Orrin Hatch Gets the Smackdown at Utah Grocery

“Cleanup on aisle nine; rhetorical blood on the floor.”

It’s a pleasure to read this fine rebuke and wonder “What would I say if I ran into one of my senators in the Dom’s Natural Market aisle?” Sadly, I actually have things in common with at least one of my Illinois senators – I’d be able to talk to Sen. Obama about hybrid cars and maybe a bit about community organizing. Durbin would be a tougher case, but he’s gained my grudging respect since the Dems got into power – although my patience with the party leadership is slipping now that they seem unable to exercise much oversight on the war in Iraq and its conduct.

But if I ran into Hatch at the local Smith’s, I’d be shaking and inarticulate with outrage, and wouldn’t think of anything to say until long after the opportunity to speak truth to power passed. So good for this guy putting the righteous smackdown on Orrin. How does that man sleep at night, indeed.

One Utah » Blog Archive » “Senator Hatch — How Do You Sleep At Night?”

Two weeks ago I was again shopping at Smiths and found myself alone in the organic food aisle with none other than Senator Orrin Hatch. I had that moment of, “God – that’s Hatch! Should I continue shopping or do I take a moment and rebuke him?” After all, it’s not everyday we common folk shop next to the yahoos who are fucking up our country. So I reached out my hand. “Senator Hatch, your support of President Bush and this war has been an absolute disaster.”And then we threw down.

He politely replied, “Thousands of terrorists are in America plotting our destruction.” I countered, “Then why on earth are we in Iraq?” Hatch insisted that Al Qaeda was operating there prior to 911. He explained in his condescending tone that he sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and therefore knows more than me. “As a citizen I knew Iraq didn’t have WMDs – how could I know what you didn’t?” I started to explain how UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter debunked the intelligence but Hatch cut me off, “Ritter is full of crap.” With out skipping a beat I responded, “Scott Ritter was right and you where wrong and now tens of thousands of innocent people have been murdered!”

“We haven’t kill them…they are killing each other.”

“Because we destroyed their country!”

“Saddam had bio-chemical weapons.”

“We sold them to him.”

“You have your information wrong…”

I had no patience for his talking points. I’m determined to just give him an earful.

“How could you support warrantless wiretaps?”

“That was blown out of proportion…”

“This administration has condoned torture!”

“No they haven’t.”

“Dick Cheney outed an American spy!”

“Well, there have been some mistakes – but you are misinformed…”

“The Old Testament demanded an eye for an eye. After 911 you went for a whole body for an eye – but it was the wrong body!”

His very Mormon wife rolled up with the cart and seeing the nature of our debate, obediently backed away. I was on a roll with no intent to stop.

“You no longer have credibility! Bush no longer has credibility! You have been dead wrong about everything…”

At this point he was through with me. And in truth, I had been a rowdy ass punk. He concluded, “There is no point talking to you — I know you represent a growing number upset about the war – but we can’t talk anymore.”

As he walked away I delivered my final rebuke:

“The blood of thousands of innocent people are on your hands – I don’t know how you sleep at night!” He rolled his cart away and I stood alone, tremendously pleased with myself. “That felt good!” I rushed home to write everything down.