Senator John McCain has provoked the ire of some on the right for reading parts of this Wall Street Journal editorial that refers to Tea Party Republicans as hobbits. Yeah... like Lord of the Rings let's go to Mordor and throw this ring in the fire to tick off Sauron hobbits. Here's the passage triggering anger from the right:
The idea seems to be that if the House GOP refuses to raise the debt ceiling, a default crisis or gradual government shutdown will ensue, and the public will turn en masse against . . . Barack Obama. The Republican House that failed to raise the debt ceiling would somehow escape all blame. Then Democrats would have no choice but to pass a balanced-budget amendment and reform entitlements, and the tea-party Hobbits could return to Middle Earth having defeated Mordor.This is the kind of crack political thinking that turned Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell into GOP Senate nominees.
But it is really much more fun to watch Senator McCain read it:
McCain talked about his remarks last night on FOX News. Lawrence will take you through it all in tonight's Rewrite.