Clyburn Blames `juvenile¿ Republicans

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) called House Republicans “juvenile” Tuesday for voting against the $700 billion bailout because of partisan language in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s floor speech.

“I don't think adults would be blaming a speech on the floor of the House,” Clyburn said on NBC’s “Today Show.” “That is pretty juvenile to me.”

“I think it's time for us to set aside blaming, set aside all of this extraneous stuff like a speech that may have been delivered on the floor of the House,” the South Carolina Democrat said. “It's amazing to me that we can so be so sophomoric to believe that a politician would not give a political speech.”

But as Clyburn urged Republicans to “set aside blaming,” he lashed out at House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and John McCain for not delivering votes.

“I talked to Roy Blunt about two hours before the vote and asked him where he was. He told me he was short of his 100. He told me he thought he was somewhere in the high 70's or low 80's,” Clyburn said later on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“I said okay, Roy, if that's where you are, then we can go to the floor because I think I got a cushion for you. And I did have the cushion for him. He just didn't get to the high 70's or the low 80's as he said he could.”

Clyburn blamed McCain for not delivering his own delegation after none of the Arizona lawmakers voted for the bill despite the GOP presidential candidate’s insistence that he was instrumental in working a deal.

“McCain came in and he said he brought everybody to the table,” the Democratic whip said. “You will see that not a single person from Arizona voted for this legislation.”

Georgia Republican Congressman Tom Price attacked Clyburn for pointing fingers.

“Blaming is not what this is all about and we ought not to be doing,” Price, who voted against the bill, said.

“We need to work together. That's what our constituents want, that's what the American people want. It's imperative we sit down, solve this problem as adults and move on with it this week. And we ought to. And I call on the speaker to bring us back as soon as possible.”