Sen. Burr Decides to Gnaw a Bone

Major Tammy Duckworth lost both legs in Iraq when the helicopter she was piloting was attacked in 2004. She ran for senator from Illinois unsuccessfully in 2006 and subsequently became head of veterans affairs for the state of Illinois. President Obama nominated her to become the assistant secretary of veterans affairs in his government, but following her hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee N.C. Sen. Dick Burr decided to be a dick. He managed to delay a vote on her confirmation because he has unspecified questions that he feels haven't been answered adequately enough.

He's playing "petty partisan games," said a spokesman for VoteVets.org, "needling the White House for the sheer fun of it."

Rachel Maddow devoted a minute to denouncing Burr for riding the wrong high-horse.