Sen. Joe Manchin helped Mitch McConnell seize a rhetorical victory from the jaws of defeat, again, on Thursday, helping Republicans flip the narrative from the utter disarray in the GOP and their Trump-incited nihilistic efforts to blow up the economy. Instead, largely thanks to Manchin’s melodramatic antics—from his strategically placed seat in the front row—and performative flounce, the narrative became Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s “mean” speech.

Manchin then made sure that all the reporters on Capitol Hill heard that he thought Schumer’s speech was “inappropriate.” Manchin is apparently never around when McConnell’s floor speeches call Democrats obscene and accuse them of coddling terrorists. Because if you want to hear some partisan vitriol from the Senate floor, tune in to any of McConnell’s remarks.

And what was so offensive about Schumer’s remarks? He told the truth. He said a “risky drama” that played out this week could have resulted in “a first-ever, Republican-manufactured default on the national debt.” He continued, “Republicans played a dangerous and risky partisan game, and I am glad that their brinksmanship did not work. […] For the good of America’s families, for the good of our economy, Republicans must recognize in the future that they should approach fixing the debt limit in a bipartisan way.”

Nothing in that statement is untrue. Nothing in that statement is inflammatory. Nothing in that statement isn’t richly deserved.

But, good lord, the clutched pearls.

Right. Gracious. Sen. Mitt Romney, by the way, voted against lifting the debt ceiling on Thursday. Twice. And he expects Schumer’s everlasting gratitude? In that vein: “I thought it was totally out of line. I just thought it was an incredibly partisan speech after we had just helped him solve a problem,” Sen. John Thune added. “I let him have it.”

Manchin just couldn’t resist himself, knowing exactly what was going to get him quoted (as if his performance for the C-SPAN cameras wasn’t enough). He gave the Capitol Hill press corps the catnip they all crave:

Both. Sides.

“Both sides have been very guilty of this, and the frustration was built up,” Manchin told reporters. “And I’m sure [Schumer’s] frustration was [high], but that was not a way to take it out. We just disagree. I’d have done it differently.” Yeah, he is giving Romney a pretty good run for the money on the arrogance thing, right there.

We will be back here in just a matter of weeks because the deal struck Thursday is temporary. McConnell is still going to insist that Democrats fold a longer-term debt ceiling increase into the reconciliation bill for Biden’s Build Back Better plan and pass it—again—all on their own.

Democrats continue to resist that because of the complications it could cause. Maybe they should reconsider. They could, after all, take this weapon away from McConnell forever if they approach the issue thoughtfully and creatively. Then give Manchin and Sinema a choice—vote for reconciliation for the whole bill Biden has requested and fix the debt ceiling crisis, or agree to nuke the filibuster for debt ceiling votes.

This hostage-taking has to end. Manchin’s (and Sinema’s) complicity in it has to end as well.