Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said the attacks levied against him from Democrats and the media are a sign he is doing something right in the U.S. Senate. From a Dallas Morning News interview, published Sunday:
Q. You were compared to McCarthy by several people – a lot of pundits, a lot of writers, several senators. How did that make you feel? Were you surprised by that? And what is your response to that?
A. It often seems in Washington [that] the ferocity of the attacks leveled at an individual, from Democrats or from the media, is directly related to the effectiveness of that person in standing for conservative principles. In the short time that I’ve been serving in office, The New York Times has already spilled barrels of ink attacking the conservative principles I’m fighting to defend. It seems to me if The New York Times is this hysterical already, it may be a sign that perhaps we’re doing something right.
Cruz drew criticism during Chuck Hagel’s confirmation hearing after he took issue with an appearance the former Nebraska senator made on Al Jazeera. At a later Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Hagel’s nomination to become defense secretary, Cruz speculated that Hagel may have received money from “radical or extreme groups.” Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) criticized Cruz’s insinuation.
