Republican Sen. Jim Bunning, a 78-year-old Hall of Fame pitcher, is playing hardball on Capitol Hill, single-handedly holding up a $10 billion spending bill because it would add to the deficit.

The move has forced some 2,000 federal employees into unpaid furloughs, put jobless benefits in jeopardy for millions and halted more than 40 highway projects.

Because of his ornery nature and ungovernable mouth, Bunning has come to be regarded as the crazy uncle in the Senate attic during his 11 years in Washington. And because he is retiring after this session, there isn’t much anyone can do to keep him in line.

“I think the older he gets, the more cantankerous he becomes,” said Kentucky Republican Larry Forgy, a two-time candidate for governor and one of Bunning’s biggest admirers. “He’s as tough as a pine knot. He doesn’t care what they say about him.”

Source: Google News/AP