Cojones the Size of Buicks

Sorry for working a little blue in the title of this one, but this story dents even my utterly ossified cynicism:

Madison —A Democratic state senator wants to make it impossible for senators in the future to block legislative action by leaving the state.

Sen. Tim Cullen of Janesville was one of the 14 Democrats in the Senate who sought unsuccessfully to block Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair law by driving to Illinois on Feb. 17 and only returning last week. That law drew massive protests by repealing most collective bargaining by public employees in the state.

Yeah, you might say that. Cullen proposes the following:

Cullen said his proposal for a constitutional amendment would simply eliminate the requirement currently in the state constitution that three-fifths of state senators be present for the body to vote on certain fiscal bills, including those that contain spending items.

So why is a constitutional amendment needed, when just common decency might have sufficed? Allow Cullen to explain:

"The main point I want to make is that what we did we had every legal right to do. It was an extraordinary step against an extraordinary bill," Cullen said. But "the institution of the Senate is not well-served going forward by having this particular avenue available."

Hard to argue that, but it is instructive to know that the senator's conscience can only be circumscribed by constitutional stricture. Cullen would also like you to know that the apple from the Tree of Knowledge really wasn't that good anyway.

Remember, you can't spell "sullen chutzpah" without Cullen. I would also suggest that the institution of the Wisconsin State Senate would be well-served if Tim Cullen simply resigned in shame, but it's evident he has none.