QUOTE OF THE DAY…. There were several noteworthy exchanges between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Christiane Amanpour on ABC’s “This Week” earlier, but I was especially struck by their discussion of pending Senate races.

The host noted, for example, the Republican Senate primary in Delaware. McConnell replied:

“The Delaware primary was interesting.”

Amanpour followed up by asking, “[W]hat is Christine O’Donnell’s qualification for actually governing? What is Sharron Angle’s actual qualification for governing?” McConnell replied:

“Well, they won the primary fair and square against real competition.”

The host asked whether the Republican leader might be afraid that these extremist candidates’ “some might say, bizarre statements, their sort of fringe quality might actually turn people off.” Amanpour noted, in particular, Angle’s talk of armed rebellion against the United States government. McConnell replied that it’s Democrats who are “extreme.”

The host tried one last time, asking if McConnell would agree that some of this year’s fringe GOP candidates have made “bizarre” comments. The senator replied that the question might represent an “attack” on the judgment of primary voters.

I often wonder how a clown like Mitch McConnell rose to such a prominent position in the first place.