Dab a little KY on that there, Jimbo

From the Los Angeles Times:

(US Senator Jim) Bunning (R, KY) probably hurt his own case with an outrageous comment that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would be dead within “nine months.” In the course of explaining his support for conservative judges to a crowd at the Lincoln Day Dinner at the Old State Theater in Hardin County, Ky., Bunning said that a fight over a new Supreme Court justice would start “very shortly because Ruth Bader Ginsburg...has cancer...bad cancer...the kind you don't get better from."

The 75-year-old Ginsburg returned to work at the Supreme Court today with a report from her doctors that her tumor had turned out to be benign and had not spread.

Bunning, a retired Hall of Fame pitcher, has been known for wild verbal excesses before.

During the 2004 election, he said his opponent -- state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo -- looked like one of Saddam Hussein's sons. And he accused Mongiardo's staff of roughing up the senator's wife. He also upped his security detail, telling a Paducah TV station, "There may be strangers among us."

and this from TIME magazine:

Back in 2006, Time named the 10 best and 5 worst US Senators. On the "worst" list, each entry noted that the bad Senator was at least "well-liked" or "affable." Except for Bunning!

In addition to being hostile to staff members on the Hill and occasionally even other Senators, Bunning shows little interest in policy unless it involves baseball, according to congressional experts and colleagues. When asked, they struggle to recall any legislation Bunning has worked on, although he did join Arizona Senator John McCain last spring in demanding tougher punishments for steroid use in professional sports.

Of course, today the distinguished senator, who was heretofore not known to be a medical expert, and who is widely considered the most vulnerable incumbent in the Senate, issued his apology, saying he apologized IF Justice Ginsberg (sic) was offended.

Oh Jim! How nice to think that someone MIGHT be offended by your prediction of their imminent death! And how about learning to spell the justice's name: it's Ginsburg, but your press release spelled it wrong twice. Back in your baseball days, you'd have called that going oh-for-2. And the official scorer would charge an E-1, bad play by the pitcher.

I see retirement and disgrace in your immediate future, along with a photograph showing just how big a hump you are: