It is widely believed that McConnell agreed to attach the Export-Import reauthorization to “must-pass” legislation in order to win support from Sen. Maria Cantwell<\/span><\/a> (D-Wash.) for a trade package<\/span><\/a> earlier this year.\u00a0\u00a0 Cruz voted for the trade package because he \u201cbelieves in free trade,\u201d but was aghast that a compromise had been reached somewhere along the line that would allow the Export-Import Bank be reauthorized.<\/p>\n First, Cruz detailed a discussion that took place in a Republican Caucus. When Cruz asked\u00a0 McConnell whether there was a deal in place for the Bank, \u201cThe majority leader was visibly angry with me that I would ask him such a question,\u201d Cruz said. “The majority leader looked at me and said, \u201cThere is no deal, there is no deal, there is no deal.\u201d Cruz went so far as to compare this denial to that of Peter the night before Christ was crucified.<\/p>\n Cruz reports that after lunch his staff said that McConnell was lying, but that he believed McConnell, \u201cWhat I told my staff that afternoon, I said, well I don’t know if that’s the case or not. But I don’t see how when the majority leader looks me in the eyes and makes an explicit promise… I don’t see how I cannot take him at his word.\u201d<\/p>\n Later, Cruz detailed a private conversation with McConnell in his office where the Majority Leader\u00a0allegedly denied there was a deal on the Bank to move the Trade Bill forward.<\/p>\n In the end, there was such a deal, which Cruz declared to be a \u201ccorrupt deal,\u201d and explicitly accused the Senate Majority Leader of lying to him,\u00a0 \u201cWell, we now know that when the majority leader looks us in the eyes and makes an explicit commitment that he is willing to say things that he knows are false,\u201d said Cruz. \u00a0“That has consequences for how this body operates,\u201d he continued. “If you or I cannot trust what the majority leader tells us, that will have consequences on other legislation, as well as on how this institution operates.”<\/p>\n \u201cToday is a sad day for this institution,\u201d said Cruz at the beginning of his speech.\u00a0 So true\u2014but not in the way Sen. Cruz intended.<\/p>\n First, give up the Jesus imagery\u2014you are not<\/em> the Son of Man.\u00a0 McConnell\u2019s \u201cbetrayal\u201d of Cruz here rises to the level of Peter denying Jesus to the crowd on Holy Thursday?\u00a0 Honestly?<\/p>\n Second, shame on Ted Cruz for what he did to his staff.\u00a0 Although I have never met them, I am willing to bet they are young, smart, and ambitious professionals who hope to have a long career either in government or working to influence the government from the private sector.\u00a0 Washington is, and always will be, a small town.\u00a0 It was his staff who first said the Majority Leader, one of the most powerful Republicans in the country, was lying?\u00a0 They persisted despite their Boss saying he believed Mitch McConnell?\u00a0 Cruz strongly implied that McConnell was lying in his speech, but the only time the word was explicitly used, it came from his staff?\u00a0 Ted Cruz is not long for Washington.\u00a0 He is not going to be the next President and he clearly does not want to be part of the US Senate, given his bomb throwing as opposed to crafting legislation and working to oversee the government.\u00a0 His staff, however, are just starting careers in Washington, and the Republican establishment is going to have long memories.\u00a0 The member-staff relationship is a sacred one\u2014sometimes stronger than the member\u2019s marriage.\u00a0 What is said in the office is sacrosanct.\u00a0 A staffer who reveals what is said (without authorization) to an outsider can, and should, be fired. The member owes the same duty to his staff.<\/p>\n Third, Cruz decided to make public conversations he had in a caucus\u2014which is assumed to be confidential; as well as a private meeting with McConnell, which I am sure all parties knew was private, or Mitch would not have closed the door to his office.\u00a0 Airing dirty laundry on C-Span is petulant and coarse.<\/p>\n Fourth, Cruz is not the first, nor will he be the last, to use a Senate seat to run for the White House; still one does not have to denigrate the former to win the latter.\u00a0 \u00a0Frankly, I am not sure why so many senators even want to be President.\u00a0 Those senators who have tried for the White House\u2014but lost\u2014have discovered that the Senate can be a true font of power\u00a0 and a \u201cbully pulpit\u201d that, over time, far outstrips the influence of a President. Thurmond<\/span><\/a>, Humphrey<\/span><\/a>, Goldwater<\/span><\/a>, Kennedy<\/span><\/a>, Dole<\/span><\/a>, Hatch<\/span><\/a>, McCain<\/span><\/a>\u2014they were (and in the case of the last two, still are) giants.\u00a0 Each of these men was probably a far better senator after their presidential ambitions were set aside.\u00a0 Incendiary comments like these demonstrate that Cruz has no interest in making the Republic a better place through a seat in the Senate. He is smart, Ivy educated, a great debater, and has been entrusted with a Senate seat by the people of Texas.\u00a0 Even if he has a change of heart after his soon-to-be-failed Presidential quest, the bridges to his fellow Republicans will be burned and bridges to the Democratic Senators will never be attempted.\u00a0 How sad.<\/p>\n Fifth, as the list above shows, this correspondent has no issue with strong points of view or personalities.\u00a0 In my time, I have been condemned for difficult positions<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 The Senate is enriched by strong points of view and challenging the other 99 members as legislation is crafted. In fact, Senate rules empower that minority of view and ensure that it will be heard and have a chance to influence every issue that comes through the chamber.\u00a0 Courageous stands on principle make the Senate a special place\u2014 but that is not what Cruz did here.\u00a0 With that immense power, comes a great measure of responsibility.\u00a0 Even in the US Senate, one person cannot stop the will of a supermajority of their colleagues.\u00a0 The Congress must respond to the issues of the day and do so in a reasonable amount of time.\u00a0 The peculiar rules of the Senate demand civility and decorum.\u00a0 Further, the Senate\u2014 and this is a difficult point for the Tea Party types to accept\u2014requires compromise to accomplish the work of the nation.\u00a0 Was there a \u201ccorrupt deal\u201d in place when McConnell made his assurances to Cruz?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.\u00a0\u00a0 I do know that the Senate Majority Leader has to manage a lot of moving parts: his caucus, the Senate as a whole, the House, the Administration, his party, not to mention his constituents back home\u2014all at the same time.\u00a0 Things change, and deals must be made to accomplish what the leader thinks is right.\u00a0 The caucus chose McConnell as their leader because they felt he could do what was right for the caucus, the Senate and the country.\u00a0 Circumstances change in Washington on a daily basis.\u00a0 When they do, that is not the same as lying.\u00a0 In addition, compromise is what grown-ups do in every facet of their lives\u2014 only children expect to get their way every time.<\/p>\n Finally, Cruz chose to use incendiary language on the Senate Floor.\u00a0 The Constitution\u2019s Speech or Debate Clause<\/span><\/a> guarantees Cruz free speech on the Senate floor, but just because he can say something does not mean he should.\u00a0 There are few things that can be said on the floor and on the record that legislators find abominable and foremost is that a colleague \u201clied.\u201d\u00a0 Senate rules<\/span><\/a> state that no senator \u201cin debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another senator or to other senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a senator.\u201d\u00a0 Cruz\u2019s statement is even worse than when an Irish legislator told another to \u201cFuck off<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 It calls into question the Leader\u2019s integrity\u2014something he needs to run the Senate, and negotiate with the House and President.<\/p>\n Cruz made his speech and probably wanted to score a few cheap points against \u201cthe establishment\u201d to fire up his Presidential campaign supporters.\u00a0 Sadly, his words diminish a great institution.<\/p>\n![\"Sen.](\"\/dome\/files\/2015\/07\/ted-cruz_CEL-636x477.jpg\")
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<\/a>\u00a0Webster<\/strong> is a special correspondent for Dome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"