New kid in an old boys’ club

SAN DIEGO — Who knew that a Hispanic Republican senator could get in this much hot water without reaching for bottled water?

I’ve become accustomed to politicians who keep their heads down and rarely say anything interesting because they’re afraid of drawing fire. Rare are those who speak their minds, defend their principles and worry more about doing their job than keeping it.

That’s how Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has been conducting himself in his first two months in office, and the Washington establishment is aghast. Cruz has been my friend for 10 years, and I can’t say I’m surprised.

In the exclusive club of the U.S. Senate, holding folks accountable can get you in trouble – at least if you’re a Republican. If you’re a Democrat, you’ll be fine.

In May 2004, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, Democrats Carl Levin, Hillary Clinton, Edward Kennedy and Robert Byrd aggressively went after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

In April 2007, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over the firings of U.S. attorneys, Democrats Charles Schumer, Patrick Leahy, Dianne Feinstein and Dick Durbin all tore into Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Yet, if you’re a Republican who grills like that, you’ll be compared to Joe McCarthy. The infamous senator from Wisconsin who in the 1950s charged that communists had infiltrated government agencies has had his name invoked quite a bit by liberals in recent days. All in an attempt to discredit a bright young star in the GOP, who is doubly threatening because he is Hispanic, before he can do any more damage – to the opposition.

Cruz’s report card has been stamped “does not play well with others” because the 42-year-old dissected Chuck Hagel at his confirmation hearing to become secretary of defense.

When someone is nominated to the Cabinet, the Constitution dictates that senators must “advise and consent.”

What the Founders had in mind is right in Cruz’s wheelhouse. Regarded as one of the best constitutional lawyers in the country, he has written more than 80 Supreme Court briefs and argued nine times before the high court.

Cruz does not consent to the proposition that Hagel ought to lead the Pentagon. This is his right. At the hearing, he explained why. And this is his role.

Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida scolded Cruz, saying he had “gone over the line” in roughing up Hagel. The Armed Services Committee, Nelson said, has always been known for having “a certain degree of comity and civility,” from which Cruz’s behavior was a departure.

Comity and civility? There’s the problem. What is this, a bowling league? Like many Americans, when I hear that both parties are – with comity and civility – working together, I grab my wallet and hide my kid’s piggy bank.

Nelson said that Cruz questioned Hagel’s “patriotism.”

It never happened. In fact, Cruz began his questioning by thanking the Vietnam War veteran for his service.

What Cruz was questioning – with the precision of an ace prosecutor – was Hagel’s forthrightness. The nominee was asked to provide more financial records than the law requires, and he didn’t. And while, according to Cruz, Hagel gave a dozen paid speeches last year alone totaling more than $200,000, he only gave an accounting for four of them.

We don’t know anything about the majority of speeches and who paid for them. We also don’t know why, as Cruz pointed out, the Iranian government cheered Hagel’s nomination. Shouldn’t we?

Cruz was also questioning the nominee’s judgment. When presented – during a 2009 interview on the al-Jazeera network – with the claim that the United States is “the world’s bully,” Hagel characterized the observation as “a good one.”

If you or I did something that dumb, we wouldn’t get even a low-level job at the Defense Department. Should the standard be lower for the top job?

Given all this, it’s no wonder that Hagel’s nomination was stalled.

In politics, you’re either playing offense or defense. Liberals in the Senate, and in the media, are upset that Hagel did such a hapless job of defending himself, so they’ve gone on the offensive against the junior senator from Texas.

Don’t get it twisted. There’s only one problem with Cruz’s behavior. And it’s that, in a body known for comity and civility, it is the exception and not the rule.

Ruben Navarrette is a columnist for U-T San Diego. Reach him at ruben@rubennavarrette.com.