Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let’s finish the job.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

The willow is too close to the house.

Come on, man.

This fight is for everything.

You are here: Home / Politics / Republican Stupidity / Letting Bobo’s Eagle Soar

Letting Bobo’s Eagle Soar

by | 109 Comments

This post is in: 

And a thousand quips were born:

DAVID BROOKS: You know, all three of us spend a lot of time covering politicians and I don’t know about you guys, but in my view, they’re all emotional freaks of one sort or another. They’re guaranteed to invade your personal space, touch you. I sat next to a Republican senator once at dinner and he had his hand on my inner thigh the whole time. I was like, ehh, get me out of here.

I can’t tell you how much I hope it was John Kyl or John Cornyn.

Reader Interactions

109Comments

  1. 1.

    Pender

    This is just the strangest mental image in the world… two “straight” and powerful dudes wearing suits and sitting at a fancy dinner party, one with his hand inexplicably placed on the inner thigh of the other for two and a half hours and everyone else awkwardly pretending not to notice.

    How did he cut his food with one hand embedded in David Brooks’s crotch?

  3. 3.

    Alan

    There’s something wrong with Brooks for allowing the Senator to do that. That is unless Brooks swings that way.

  4. 4.

    r€nato

    I sat next to a Republican senator once at dinner and he had his hand on my inner thigh the whole time. I was like, ehh, get me out of here.

    Golly, that is just downright unbelievable.

    Next you’re going to tell me that GOP senators have a proclivity for seeking sex with anonymous men in public restrooms, or get their jollies while wearing diapers…

  5. 5.

    Bruno

    Sounds to me like Bobo might be exaggerating. he certainly didn’t mind when I touched his thigh!

  7. 7.

    BeccaM

    What I want to know is why BoBo left the hand there the entire time. Heck, most women know what to do when there’s unwanted contact like that: Push the hand away with a stern, “Do you mind?”

    Maybe deep down, he didn’t actually mind…

  8. 8.

    Ash Can

    ::damn near chokes to death laughing::

    I’m just glad I didn’t have a mouthful of beer when I read this.

  9. 9.

    r€nato

    Interesting that Brooks chose to name the party of the senator… I’m starting to think it would be easier to count the GOP senators who DON’T have ‘interesting’ sex lives…

  10. 10.

    A Mom Anon

    I’m not sure which is more disturbing,that the Senator thought he had the right to do that or that Bobo let him do it if he didn’t want it done.

    Creepy,unless it was all consensual. That aside,WTF did Brooks feel the need to share this?

  11. 11.

    General Winfield Stuck

    Jim Demented. Nah I’m changing to Ted Stephens. In any case, Brooks is angling for lantern light Neck Tie Party from the faithful if he keeps giving up wingnut secrets like this.

  12. 12.

    Fulcanelli

    You rock John Cole. Another gem sure to liven up Friday evening blogging.

    They really are creepy bastards. Either that or that Senator was so blasted he thought it was his own leg. Nah, I didn’t think so either. Brooks is kinda hunky though.

    In a “shooting upward” kind of way, of course. Ye Gods.

  13. 13.

    gbear

    OK, now where the hell is B.O.B.
    This is his pet issue.

    How did he cut his food with one hand embedded in David Brooks’s crotch?

    Maybe the meal was all finger food…

  15. 15.

    r€nato

    “Hey David, could I interest you in swinging by my place afterwards for a drink, two wetsuits and a dildo?”

  16. 16.

    uila

    Must have been close quarters. I’m guessing a booth at Applebees.

    Eatin’ good in the neighborhood!

  17. 17.

    General Winfield Stuck

    I sat next to a Republican senator once at dinner and he had his hand on my inner thigh the whole time.

    The. Whole. Time. Senator, is that a Pulitzer in yer pocket, or are ya just glad to see me?

  18. 18.

    Nellcote

    Dancin’ Dave can ask McCain about it on sunday.

    Meet the Press: Sens. McCain, Schumer. Roundtable with Karen Hughes, Andrea Mitchell, Bob Shrum, Roger Simon.

  19. 19.

    beltane

    Look, David Brooks was honest enough to say it was a Republican Senator (he could have just said ‘Senator’ and left it at that). This is really weird behavior, even if it were Olympia Snowe or Lisa Murkowski groping him. My guesses are 1) Lindsay Graham; 2) Mitch McConnell; or 3) Tom Coburn.

  20. 20.

    AhabTRuler

    I sat next to a Republican senator once at dinner and he had his hand on my inner thigh the whole time.

    Um, I think this is how realignment happens.

  22. 22.

    gnomedad

    I don’t know which is creepier, the senator doing this or Brooks just sitting there. Unless, of course, …

    Next on Fox: Democrat molests David Brooks. Oops, did we say “Democrat”?

