Presidential candidate John McCain wasn't the first choice, or even the second, third or fourth choice, of many of the 500 or so die-hard Republicans gathered Saturday night for the Dallas County party's annual Reagan Day Dinner.

"I sort of liken it to a grieving process. You come to acceptance," said U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, ticking off the conventionally accepted stages of mourning. But "on every issue I care about, and you care about, John McCain is head and shoulders above Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton."

Mr. Cornyn endorsed Mr. McCain on Feb. 7. Gov. Rick Perry, meanwhile, first endorsed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose candidacy took off about as well as a jet with its engines pointed backward.

Cornyn's lack of enthusiasm for McCain is easily explainable. Back during the debate over the immigration bill, he and McCain got into a little war of words.

At a bipartisan gathering in an ornate meeting room just off the Senate floor, McCain complained that Cornyn was raising petty objections to a compromise plan being worked out between Senate Republicans and Democrats and the White House. He used a curse word associated with chickens and accused Cornyn of raising the issue just to torpedo a deal.

Things got really heated when Cornyn accused McCain of being too busy campaigning for president to take part in the negotiations, which have gone on for months behind closed doors. "Wait a second here," Cornyn said to McCain. "I've been sitting in here for all of these negotiations and you just parachute in here on the last day. You're out of line."

McCain, a former Navy pilot, then used language more accustomed to sailors (not to mention the current vice president, who made news a few years back after a verbal encounter with Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont).

"[Expletive] you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room," shouted McCain at Cornyn. McCain helped craft a bill in 2006 that passed the Senate but couldn't be compromised with a House bill that was much tougher on illegal immigrants.

I'm sure what that bit about the chickens refers to, but it must be absolutely humiliating to have to endorse someone that cussed you out in front of a bipartisan conference of senators. I hope Rick Noriega wins his primary tonight and then takes Cornyn out.