Sen. Hatch praises CBO ... then dismisses their math in same TPM interview

[underpants]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/orrin-hatch-cbo-obamacare

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) touted CBO for the convenient finding, and then quickly dismissed and mocked CBO for the inconvenient finding.

Approached by TPM that afternoon in the Capitol, Hatch took it a step further.

"I think we're going to be lucky if that's all that's lost," he said. "It's a real big problem for this country and [Democrats] continue to want to go down the same path they're going down. I don't understand that."

Then, within seconds, Hatch turned around and attacked CBO when asked about another finding in the same report that Obamacare's risk corridors -- the provision Republicans bash as a "bailout" -- would actually save the government money.

"First of all, I don't believe that," the senator said, with a laugh. "I mean, that may be something they can conjure up in mathematics but I don't believe so. These are the guys who tried to use pension smoothing to pay for unemployment insurance for three months," he said, referring to a near-term budget savings options that has been criticized as a gimmick.

"I mean, come on, give me a break," Hatch said.