Senator Chuck Grassley (R, IA) was making a point during the Senate Budget Committee as they discussed the markup for the 2010 budget. He was trying to get Senator Kent Conrad (D, ND) to remember when he, Grassley, was in the driver’s seat and had back burnered an issue so that Conrad might get a favored resolution adopted two years ago. Grassley was hoping that now that Conrad’s party was in the lead, Conrad might remember a past courtesy and return the favor to Grassley whose party is now in the minority.

After the gentle reminder Conrad realized he was being nudged into acting with civility — something Democrats hate to do — and was being maneuvered into giving the Republicans a small bit of courtesy. Upon realizing he’d been had, Conrad said “Oh, you are good.” to which Grassley gave the classic that’s-what-she-said, man-dig at Conrad’s wife when he replied with a “Your wife said the same thing.”

Ouch.

Transcript

Grassley: “… it’s going to be a major item that we’re dealing with. And I’d like to suggest to the chairman, that he might want to support this because you’ll remember you asked me two years ago not to take a vote on it and you said that if we did take a vote on it you might not get your budget resolution adopted and so I did not ask for a vote on it. And you said it was a very statesman like thing for me to do at that particular time…” (room erupts in laughs) “… And so I would hope you would return the favor.”

Conrad: “You know, I used to like you.” laughs “Let me just say… oh, you are good.”

Grassley: “Your wife said the same thing.”

Conrad: “She did, she said you were the biggest hit of all the speakers at the event.”

Grassley: “OK.”

Anyway, I just thought this was a humorous little display that might liven up your weekend.