McConnell at CPAC

Just had a little blogger meeting with Mitch McConnell. He was looking spry, fresh off his two-month-long parliamentary butt-whoopin' of Harry Reid. We only had time for a couple questions, but here's what I got. I was typing it out on my Blackberry, so I'm sure he thought I wasn't paying attention. Not so, Sen. McConnell. Not so.

He opened by thanking bloggers:

"Obviously, we appreciate all you do. Obviously you're making progress when the mainstream reporters are checking blogs first thing when they wake up in the morning."

On flummoxing the Dem Senate leadership's efforts for a couple months:

"It won't surprise you to know that we're not anxious to do a lot of things that the Dems wanna do."

"We haven't put one bad bill on the President's desk."

"Most of this House agenda has got an uncertain future."

On card check legislation:

"It's really audacious. I'm surprised they'd even ask for it, much less that it would pass one house of the Congress."

He's sure it will die in the Senate.

On the Republican bloodletting of November '06 and progress since then for conservatives:

"I think people have been impressed that Senate Republicans have been able to hold together 41... And, the last couple of months has been a good reminbder of what Dems do when they're in charge. A lot of really bad stuff has passed the house. We've been able to do some good by not putting anyting bad on the President's desk."

"I don't wanna take any shots at Sen Reid. He's got 51 in a body that takes 60 to do anything."
"They've got a lot of differences, part icularly on the war, and those are showing this week as they try to find the right way to oppose the war."
"A lot was made of Republican differences, but theirs are profound and deep-seated."