The Scottosphere

O’Neill also made an enemy of one of the Senate’s most pow­er­ful Democ­rats, Appro­pri­a­tions Com­mit­tee Chair­man Robert Byrd of West Vir­ginia. Clearly aggra­vated when Byrd accused him of being out of touch with aver­age Amer­i­cans, O’Neill shot back that he had been born “in a house with­out water or elec­tric­ity. So I don’t cede to you the high moral ground of not know­ing what life is like in a ditch.” Byrd’s many ene­mies enjoyed the exchange, but O’Neill paid a price.