Remember that scene in "Almost Famous" when the plane seems like it's about to crash, so everybody starts making all these outrageous confessions?
I once hit a man in Dearborn, Michigan... If I took an extra dollar or two it's 'cause I knew I'd earned it... I slept with Marta... I'm Gay!
Perhaps that's what's happening with the debt ceiling debate. As we streak toward the potential economic crash at 12:00 a.m. (EST) August 2, 2011, the confessions are starting to blurt out.
On MSNBC's Morning Joe (apparently something about Mr. Scarborough brings out memorable quotes) last Thursday, Senator Claire McCaskill said, "I think Mitch McConnell, frankly, has lost his mind."
Finally the truth comes out!
She's referring, of course, to the Senate Minority Leader's blatantly political proposal to bail Republicans out of having to vote for or against raising the debt ceiling by giving President Obama the power to make the decision on his own. This would let America avoid possible economic catastrophe without making Republicans vote for something they have been railing against for months.
"I mean Mitch, honestly," she said on the show, "with a straight face you do a press conference to say, 'here's the solution to the problem: let's let the Democrats do it and we want them to do it three times before the next election and it'll be okay with us if they do it as long as we don't have to touch it.' And people aren't ridiculing that?"
She goes on to accuse McConnell of "figuring out what is the best strategy for me to become Majority Floor Leader," instead of focusing on what is best for the country.
McCaskill, to be sure, is facing a dangerous re-election battle. While she's been a fierce defender for Obama in the past, her every move in the coming months must necessarily be viewed through the lens of 2012. After all, the conservative advocacy group American Crossroads just dropped $50,000 on anti-McCaskill campaigns ads.
So what is an extremely quotable moment on national television in the era of YouTube and The Daily Show and a 24/7 news cycle? Weeks worth of free advertising.