  23. 23.

    PaminBB

    That was hilarious and profoundly creepy at the same time. As to guessing who it was, I’m torn between Jeff Sessions and Jim Bunning, as both fall into profoundly creepy territory.

  24. 24.

    Cain

    I’m still wondering why he would allow someone to place their hand on their inner thigh for an entire evening. I mean even if it was a hot woman, I would still feel a little uncomfortable (or frustrated.. not sure which). Then spinning it as emotionally needy? Really Bobo? What happened later that night? :-)

    I wonder if Bobo was frustrated too?

    cain

  26. 26.

    blondie

    “All night”???? Did they not teach poor Bobo about “bad touch” in elementary school?? Seriously!

    It sounds a lot more like a classic case of “Don’t!! . . . Stop!! . . . Don’t! . . Stop! . . don’t . . stop . . don’t . stop . don’t stop, don’t stop, Don’t Stop!

    Either that or he was bringing new meaning of the concept of the ‘inside scoop.’ Way to tee one up for Friday afternoon frivolities.

  28. 28.

    maya

    Oh, b-o-b!!!! Here’s your cue to tell us once again how Al Franken touched you on a lunch line. This time please tell us, where.

  30. 30.

    John Cole

    I can’t imagine having any man put their hand on my inner thigh underneath the dinner table, no matter what the occasion, without me blurting out “WTF do you think you are doing?”

  32. 32.

    Irrelevant,YetPoignant

    . . . two “straight” and powerful dudes wearing suits and sitting at a fancy dinner party, one with his hand inexplicably placed on the inner thigh of the other for two and a half hours and everyone else awkwardly pretending not to notice.

    Am I the only one who thinks this is kind of really hot?

  34. 34.

    AhabTRuler

    @John Cole: How many people can you imagine doing that to you without saying anything. I can’t imagine that you are quite as easy as that!

    ETA: actually, realignment brings up another logistical problem. Did Brooks’ junk remain in the same place for 2 1/2 hrs? Were there awkward hand touches when he had to shift it? Did the Senator replace his hand after one of them went to the can? How in god’s name can anyone have their hand on someone’s thigh for an entire dinner without it being mentioned at all?

  36. 36.

    Pender

    Am I the only one who thinks this is kind of really hot?

    Have you ever seen a Republican Senator? Yes, you’re the only one who thinks this is hot :)

  37. 37.

    clonecone

    Has to be Lindsey Graham, but he’d never come out. He would be kicked out of the Air Force Reserves.

  40. 40.

    PeakVT

    and he had his hand on my inner thigh the whole time. I was like, ehh, get me out of here.

    But Brooks suffered through the ordeal so he could maintain journalistic access.

  44. 44.

    freelancer

    I sat next to a Republican senator once at dinner and he had his hand on my inner thigh the whole time. I was like, ehh, get me out of here.

    This is clearly excellent news for John McCain.

  46. 46.

    Fwiffo

    Actually, I can kinda imagine some guy with a power trip doing that just for laughs, in the frat house dude sort of sense. There’s that story that went around (don’t know if it’s true) that GW would fart loudly in front of new white house interns to see how they’d react.

  47. 47.

    JK

    @John Cole:

    John,
    Congratulations, you’re in very select company
    Glenn Thrush’s Blog, dependablerenegade.com, rawstory.com, transcosmic.com, Althouse, and The Political Carnival are the only other blogs running this story according to memeorandum and technorati

    Kudos to Kathleen Hall Jamieson for being the only media critic I’ve seen this week to say the media went overboard with their Michael Jackson coverage.

  49. 49.

    JK

    @Keith:

    File this one under “Burkean Balls”

    Also Supplementary Stimulus Package, Constituent Service, and Schwing

  51. 51.

    Cat G

    @PeakVT: #40 – You are absolutely right. It’s access. Interesting that he was willing to say Republican Senator. For years I’ve had my money on Orin Hatch being in the closet.

  52. 52.

    DougJ

    I don’t blame Bobo for letting the guy keep his hand on this thigh…but he never should have let the guy dress him up diapers after the dinner.

  53. 53.

    Mouse Tolliver

    @JK:

    And then the senator told Brooks:
    “You sure do have a purrdy mouth”

    And then asked, “Davey, do you like movies about gladiators?”

  55. 55.

    cbear

    I gotta go with one of the western state Senators: Kyl, Barrasso, Enzi, Hatch, McCain, or maybe the ever popular Crapo.

    These guys are all avid outdoorsmen, and fishing for trouser trout at the dinner table is a time-honored tradition among your western goopers.

  57. 57.

