Politico reports that several key Republican U.S. senators will face tea party challengers this coming year, and that John Cornyn of Texas is the latest to draw a challenge from the far right wing of his party.

I heard about this possibility on Monday and almost cannot believe what has transpired.

U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman of Friendswood (near Houston) has announced he won’t run for a second term in the House of Representatives and instead will run for Cornyn’s Senate seat.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/tea-party-gop-senators-100988.html?hp=t1_3

Utterly … amazing.

Stockman has joined the roster of ridiculousness among Texas members of Congress since his return to the House after the 2012 election. He’s done almost everything possible to make himself a non-serious legislator. He’s yapped about impeaching the president over unspecified “high crimes and misdemeanors.” His campaign staff has gotten itself into a jam over allegedly misspending campaign money.

I should note that Stockman served a single term in the House from 1995 to 1997 before he was defeated for re-election. He had knocked off the late House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jack Brooks, the crusty Democrat from Beaumont — who, by the way, used to be my congressman when I lived and worked in the Ninth Congressional District.

I won’t say Stockman is an idiot. He just made idiotic statements.

Senior Republicans are finding themselves engaged in this intraparty struggle against insurgent who believe the louder they complain the more points they score.

Stockman says Cornyn didn’t fight hard enough to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Stockman’s conservatism is taking on a ferociousness that makes Cornyn look reasonable and measured … even though Cornyn’s job as the No. 2 man in the Senate is to knock off Democrats whenever he can.

Cornyn describes Stockman’s campaign as comprising “pretty thin gruel.” Boy, howdy.

At least it’ll be entertaining.