Sen. John Cornyn Chastizes Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), on Thursday, spoke out in defense of President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, Hon. Sonia Sotomayer, saying that the accusations of racism leveled at her by Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich are "inappropriate" and that he "does not endorse" such tactics or language. He said, "This is not the kind of tone any of us want to set when it comes to performing our constitutional responsibilities of advise and consent.” Video here

Cornyn is the Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and has grabbed headlines recently for his endorsement of Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who is running for US Senate; and for his brief upset with Hillary Clinton in January.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist Announces Run For US Senate

Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced early Tuesday morning that he would run for the open Senate seat vacated by retiring Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL). Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, was quick to issue an endorsement of Crist over his potential primary challenger, Marco Rubio, who has positioned himself as a more conservative option than Crist, who openly campaigned with President Obama for his national stimulus package. Rubio is currently Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Florida State legislature. Crist's likely Democratic opponent will be Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL). Gov. Crist's name has also been floated as an early contender for the presidency in 2012, although his announcement of a Senate run makes this less likely. Crist is the first governor of Florida since the 1968 Constitution change to not seek re-election, and if he wins the Senate race, will be resigning his post as Governor almost 2 years early.

Don't Mess With Texas! Ah, Partisan Rancor At It's Best

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has derailed Hillary Clinton's nomination as Secretary of State, likely for one day, being the sole member of the Senate to dissent in the call to have a unanimous voice vote today. Coryn is most famous for being the Senator that John McCain told to "go fuck yourself," on the Senate floor. (I knew I liked McCain for a reason...) No coincidence, at the same time as Coryn is stirring up partisan rancor in the Senate, the Texas Tribune is publishing an angry article complaining about Texas' loss of clout in D.C., and the state being snubbed by "both parties" in the General Election. Sounds like a personal beef with both John McCain and Hillary Clinton to me. Politico is reporting that Hillary is putting the heat on Cornyn as I write this. Harry Reid has already scheduled a roll-call vote for Wednesday, and expects her confirmation to go through with "overwhelming bipartisan support."