Real men are not women.

JANE HAMSHER: Well, I think it’s a mistake to think of the Senate as an august body, possibly the most powerful deliberative body in the world, and instead think of us as it being in day 4 of a beauty pageant.  Day 1, Harry Reid brings the public option to the floor, everyone’s just happy to be there.  Day 2, Miss Connecticut doesn’t think anybody’s paying enough attention to her, so she whips her top off by the pool in front of the judges.  Day 3, Chris Dodd’s gonna run for Miss Congeniality, he sticks up for Miss Connecticut.  Evan Bayh’s worried he’s not gonna get enough attention, he thinks maybe taking his top off is a good idea.  And on day 4, here we have Tom Harkin and Conrad shooting them looks and saying, you know, we’ve had quite enough of this, everybody keep their tops on.

…

RACHEL MADDOW: That is, first of all, that metaphor is so disturbing and so spectacular at the same time, I just have to hand it to you, with the image of Joe Lieberman sans bikini top, is, now it’s seared into my mind like a brand on a cow.

—The Rachel Maddow Show, Oct. 27, 2009, via Blue Texan, “Early Morning Swim: Jane and Rachel Discuss What to Do about Lieberman,” Firedoglake, Oct. 29, 2009 (available at http://firedoglake.com/2009/10/30/early-morning-swim-jane-and-rachel-discuss-what-to-do-about-joe-lieberman/); see also Jane Hamsher, “Lieberkini,” Firedoglake, Oct. 30, 2009 (available at http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/10/30/lieberkini/).