"I respectfully request the opportunity to serve as a member of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction created by the Budget Control Act of 2011...If selected, I will commit to working across party lines to achieve commonsense solutions, and I believe that my record demonstrates a strong capacity to accomplish these goals." So wrote West Virginia's junior senator Joe Manchin to Majority Leader Harry Reid last week.  In support of this application, and in an appearance with Neil Cavuto on Fox, Manchin cited his practical experience as a Governor, commitment to fiscal responsibility and capacity to work with Republicans. Reid's response was to name three hacks: two high-profile Senate budget and finance committee members distinguished for their role in the Senate's failure to deliver a budget since the 2008 fiscal year began, and the finely tailored and coiffed John Kerry, who like Manchin' s equally insufferable senior colleague from West Virginia, owes his lifestyle...(Read Full Post)