Then Cruz announced he wanted to “make four points briefly. …” It’s highly unlikely that a single person in the room wanted four points. And they were not in the least brief. But they were remarkable for their incessant self-reference.

“My fourth and final point is that the Constitution, in my opinion, should be the touchstone of everything we do. …”

“I would point out that I am not unfamiliar with the Heller case. Indeed, I represented …”

“In my view, the Constitution is particularly important. …”

Do you think, people, that this is a key to the stupendous impact the Tea Party continues to have on Congress, even now that it’s proved itself to be a loser when it comes to elections? If you combine a lack of a sense of humor with an absence of humility and then stir in a cup of self-righteousness, you are definitely not working on a recipe for cooperative achievement.