Sullivan stretches to spread blame for tasteless McCain attack

Sen. Dan Sullivan says the joke by a White House official about Sen. John McCain not being someone to worry about because he is dying of brain cancer is more evidence of the low level of discourse "on both sides of the aisle."

No. The blame for this one goes to the Trump aisle. That Sullivan is unable to say so is in keeping with his yeoman efforts to stay on Trump's good side and shower the president with praise.

While discussing McCain's opposition to CIA director nominee Gina Haspel a week ago, Trump aide Kelly Sadler said, "It's doesn't matter. He's dying anyway."

Her stupid and tasteless joke became a controversy as soon as it leaked. In other times, this would have been a firing offense.

Three days later Sullivan took to Twitter to moan about the "low levels of civil discourse and respect that have infected our politics on both sides of the aisle." But he did not say that Sadler, who makes $115,000 as a  "message strategist," should be reprimanded or fired by Trump.

Trump, of course, leads the league in low-level discourse, but Sullivan won't say that or object that the president chose to respond by complaining about leaks instead of his staff member's behavior.