Mr. Bunning is known on Capitol Hill for gruffly blowing past reporters and colleagues in hallways and for cranky outbursts at his staff. “He is perceived as being out-of-touch, hot-headed and generally counterproductive,” said Phil Musser, a Republican consultant and former official in the Bush administration.
As a native Kentuckian and sports legend in a solidly Republican state, Mr. Bunning long enjoyed a solid base of support. But his penchant for self-immolation nearly cost him re-election in 2004 — and set off a swirl of questions about his mental fitness.
...“The question is whether it’s time for him to hang up his cleats,” Mr. Musser said. “My basic contention is it probably is.”
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