WASHINGTON — Conservatives are charging that powerful Sen. Max Baucus delivered a three-martini soliloquy on the Senate floor in the run-up to last week’s pivotal health care vote.
Baucus, who sometimes exhibits a slight stutter when talking about complex health policy issues, slurred several words, waved his arms and pointed his finger in an angry speech at 4:30 Wednesday afternoon.
“And I ask the senators, where’s the senator on that side of the aisle who’s got the courage to break from their leadership, break — break from the partisanship they’re ex — exercising their side of the aisle to work together to pass health care reform?” the Montana Democrat said emphatically.
He made the remarks after Republicans invoked the late Ted Kennedy’s bipartisan achievements and slammed Democrats for failing to craft a bipartisan bill.
The speech drew wide attention on YouTube after political Web sites and blogs implied Baucus was smashed.
The alleged tipsy talk got nearly 200,000 hits — and drew thousands of comments from opponents of the Democratic bill.
Baucus called the charges an “untrue personal smear.”