    JK

    @cbear:

    I hope Brooks has a change of heart and eventually spills his guts. I wish it were John McCain. It would serve that bastard right for running a slimy, McCarthy style campaign and choosing a moron for a running mate.

  58. 58.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @cbear:

    and fishing for trouser trout at the dinner table is a time-honored tradition among your western goopers.

    Could just be the reflex of reaching for a worm.

  59. 59.

    maya

    Can Brooks really be sure it was a hand from the Senator next to him and not a shoeless foot from the Senator across the table?

    There must be a seating arrangement chart somewhere.

  61. 61.

    MikeJ

    For some reason, my gut feeling tells me that it’s a Southerner.

    Being a republican, at this point the odds are very good. They’re a regional party with a few holdovers from the old days left elsewhere.

  62. 62.

    oh really

    I can’t tell you how much I hope it was John Kyl or John Cornyn.

    It must’ve been Kyl. Cornyn strikes me as more the tongue in the ear type.

  63. 63.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    And then asked, “Davey, do you like movies about gladiators?”

    <br
    Followed by: “…have you ever been in a Turkish prison?”

  67. 67.

    Cain

    @Cat G:

    @PeakVT: #40 – You are absolutely right. It’s access. Interesting that he was willing to say Republican Senator. For years I’ve had my money on Orin Hatch being in the closet.

    I guess, if you want access, you have to give access. Brooks sure loves giving access. I wonder if he he parted his thighs just a bit as well. haha.

    cain

  68. 68.

    cbear

    @tom c:

    It would be frickin sweet if it was Rick Santorum.

    Yeah, um, Tom……. you’re probably not aware of all internet traditions, BUT, using the words sweet and Santorum in the same sentence—or even the same paragraph—is kind of a no-no. At least for those of us with tender sensibilities.
    Just saying…

  69. 69.

    geg6

    This was obviously Lindsey Graham. Which doesn’t make me laugh nearly as much as the fact that all the times I’ve called Bobo a media whore, I was being literal without even knowing it. Jeebus. I can’t even believe he’d admit to this and not realize that people would wonder why he allowed it. No straight man I know would sit there and allow it. Senator Somebody Else’s Pocket Pool would get decked.

  70. 70.

    cbear

    DAVID BROOKS: You know, all three of us spend a lot of time covering politicians and I don’t know about you guys, but in my view, they’re all emotional freaks of one sort or another. They’re guaranteed to invade your personal space, touch you. I sat next to a Republican senator once at dinner and he had his hand on my inner thigh the whole time. I was like, ehh, get me out of here you big silly brute, before I toss your salad right here in front of everybody. And then we went over to his cozy little apartment on C street and the rest, as they say, is history.

    Edited for accuracy.

  71. 71.

    WMass

    Now I understand why Brooks gets access to so many politicians. If you want favorable coverage from the Washington Post it costs a couple of hundred grand, but you can get it from Brooks for a handjob. Good value, really, as long as it isn’t your hand.

  72. 72.

    Brian

    Interesting that people seem to believe it could have been almost any of the Republican senators.

    Who have we missed? Judd Gregg?

  73. 73.

    Cat G

    @JK: For all the obvious reasons, I’d love for it to have been Santorum. It was probably Larry Craig. Touching Brooks is very risky behavior, and Craig had long ago crossed over that line. Brooks feels safe enough now to tell the story, and if the Senator were still serving he would feel himself at some risk. So are current Republican Senators going to be looking at each other with increased speculation and suspicion?

  75. 75.

    Tonal Crow

    There’s more to come on this, and no mistake. The Devil is once more a’risin’ in the Republicans’ small tent.

    Countdown to Brooks’s comments jogging a talkative person’s memory in 5…4…3…2…1….

  77. 77.

    steve s

    David, this is a doll. Can you show us on the doll where the Republican Senator touched you?

  78. 78.

    b-psycho

    Considering what it takes to get elected, yes, politicians are highly likely to be emotional freaks. The average person doesn’t crave attention and/or power that much.

  82. 82.

    Ripley

    I bet Brooks felt used, violated, exploited, and… oh, wait: NYT columnist/TV pundit. Never mind.

  83. 83.

    Ella in NM

    @steve s:

    David, this is a doll. Can you show us on the doll where the Republican Senator touched you?

    @Tonal Crow:

    ROTFLMAO!

    Meeee tooooooooo!!

    I must say, it’s particularly apparent on this thread that most of our BJ commentors should be writing comedy scripts–they’d be frigging gazillioniares.

  86. 86.

    Rumours of Chaos

    1. Based on Mr. Brooks’ writing, the GOP senator may have been under the impression that Brooks is an ambitious media whore who would write, say or do just about anything for a member of the establishment.

