The idea behind sending Independent Bernie Sanders to the Senate was a simple one: let the big dog hunt. Sanders has proven over the years that he can and will latch on to even the largest and most powerful interests, and the Senate in the waning days of the GOP culture of corruption seemed a hunting ground ideally tailored to Bernie’s abilities.

Still, even though that was the plan all along, it’s lovely to see the guy sink a Senate-sized set of teeth in.

Case in point: Bernie’s hearing on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s oversight process, a hearing spurred by Vermont Yankee’s recent string of spectacular snafus. They don’t call it a sound bite for nothing:

Sanders: Fortunately, no one was hurt in either of these accidents. If you were living in southern Vermont, or New Hampshire, or northern Massachusetts, would you have confidence in the NRC after this series of events?

[NRC Chairman] Dale Klein: Well, Senator, sitting at this side of the table, I would hope people in Vermont have confidence in the NRC.

Sanders: They don’t.

Satisfying, as we said. Even more satisfying still? Check out Bernie’s visual. That would be one of the infamous series of photos depicting Yankee’s disastrous water tower collapse, a series of which we’re inordinately fond here at VDB.

It’s one thing to say the Emperor has no clothes, but another thing altogether to capture the naked, goose-fleshed old bastard on film.

And quite another thing still to blow up that photo larger than life and set it up on a six-foot easel in the halls of Congress for God and everybody to see.

Beautiful, Bernie. Just beautiful.