It’s a match made in political heaven.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.), who took over Nevada Sen. Harry Reid’s role as Senate Majority Leader in the wake of last year’s midterm election, is becoming fast (albeit unusual) friends with President Obama.
In fact, McConnell labeled himself and Obama the new “odd couple” during a speech at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
The Kentucky Republican particularly compared himself and Obama to late Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy (D) and former Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R), who are known to have had a close relationship despite their partisan differences.
“A lot of folks like to joke about the odd couple that was Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch,” McConnell explained. “But I think Mitch McConnell and Barack Obama may have them outdone. I had to warn reporters not to faint last week before offering the president some praise on trade. I’m even getting handwritten notes from the president these days. He sent one the other day to thank me for supporting the nomination of Loretta Lynch.”
Though McConnell admitted that he and the president aren’t yet as friendly as the original “odd couple,” the two nevertheless have a “common policy ground, on an issue we both think is good for the country.”
“So the Republican majority is going to work with President Obama to get this done, even if we have to do it over the objections of his own party,” he said.
“We’ve both chosen to put policy before party,” McConnell added. “That’s how politics should be conducted, in my view.”
That’s bipartisan[friend]ship at its best. Perhaps that bourbon summit will happen after all.
H/T IJ Review
