Yesterday I wrote about Donald Trump as a poor excuse for an insult comedian embarrassing the United States on the world stage at the Davos conference.
Today we learn that Rand Paul thinks he’s a comedian too.
Dana Milbank wrote this in his OpEd ‘S.O.S.! PLEASE HELP ME!’ The world’s greatest deliberative body falls to pettifoggery in the Washington Post.
Just minutes into the session, as lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) presented his opening argument for removing the president, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) displayed on his desk a hand-lettered message with big block letters pleading: “S.O.S.”
In case that was too subtle, he followed this later with another handwritten message pretending he was an abducted child:
“THESE R NOT MY PARENTS!”
Paul wrote “IRONY ALERT” on another scrap of paper, and scribbled there an ironic thought. Nearby, a torn piece of paper concealed a crossword puzzle, which Paul set about completing while Schiff spoke. Eventually, even this proved insufficient amusement, and Paul, though required to be at his desk, left the trial entirely for a long block of time.
Milbank writes his impeachment diary for the Washington Post. Today’s column also described what other GOP senators were doing during the trial. For example:
Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) and Joni Ernst (Iowa) read press clippings. (Blackburn had talking points on her desk attacking the whistleblower.) Sessions begin with an admonition that “all persons are commanded to keep silence, on pain of imprisonment,” but Ernst promptly struck up a conversation with Dan Sullivan (Alaska), who talked with Ron Johnson (Wis.). Steve Daines (Mont.) walked over to have a word with Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Tim Scott (S.C.), who flashed a thumbs-up.
Since Dana Milbank often writes satire I had do do some searching to determine that he wasn’t making this up. I did determine that Milbank is reporting and not spinning a satirical story from this tweet which said “McConnell as Schumer's "weary spouse," from Todd Purdum (with whom I'm delighted to be reunited in the Senate press gallery.”
The Poll: