The On-Crack Ass Clown for June, 2023

June is one of two months in 2023 in which the calendar allows for three Ass Clown Awards - the other will be December. Fortunately, the number of Ass Clowns available as potential awardees is enormous and growing daily. Such an embarrassment of riches, of course, complicates the job of selecting a single winner, but such is the burden I square my shoulders and stoically bear.

Although the tag team of Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin made a strong bid for this period's award, I felt that a more appropriate winner could be found closer to home. And so it is, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, that I name as

The On-Crack Ass Clown for June, 2024

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R, GA)

Senator Tuberville is a previous award winner, having been named our On-Crack Ass Clown for July of 2021, but returns today, just shy of a year later, with a new, and very strong claim to his second award. 

The United States Senate, once known with some rationale as "the world's greatest deliberative body*," has nowadays all but ground to a halt, unable to effectively legislate because of the partisan vitriol that prevents compromise on all but the most inoffensive of issues**. Senate confirmation of more than 250 senior military promotions and assignments, normally all but a pass-through action, have been blocked for months because of Mr Tuberville's objection to a Pentagon policy on abortion-related travel. One bit of fallout from this is that, if Mr Tuberville fails to back away from his blockade, the Marine Corps will, as of July 10th, have no confirmed Commandant for the first time in 164 years. 

Given the way things are going in the world, the lack of such a large number of confirmed leaders in the correct positions is more than an embarrassment, it's a national security issue. The nation's defense is being impaired because of the vanity and personal positions of a single senator whose only qualification for office is that he was once a football coach. And his justification is this: "... this is the rules. We can make a hold on anything we want.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the On-Crack Ass Clown for June, 2023, is Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville - a man proudly and stubbornly willing to put his own ideas and beliefs above the good of the nation.

Have a good day. See you back here tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

* Although this may be a myth. See this article for some history.

** And as we have seen, there's always someone who can take offense to the most inoffensive of issues.