McConnell pulls an ‘Eastwood’ at a Kentucky bar

Chris Moody
·Political Reporter

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is ready to take President Barack Obama up on that drink. Unfortunately, he's nowhere near the president.

The Kentucky Republican posted a picture of himself Monday at a Kentucky bar, nestling a glass of beer next to an empty chair and a glass of wine, both presumably meant for Obama.

Congress is currently in recess, so McConnell is working in Kentucky instead of in the capital.

The picture was posted in response to Obama's speech at the White House correspondents' dinner on Saturday, in which he joked about having a drink with McConnell.

"Recently, I had dinner—it’s been well publicized—I had dinner with a number of the Republican senators. And I’ll admit it wasn’t easy. I proposed a toast—it died in committee," Obama said during the speech. "Of course, even after I've done all this, some folks still don’t think I spend enough time with Congress. 'Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?' they ask. 'Really? Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?' I'm sorry. I get frustrated sometimes."

Speaking of drinking, had Obama actually been present at the Kentucky bar, he could have asked to hear McConnell's step-by-step tutorial on the best use of bourbon, his state's favorite drink.

"The best way to drink it, in my opinion, is to make a Manhattan, which is a combination of bourbon and other unknown substances,” McConnell told Yahoo News' Olivier Knox in February. McConnell had also described the best way to prepare it: “Drop a couple of cherries on top of it, make sure there's ice there, and it's a terrific drink around Christmastime, which I frequently offer to my guests."