TP-ing the SOTU
by Tom Sullivan
The T-party will again provide its own response to President Obama's State of the Union address tonight, Rachel Maddow reports. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa will give the official Republican response. She may be about the only member of the Senate to the right of Sen. Ted Cruz, Maddow observed. Just not right enough.
The T-party response will come from the same smirking freshman congressman, Rep. Curt Clawson of Florida, who, in a subcommittee hearing last July, mistook two senior American officials from the State Department and from Commerce for Indian nationals. Guess why:
"I'm familiar with your country; I love your country," the freshman congressman said. "Anything I can do to make the relationship with India better, I'm willing and enthusiastic about doing so."
"Just as your capital is welcome here to produce good-paying jobs in the U.S., I'd like our capital to be welcome there," he added. "I ask cooperation and commitment and priority from your government in so doing. Can I have that?"
"I think your question is to the Indian government," Nisha Biswal said. "We certainly share your sentiment, and we certainly will advocate that on behalf of the U.S." Working for the State Department, Biswal is a diplomat. Can you tell?
Clawson won his seat in a special election to replace Rep. Trey Radel, who resigned after a conviction for cocaine possession.
If we're in luck, Clawson will display the same smug, false confidence again. As Maddow said, tonight's SOTU should be fun.