I wasn't very nice to Sen. Debbie Stabenow during yesterday's conference call. I feel bad about that, because she's actually one of handful of senators who consistently stands up for the unemployed. She understands that real people are affected by what Congress does and doesn't do.

But I was getting impatient.

See, she was talking about the Republicans obstructing the jobs bill, and how every time they raised an objection, the Democrats changed the bill to meet their demands. She was asking us to help.

That's when I interrupted her. She kept talking, but so did I.

Finally, I pulled the trump card: "Yes, Senator, but you still have a job." Because really, as upset as she was, I wanted to give her a reality check: It wasn't about her.

I felt mean as soon as I said it; it was kind of like kicking a puppy, because the Senator did the verbal equivalent of a cringe, and she immediately began apologizing and saying how hard they'd worked to pass this bill.

I told her I understood, that I appreciated the fact that she understood and spoke out for working people all the time. But why, I said, didn't the Democrats abandon these useless ideas about Senate comity and collegiality and really let the Republicans have it? (In the teeth, I wanted to add.)

"The Democratic Senators should call a press conference, tell them how the Republicans are blocking this and say, 'If that's not okay with you, you need to get on the phone right now and call your senator's office.'"

She mumbled something about how the leadership was "working on it." Dear God, I thought. Do these people do anything without polling it first?

Anyway, then I got off the call to talk to a friend who's talking about killing herself and her three cats because she's 57, her unemployment's running out and she's at the end of her rope.

But I wouldn't want the Republicans to stop playing these games just because a few weaklings didn't arrange to get born with the right DNA. Please don't worry about it now, Sen. McConnell. You and the rest of your boys'll have all the time in the world to ponder these things when you're burning in hell.

Oh, and boys? Just a reminder: no air conditioning!