Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Finance committee that is currently conducting the hearings on health care reform, won't allow a discussion about single payer health insurance.  

Let me explain.  The comparison of Dick Cheney to Darth Vader has always troubled me. In the comments section of a recent post titled Daily Science Fix-Dark Energy-Dark What? Thera suggested that dark energy may shed some light on Cheney the Darth.

I responded:

Darth Vader actually fought in battles, he was a warrior--Cheney ran from war. In fact, he received five, count them, five draft deferments during the Vietnam era. Admittedly, Vader and Cheney are both dark, foreboding and ruthless, but Cheney is such a chicken little by comparison. Sending others to die or spill their blood for you while you spend your life running and hiding from actual battle is especially lame. Cheney only experienced violence second or third hand; likely watching CIA torture tapes from inside the comfort of the fortified walls of the Pentagon. Let's give him a more suitable name.

To which she responded:

I give you naming rights, tpmgary. He's all yours!

To which I responded:

Hmm. Cheney-- out of shape, short man, what, 5'8 if that, feels big hunting quail, how tall are quail, 6 inches tops, not a fair fight at all there, Cheney has both the height and weight advantage, AND ON TOP OF THAT A 28-GAUGE SHOTGUN!! Talk about throwing a match--I mean, who would you put your money on? In this corner, weighing in at 225 pounds, wearing the bodylength bulletproof spandex, DICK CHENEY!!! And in this corner, 5 1/2 inches tall, wearing the mottled brown plumage...what kind of man picks a fight with something that tiny? AND LOSES!! He missed and shot his friend in the face for crying out loud!! Talk about a blunder.  Wait, theme coming perhaps. Iraq was the biggest  foreign policy blunder in U.S. history.

Two blunders.

Ladies and gentleman, I bring you BLUNDERDICK.

Thus, Blunderdick was born.

The misadventures of Blunderdick are well-chronicled.

Who but Blunderdick could mount a retaliation to the worst terrorist attack on American soil by going to war with the wrong country? Who but Blunderdick could have predicted that we'd be greeted as liberators? Who but Blunderdick could have assured us that we were in the last throes of the Iraq insurgency? In 2003?  Who but Blunderdick could be informed of an August 2001 Presidential Daily Bulletin that said "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." and continue vacationing in Wyoming?

Richard Cheney is not Darth Vader.

He was, is and always will be, Blunderdick.

The one and only.

Anyone have a story they'd like to contribute to The Misadventures of Blunderdick?

Alabama

Jeff Sessions (R-Southern Co, Balch & Bingham)

Richard Shelby (R-Collazo Enterprises, Van Scoyoc Associates)

Alaska

Lisa Murkowski (R-Veco Corp, Blue Cross)

Ted Stevens (R-Boeing, General Dynamics)

Arkansas

Blanche Lincoln (D-Wal-Mart, AT&T)

Mark Pryor (D-American Assn for Justice, Int. Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)

Arizona

Jon Kyl (R-Club For Growth, Pinnacle West Capital)

John McCain (R-Citigroup, Merril Lynch, Goldman Sachs)

California

Barbara Boxer (D-EMILY's List, Girardi & Keese)

Diane Feinstein (D-PG&E Corp, DeBartolo Development)

Colorado

Wayne Allard (R-Nat. Assn of Realtors, Bluegrass Committee)

Ken Salazar (D-Sherman & Howard, Brownstein, Hyatt, Qwest)

Connecticut

Chris Dodd (D-Citigroup, United Technologies)

Joe Lieberman (I-United Technologies, Lehman Bros.)

Delaware

Tom Carper (D-Bank Of America, JP Morgan Chase)

Joe Biden (D-Simmons Cooper LLC, Pachulski, Stang)

Florida

Mel Martinez (R-Fidelity, Akerman, Senterfitt&Eldson)

Bill Nelson (D-DRS Tech. Walt Disney Co.)

Georgia

Saxby Chambliss (R-Club for Growth, Southern Co., Lockheed Martin)

Jonny Isakson (R-Southern Co, Blue Cross Blue Shield)

Hawaii

Daniel Akaka (D-Alexander & Baldwin, Galiher, DeRobertis)

Daniel Inouye (D-Lockheed Martin, Alexander & Baldwin, Boeing)

Idaho

Larry Craig (R-Southern Co, URS Corp, Duke Energy)

Mike Crapo (R-Citigroup, Securities Industry & Financial Mkt. Assn)

Illinois

Dick Durbin (D-Simmons Cooper LLC, CME Group)

Barack Obama (D-University of California, Goldman Sachs)

Indiana

Evan Bayh (D-Goldman Sachs, Latham & Watkins, Eli Lilly)

Richard Lugar (R-Barnes & Thornburg, Eli Lilly)

Iowa

Chuck Grassley (R-DCI Group, Blue Cross/Blue Shield)

Tom Harkin (D-Herbalife International, National Community Action Foundation, Texas Pacific)

Kansas

Sam Brownback (R-AT&T, Koch Industries)

Pat Roberts (R-Koch Industries, AT&T)

Kentucky

Jim Bunning (R-FMR Corp, Securities Industry &Financial Mkt. Assn)

Mitch McConnell-(R-Kindred Healthcare, Elliot Management, UBS)

Lousiana

Mary Landrieu (D-JP Morgan Chase, Shaw Group)

David Vitter (R-Edison Chouest Offshore, Jones, Walker, AT&T)

