Why is it that when politicians make news in their off-hours, it’s never for anything good?  If it isn’t Ted Kennedy groping a cocktail waitress, it’s Mark Sanford running off to Argentina for an affair.  They never seem to be spotted getting kittens out of trees or running into burning buildings to save the elderly.

The latest congressmen to make unpleasant news are Democrat Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand who, on Sunday, got into a nice little tussle with a  US Airways flight attendant.

Apparently, the DC to New York shuttle couldn’t take off because the Senators were on their phones.  When the attendant asked them to hang up, informing Schumer that the entire plane was being held up by his call, Schumer said simply, “No.” 

With that, the pair went right on talking.

So the attendant asked again and, at this point, Chuck started to argue.  He claimed the door wasn’t closed, saying that unless the door was closed, he didn’t have to turn off his phone.  The flight attendant responded that passengers have to do as the flight crew tells them.

So, Chuck called her a “bitch.” 

Unfortunately, all of this happened within earshot of a GOP aide seated nearby. According to the aide, the Senators then ended their calls,but Schumer’s phone rang again a few minutes later.  Chuck took it out, looked at it, bud did not answer. 

Instead, he said loudly, “It’s Harry Reid calling!  I guess health care will have to wait until we land.”

Since health care waited three days for a Reid fund raiser, it’s hard to see what damage an hour long flight would cause.

It’s worth noting that Schumer was a big proponent of the “Passengers Bill of Rights.”   Maybe he should pen a new “Airline rules don’t apply to Senatorial muckity-mucks” law because clearly, it already exists in his mind… 

- Robert Laurie