To call GOP senators "a bunch of babies" or "a bunch of baboons" is an insult to babies, baboons, and especially baby baboons

This toddler baboon is presumably the older of the two half-brothers (same father, different mothers) now in residence at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Zoo. You'd figure that's his mother the young fellow is seen hanging out with here, but the Wildlife Conservation Society caption just says "one of its parents." ("Its"?)

by Ken

Last night I suggested thinking of congressional Republicans as mutant life forms, possibly from Outer Space, while the night before, focusing specifically on the reaction to Senate Dems' imposition of a partial nuclear option, I called them con artists of the Ralph "Heads I Win, Tails You Lose" Kramden variety. Now they're back to being just a bunch of big babies. This item from Al Kamen's Washington Post "In the Loop" column is co-authored by Al and longtime WaPo reporter-columnist Walter Pincus.

Senators take a holiday hike and leave Obama nominees twisting in the political winds

By Al Kamen and Walter Pincus

Traditionally, before the Senate takes a long vacation, both parties negotiate to approve a list of noncontroversial judicial and executive branch nominees. But not this time. Republicans, furious over the Democrats’ move to eliminate the filibuster on most nominations, were in no mood to play nice.

So as the senators slithered out of town Thursday for Thanksgiving — apparently they eat a lot and need time to digest, so they won’t be back until Dec. 9 — they left more than 70 nominees, all of whom had been approved by Senate committees, twisting in the wind.

Many of those nominees are up for very senior jobs, such as deputy secretary of state, and several are looking to be undersecretaries at the departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security and Energy.

The State Department is taking the biggest hit, starting with the nominee for deputy secretary, Heather Higginbottom, and continuing with undersecretary nominees Sarah Sewall for civilian security, democracy and human rights; Richard Stengel for public diplomacy; and Rose Gottemoeller for arms control and international security.

Several key would-be assistant secretaries of state were also shut out, including Anne Patterson for Near Eastern affairs. (Maybe the senators don’t know that means she’d be overseeing somewhat important countries such as Iran, Israel, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia?) And there was no vote on the nomination of Tom Malinowski to be assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor.

In addition, the freeze affected 15 or so ambassadors-in-waiting — including mega-bundlers Robert Sherman for Portugal, Tim Broas for the Netherlands, Pamela Hamamoto for the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, and Dwight Bush for Morocco.

Well, let’s see whether the Christmas spirit affects the lawmakers.

YOU MIGHT BE TEMPTED TO CALL THE
GOP SENATORS A BUNCH OF BABOONS --

But we New Yorkers know at first hand that actual baboons are smarter, cuter, and better socialized, and they're even making headlines now as two half-brother toddlers are available for viewing as part of Team Baboon at the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn.

Prospect Park Zoo Welcomes Adorable Baby Baboons


By Gustavo Solis

BROOKLYN — They have their mother’s eyes and their father’s bright red butt.

A pair of baby baboons joined their parents at the Prospect Park Zoo’s Hamadryas exhibit, zoo officials announced Monday.

The half-brothers were born about 8 weeks apart, one in early August and the other in late September. Their father is Bole, a 21-year-old Hamadryas baboon who happens to be the dominant male in the zoo’s exhibit. Their mothers are Rebecca and Kaia, both 10 years old.

It has been three years since baby baboons were born at the Prospect Park Zoo, officials said.

Both youngsters have adjusted well to zoo life. The older, more adventurous brother, has begun to explore his surroundings while the younger brother is still nursing.

Hamadryas baboons, which can be found in northeastern Africa and the Arab Peninsula, are highly social animals and spend much of their time grooming one another, a behavior that maintains social bonds within the group.

The exhibit is located in the zoo’s Animal Lifestyle building along with the piranhas, Pallas cats, and Tamarin monkeys.

ACCORDING TO UNCONFIRMED REPORTS,
AGENTS OF BOTH THE DCCC AND THE NRCC . . .

. . . are trying to get access to both the young fellows and their parents to discuss a possible congressional run, though the Republicans are thought to have the edge because of the Democrats' predilection for self-financing candidates. Baboons aren't generally known for having deep pockets.