Ornery Orrin

Can you believe the following actually came out of the mouth of Utah's gentle, civil, gracious, Ted Kennedy-love-poem-writing senior senator?

"Some [of Schumer’s questions] I totally disagree with. Some I think are dumbass questions, between you and me."

"I am not kidding you," Hatch continued. "I mean, as much as I love and respect [Schumer], I just think that’s true."

Taken aback, the New York Democrat asked if Hatch would like to "revise and extend his remark" - i.e., offer a retraction for the congressional record.

But Hatch refused to back down, telling Schumer:

"No, I am going to keep it exactly the way it is. I mean, I hate to say it. I mean, I feel badly saying it between you and me. But I do know dumbass questions when I see dumbass questions."

If Orrin Hatch says you're asking "dumbass questions" to your face, trust me, you're asking really dumbass questions.

The questions, BTW, were directed at President Bush's SCOTUS nominee, John Roberts, during his 2003 confirmation hearings for a seat on the First Circuit Court of Appeals. And Schumer has pretty much declared that he's going to repeat every last dumbassed one of them, and a side of fries besides.

Perhaps that's what inspired Senator Hatch to opine the following yesterday:

"I don't think the American people are going to put up with any more crap from the Judiciary Committee."

I'm hoping that means Republicans on the Judiciary Committee won't put up with any more crap from the likes of Chucky, Leaky, al-Durbini, and the Massachusetts Manatee. Because that's the only way that Judge Roberts will be confirmed.