Tea Partier Rankles Dumb-As-Dirt Democrat

Rand Paul vs. Harry Reid? Really? No promoter would even take that bout, as one-sided as it is. But Reid was elected by his peers in the majority as their leader, so he's gotta stand up front and take the punches. And right now, he's reeling among the ropes, ducking and cringing from every head-bob and feint thrown by....Rand Paul (Tea Party-Ky.).

Paul is a bit displeased that Obama consulted the Europeans, NATO, the UN, and even the freakin' Arab League before bombing Libya, causally leaving out one key body in his deliberations - Congress, which the constitution requires must be consulted. And he's making it known:

On Wednesday, Paul, with little notice, attached an amendment to the small-business re-authorization bill. The amendment, which chastises President Obama for his actions in Libya, urges members to adopt the president’s own words as “the sense of the Senate.”

To make his point, Paul quoted, in the legislative language, from Obama’s 2007 remarks on the subject: “The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.” According to Paul’s office, “the measure aims to put the Senate on record affirming Congress as the body with constitutional authority on matters of war.”

Harry never saw it coming. Confused and staggering about blindly, groping for purchase anywhere he can, he finally grabs the timekeeper's hammer and gives himself 90 seconds of relief by ringing the bell:

GOP sources tell National Review Online that Paul’s proposal flummoxed Reid, who does not want his members to have to weigh in on Obama’s dusty quote about congressional authority, even if the vote is only to table the measure.

Republicans speculate that Reid was already irked, sensing disarray in his caucus over the McConnell-Inhofe amendment to block carbon regulation at the Environmental Protection Agency. Paul’s proposal simply added fuel to the docket fire. Senate Democrats who are up for reelection in 2012 are quite sensitive to tricky amendment votes, and Reid, some say, may have simply thrown up his hands. For Democrats, a weekend to sort things things out is more appealing than a tense Friday in the cloakroom.

It's all falling about for Reid's thin Senate majority. Most of these political animals still have some sort of a sense of smell, and they are catching the scent of the Tea that America is brewing. Any Democrat with half a brain (which excludes Schumer, Levin, Reid, Lautenberg, and many others) knows that Obama and Reid are leading them off a cliff, and many of them are starting to get nervous, and looking for places to compromise, if only to save their own sorry asses in 2012. Given Obama's blundering, and Reid's ability to be outworked, out-thought, and outfought by a rookie Senator, well...I can't help by believe many Democrats are not exactly of a mind to goose-step behind leadership right now.

Especially when, confronted by a Tea Partier with a plan, said leadership cuts and runs...and runs...