Dogs and cats living together...

The greatest thing about politics, is you just can't make this stuff up.

Our own Rep. Kevin McCarthy, life-long, straight-laced Republican (though not conservative enough for some reeps around the oil patch) has revealed his new hero — the ultra liberal, potty-mouthed White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel.

I am NOT making this up! (But I may be exaggerating, slightly)

McCarthy was quoted in a Bloomberg story saying he's taking inspiration from Emmanuel in his quest to rebuild his own party.

"California Representative Kevin McCarthy, the chief recruiter for House Republicans, said he wants his party to select candidates based less on ideology and more on their chances of winning. The goal, he said, is to seek out prospects who are ethnically diverse, female, less partisan and even supportive of abortion rights. So far, these efforts are more concept than reality," the Bloomberg story said.

In the article, McCarthy referenced, "The Thumpin,'" a book that lays out how Emmanuel recruited candidates who best suited their constituents' views, not traditional Democratic ideals in order to bring the party back.

"As an example of his efforts to emulate Emanuel, McCarthy said he is trying to recruit John McKinney, a Republican state senator from Connecticut. On his Web site, McKinney describes himself as a fiscally conservative, socially moderate centrist. He has said he is considering a run for the U.S. House, though he hasn’t made a formal announcement. His spokesman, Brett Cody, said McKinney supports abortion rights," according to the Bloomberg story.

When I asked McCarthy about this (particularly the abortion rights issue) he said he's interested in people who find solutions. He told me, for example, he's recruited the mayor of a Springfield, Ore. who he said has created jobs and more for his town. As for his stance on abortion, McCarthy said he never asked about that.

He said he did know about McKinney's record on abortion before he recruited him, but he also knows that McKinney is a popular, effective leader.

"I was trying to find the very best candidate," McCarthy said, adding that there is a "big tent" in his party with plenty of room for different ideas.