s leaders, Sen. Jim Bunning has reportedly said privately that if he is hindered in raising money for his re-election campaign he is ready with a response that would be politically devastating for Senate Republicans: his resignation.

The Kentucky Republican suggested that possible scenario at a campaign fundraiser for him on Capitol Hill earlier this week, according to three sources who asked not to be identified because of the politically sensitive nature of Bunning’s remarks.

The implication, they said, was that Bunning would allow Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, to appoint his replacement-- a move that could give Democrats the 60 votes they need to block Republican filibusters in the Senate.

“I would get the last laugh. Don’t forget Kentucky has a Democrat governor,” one of the sources quoted Bunning as saying.

“The only logical extension of that comment is, ‘(Make me mad) … enough and I’ll resign, and then you’ve got 60 Democrats,’ ” said another source who was present at the event.

That was the clear message Bunning was sending, said a third source who heard the senator’s remarks at the fundraiser, which attracted about 15 people.

...“Why would he say that?” attendees asked each other, according to the source.

One source said he contacted a Bunning campaign official and warned, “This is going to get out-- there were 15 to 20 people who heard this and it’s newsworthy.”

“It’s not because he’s old and senile-- he’s always been like that. He’ll tell you what he thinks,” the source said.

But Bunning’s resistance to retirement is “sad to see,” the source said.

Bunning was denying he ever said it yesterday-- but there were 15-20 witnesses... and the message was sent. It is likely that McConnell will shut up now and tend to his knitting and allow Bunning to lose the seat to a Democrat in 2010 the old fashioned way: through an election.