There is only one John McCain so it was silly to think that Michigan's senior senator would use McCain's lingo to describe the Tea Party movement, but Carl Levin came closer than you might expect.

   The frumpy senator known for his "look-over-the-glasses" stare was asked to weight in on the T.P. movement.  Senator McCain has blasted them for being "bizarro" in their opposition to compromise on the debt ceiling and accused them of being like "Hobbits returning to middle earth" which is to say they are isolated and speak only to themselves.

   So Mr. Levin are they Hobbits?

   Since he has not read that Lord of Rings he has no idea what the heck that means?

   Well certainly he understands the term bizarro but he won't bite on that either.

   "I agree with John McCain on a lot of things but I don't want to use any label on anybody…" he demurs.

    But he did find a label he could use:  "extreme and radical voices" and he laments "they've kinda taken over the Republican Party." 

    That is especially problematic for the senator who firmly believes new revenue must be part of the next debt reducation package while the T.P. crowd will oppose it to the death.

    "We just need moderate politics and bi-partisan solutions," the moderate and bi-partisan senator asserts.

     So does that mean he is worried about the two Michigan GOP congressmen who will be at the center of the debt debate? Will Fred Upton and Dave Camp bow to the Tea Party?

     Levin thinks not. "I know both of them and I don't think they will be subservient to the Tea Party or anybody else."

     But the Tea Party will attempt to block any new revenue, he was reminded.

     Then "we're not going to have deficit reduction" he predicts.