A U.S. Senator
Posted on 08/05/2010 4:54:32 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
McConnell scolds Franken for making faces from dais during his speech By Alexander Bolton - 08/05/10 06:00 PM ET
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) scolded Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) on the Senate floor Thursday for allegedly mocking him while he delivered a solemn speech on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.
The dust-up came seconds after McConnell delivered a speech on Kagan’s nomination shortly before the Senate voted to confirm her to the high court.
Franken, who was presiding over the chamber from the dais, gesticulated and made faces while McConnell explained his opposition to Kagan, according to witnesses.
The television cameras broadcasting the speech on C-SPAN remained fixed on McConnell, missing Franken’s antics from the Senate president’s chair.
McConnell grew increasingly angry as Franken made fun of him before a crowded public gallery and Senate aides lining the chamber walls. Senate aides said they were shocked that Franken would flout the decorum of the chamber during such a solemn occasion.
After McConnell finished his remarks, he walked up to the dais and rebuked him.
“This is not 'Saturday Night Live,' Al,” McConnell said, making reference to Franken’s career as a writer and actor on NBC’s long-running comedy show, according to a witness who overheard the exchange.
After the vote, Franken walked to McConnell's office to apologize but couldn't find him. He has sent a personal note, instead.
"The Leader thought I was disrespectful while he was giving his speech on General Kagan," Franken said in a statement to The Hill. "He is entitled to give his speech with the presiding officer just listening respectfully. I went directly to his office after I was done presiding to apologize in person. He wasn’t there, so I’ve sent him a handwritten note.”
Franken, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted for Kagan. Thirty-six Republicans, including McConnell, voted against her.
Typical.
Act like an idiot. Get caught. Realize you need to do something, so apologize...
I don’t think this was a sincere gesture.
More a CYA maneuver from a Horses...... (fill in the blank)
We have children running our government, and a problem child at the helm. God help us.
Franken, like ALL LIBERALS, are CHILDREN....SPOILED CHILDREN.
and these children just voted in an unconstitutional creep as a Supreme Court Justice.
The repubs should have held together and filibustered this idiot.
But they didn’t and apparently didn’t even consider trying.
Damn.
pathetic stupidity by Minn.
A typical Democrat.
I hope that there is a video of this clown caught in the act, just for his next re-election bid.
I do hope this becomes a Republican television commercial.
Hey Minnesota: Embarrassed yet?
No?
How sad. :(
I have no problem with his behavior. Now the Senate looks like what it really is: Ridiculous
Maybe he was pretending to be Kagan?
General Kagan? She isn’t fit to clean an EM’s latrine.
He’ll be calling her General Your Honor before you know it.
The Kagan nomination was a joke so no harm done by Franken who is the joker on the left.
Uhhhhhh, Mitch, I hate to tell you this but Franken is not making faces. That IS his face.
A U.S. Senator
I wasn’t watching, but couldn’t Mitch have paused to rebuke him and then continued his remarks?
There is an interesting history posted on the CSPAN site (or it was there) but there is a bullet lodged in the wall from a session in the 1800’s.
Too bad guns are no longer allowed in the Chamber.
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