The Bad Old Days

In this completely batty article in the Times, which details Senators grousing about interlopers on their Senator-only elevators, in what one can only imagine are tones befitting Prince Charles grumbling bitterly that his cucumber sandwiches are soggy, I come upon this amusing little tidbit about girl-baiting and sexual harassment outside and in the elevators:

To be sure, such tactics took place only in earlier eras, when senators held a less enlightened view of women.

(In 1994, Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina was said to have engaged in excessive touching of his then-freshman colleague Patty Murray of Washington. Ms. Murray later asked for and received an apology from Mr. Thurmond, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported at the time. Through a spokeswoman, Ms. Murray declined to comment.)

Yes, to be sure, such tactics took place only in earlier eras…like 1994.

I also love the turn of phrase "when senators held a less enlightened view of women," which not only manages to imply that there are still no women senators, but also that senators have an enlightened view of women now.