    2. That Brooks let the senator’s hand remain on his thigh indicates the senator was not mistaken in his impression regarding Mr. Brooks.

    3. That Brooks is publicly bragging about the experience is further confirmation that the good senator was correct in his assessment. It is also good advertising for Brooks’ services. Competition must be pretty fierce. Friedman has that whole ‘suck on this!’ thing going on for him.

  87. 87.

    RSA

    I sat next to a Republican senator once at dinner and he had his hand on my inner thigh the whole time.

    I think every Republican Senator should be asked whether it was him. If they have nothing to hide, they shouldn’t mind being asked.

  88. 88.

    Tyro

    There’s a difference between which Senator you think did this and which one you hope did it. I think in all likelihood that this was Sen. Graham. I hope it turns out to be Sen. Coburn.

  90. 90.

    Redshirt

    This story is going big, and Brooks will have to come out with a clarification. The whole evening will turn into a few moments – figure of speech thing, you see.

    Since, it is rather ludicrous to assume a man would leave another man’s hand in his groin for over two hours, unwillingly.

  91. 91.

    Ash Can

    @RSA:

    I think every Republican Senator should be asked whether it was him.

    Six or seven of them would admit to it, and we’d be back to square one.

  92. 92.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @maya:

    There must be a seating arrangement chart somewhere.

    You could probably do some research and find out every Dinner Brooks has attended publicly with a Senator sitting next to him. Can’t be that many. Now, if it was a “private” dinner at someone’s house, that would be different.

  94. 94.

    maya

    In the Christian tradition, they could stage a Last Supper tableau, with Brooks in the Jesus role. One after another Senators/ Disciples would approach Jesus/Brooks, and say; “Was it I, Bob?”
    As we all know, the one that kisses him is toast and Brooks/Jesus, will say unto him, “Thou hast said it.”

    The fundies should love it.

  96. 96.

    PK

    I sat next to a Republican senator once at dinner and he had his hand on my inner thigh the whole time. I was like, ehh, get me out of here.

    I wonder why he put up with it and did not get himself out of there. This happened to a friend of mine, except that the person with the hand on her thigh was her professor and she was right towards the end of her PhD. She felt humiliated and ashamed because she was powerless to do anything about it.
    Why on earth would a NYT columnist want to keep quiet about the name though?

  100. 100.

    Anne Laurie

    What I want to know is why BoBo left the hand there the entire time. Heck, most women know what to do when there’s unwanted contact like that: Push the hand away with a stern, “Do you mind?”

    Gee, I was taught that’s what all those extra forks were for!

  101. 101.

    kth

    Almost certainly one of the god-botherers, like Santorum or Coburn. Fundies always want to put their hands on you, like it makes their half-wit ramblings more compelling if they have a fistful of your flesh.

  102. 102.

    Fulcanelli

    So that’s what they call it now: Access?

    Imagine what bobo isn’t telling us. what’ll it be next, gerbils? Oh. no wait…

    And I thought having teenagers was bad enough, I can’t keep up with these guys. Christ, my life is so boring by comparison, being all vanilla hetero and all. Sigh.

  103. 103.

    Sid

    MICHAEL THE NARC-ANGEL

    Millions of little members of the worldwide F.F.A. (Future Followers of the Antichrist) have finally learned how to find a certain part of their lower anatomy and quickly touch it while dancing – thanks to Michael Jackson, the highest paid Lower Anatomy Toucher of all time! Special thanks also go to the Jesus-bashing, Hell-bound Hollywood moguls who were just as quick to see higher profits in lower anatomies! [Just saw this opinion on the web. Other grabby items on MSN, Google, etc. include “Separation of Raunch and State,” “David Letterman’s Hate, Etc.,” “Tribulation Index becomes Rapture Index,” and “Bible Verses Obama Avoids.” – something for everyone!]

  104. 104.

    Napoleon

    @kth:

    Almost certainly one of the god-botherers, like Santorum or Coburn.

    I was actually hoping it would be Larry Craig or Graham.

  105. 105.

    Richard Stanczak

    Fortunately for the Republican Senator in question the whole meal was “off the record” so reporting who it was is not possible.

    I hope there was no human sacrifice at that dinner, because ya know………………its off the record.

  106. 106.

    nenabeans

    The senator was waiting for dessert which he had hope Bobo would say’ Hey suck on this”
    ick

  107. 107.

    ricky

    I cannot believe this was filed just under Republican Stupidity. What about Burkean Balls and Burkean Belles?

  108. 108.

    Louise

    I am way too late to this party, but have to put in my vote for Jim Bunning — because the only explanation other than Bobo loving it is his attributing the “gesture” to mid-stage dementia and therefore being too polite to say anything.

    But I hope it was Inhofe.

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