I challenge anyone to make sense of Senator Orrin Hatch‘s logic in this exchange. He’s talking to right-wing talk-radio host Laura Ingraham, and the question is if he understands the kind of rage that spurred Tea Partiers to drive Republican Senator Bob Bennett from Congress:

HATCH: Yeah, I do. And I’ll tell you why because I listen to these folks, I don’t disagree with them. They’re angry for good reasons. I mean, my gosh, these people in Washington are running this country right into the ground. And I think people are dog-gone angry about it.

INGRAHAM: But aren’t you part of Washington?

HATCH: Hell no. I’ve never been. I’ve never considered this a job. I’ve had, people have asked me, they said, “say Senator Hatch, don’t you just love being a U.S. senator?” My constant answer is this. No, I don’t love it at all, but I’m good at it. And I’m here for a reason. And all I can say is I’ve never changed my reason. Now, I am fair. I’ve got a reputation for being fair and honest and decent. But the fact of the matter is, if you get Orrin Hatch on your side and he really gets, he really gets his back up, watch out. It’s just that simple and I’ve done it time after time after time.

Forget the dishonesty implicit in Hatch, who has been in the Senate for 34 years and counting, claiming that he’s not part of Washington. I long ago stopped expecting honesty from Orrin Hatch — along with so many other Republicans in Congress — and the point of my post is not to tax him with dishonesty but with Olympic-quality incomprehensible-logic.

So he isn’t part of Washington because he’s never considered this a job? And he doesn’t consider it a job because he doesn’t love it at all, but he’s good at it?

Or maybe he isn’t part of Washington because he’s here for a reason, which he’s never changed for the last 34 years, but which he can’t for the life of him articulate any more?

No, wait, I think I’ve got it! He isn’t part of Washington because he’s fair (even though he somehow has a reputation for being fair and honest and decent, he was actually honest enough not to claim to be honest or decent).

On a serious note, aren’t there people out there who can listen to this guy talk, and render a professional diagnosis?