Franken gets sketched

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank is usually a must-read, particularly for his ability to make yawn-worthy hearings on Capitol Hill dramatic and interesting.

While covering the Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court confirmation hearing, he definitely lucked out when Sen. Al Franken took the mic for some tough questioning. His comments about TV show Perry Mason were column gold.

You'll be proud to know both of our senators made his Washington Sketch today for their ridiculous softball questions. Always keeping those witnesses on their feet.

From Milbank's sketch:

The Democrat's question was deft and devastating: "What was the one case in 'Perry Mason' that Burger won?"

For the first time this week, the future justice was stumped. "I wish I remembered the name of the episode, but I don't," she confessed. "I just was always struck that there was only one case where his client was actually guilty."

"And you don't remember that case?" pressed a skeptical Franken.

"I know that I should remember the name of it," the nominee apologized, "but I haven't looked at the episode. I --"

Franken cut her off. "Didn't the White House prepare you for that?" he asked with incredulity.

The White House rapid-response team swung into operation as reporters demanded to know the title of the episode. Was it "The Case of the Terrified Typist"? "The Case of the Deadly Verdict"? "The Case of the Witless Witness"?

Read the rest of the column here, including a mention of Sen. Amy Klobuchar.