Maine

Susan Collins (R-General Dynamics, Marriot International, Verizon)

Olympia Snowe (R-O'Hara Corp, New York Life, Aetna, General Dynamics)

Ben Cardin (D-DLA Piper, Johns Hopkins, Constellation Energy, Goldman Sachs)

Barabara Mikulski (D-EMILY's List, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin)

Massachusetts

Ted Kennedy (D-Cassidy & Assoc/Interpublic Group, Simmons Cooper LLC)

John Kerry (D-ActBlue, Time Warner, Goldman Sachs)

Carl Levin (D-Blue cross, Ford, General Motors)

Deborah Ann Stabenow (D-Blue Cross, General Motors)

Minnesota

Norm Coleman (R-Target Corp, Travelers Companies, United Health Group)

Amy Klobuchar (D-EMILY's List, Dorsey & Whitney, Robins, Kaplan)

Mississippi

Thad Cochran (R-Northrup Grumman, New York Mercantile Exchange, AT&T)

Roger Wicker (R-BGR Holding, Bancorpsouth)

Missouri

Kitt Bond (R-Anheuser-Busch, Boeing, Peabody Energy)

Claire McCaskill (D-EMILY's List, Bryan Cave LLP)

Montana

Max Baucus (D-Schering-Plough, New York Life Insurance)

Jon Tester (D-Council for a Livable World, Moveon, Actblue (no pac)

Nebraska

Chuck Hagel (R-Barclays, Klewitt Corp, no pac)

Ben Nelson (D-Berkshire Hathaway, Level 3 Communications, Blue Cross)

Nevada

John Ensign (R-MGM Mirage, AT&T)

Harry Reid (D-MGM Mirage, Harrah's)

New Hampshire

Judd Gregg (R-Blue Cross, FMR Corp, BAE Systems)

John Sununu (R-Club For Growth, AXA Financial)

New Jersey

Frank Lautenberg (R-Actblue, Cantor Fitzgerald, no pac)

Robert Menendez (D-Goldman Sachs, UBS AG)

New Mexico

Jeff Bingham (D-Edison International, Exelon Corp)

Pete Domenici (R-National Auto Dealers, American Society of Anesthesiologists)

New York

Hillary Clinton (D-Citigroup, Goldman Sachs)

Charles Schumer (D-Citigroup, UBS AG)

North Carolina

Richard Burr (R-Bluegrass Committee, RJR Nabisco/RJ Reynolds Tobacco)

Elizabeth Dole (R-Wachovia Corp, Dole Leadership Trust)

North Dakota

Kent Conrad (D-DaVita Inc, Amgen Inc)

Byron Dorgan (D-Fedex, Microsoft)

Ohio

Sherrod Brown (D-ActBlue, Council For a Livable World)

George Voinovich (R-Timken Co, Goodyear)

Oklahoma

Tom Coburn (R-Cummins-American Corp, Friedman, Billings, Ramsey)

James Inhofe (R-Koch Industries, Anadarko Petroleum)

Oregon

Gordon Smith (R-Blue Cross, AT&T)

Ron Wyden (D-Nike, Blue Cross)

Pennsylvania

Bob Casey (D-Blank Rome LLP, Buchanan Ingersoll, Rooney)

Arlen Specter (R- D-Blank Rome LLP, Comcast Corp)

Rhode Island

Jack Reed (D-JPMorgan Chase, Amgen)

Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Technology Crossover Ventures, Bain Capital, no pacs)

South Carolina

James DeMint (R-Scana Corp, AT&T)

Lindsey Graham (R-Nelson Mullins, Blue Cross)

South Dakota

Tim Johnson (D-ActBlue, JPMorgan Chase, AXA)

John Thune (R-Volunteer PAC, Club for Growth)

Tennessee

Lamar Alexander (R-UBS AG, National Healthcare)

Bob Corker (R-FedEx, Bluegrass Cmte)

Texas

John Cornyn (R-JP Morgan Chase, Exxon Mobil)

Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Vinson & Elkins, Valero Energy)

Utah

Robert Bennett (R-Morgan Stanley, UBS AG)

Orrin Hatch (R-Blue Cross, Republican Party of Utah)

Vermont

Patrick Leahy (D-Technet, Time Warner)

Bernie Sanders (I-eScription Inc, Baron & Budd)

Virginia

John Warner (R-Northrop Grumman, URS Corp)

James Webb (D-ActBlue, Keeping America's Promise, no pacs)

Washington

Maria Cantwell (D-Microsoft, EMILY's List, no pacs)

Patty Murray (D-Microsoft, Boeing)

West Virginia

Robert Byrd (D-Moveon, West Virginia Paving, Mylan Laboratories

Jay Rockefeller (D-K&L Gates, Peabody Energy, AT&T, Verizon)

Wisconsin

Russ Feingold (D-Council for a Livable World, Foley & Lardner)

Herb Kohl (D-Herb Kohl for Senate, RE Loewenberg Capital Management)

Wyoming

John Barrasso (R-Foundation Coal, American Assn of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Mike Enzi (R-Bank Of America, Blue Cross)

Editor's note:  This list is meant to shed a little light on the financial relationship between Senators and their top corporate campaign contributors from 2003-2008. (combined corporate total of individuals and corporate political action committees)  

Obviously, Senators work on behalf of their entire communities, not just corporate communities.  

Here's where I culled the information:

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/candlist.php?congno=110&sort=S

2008 Campaign Committee/PAC Fundraising Top Contributors