Kevin McCarthy insists — 'no disrespect' — that Joe Biden is 'the Jeb Bush of this cycle'

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has created the ultimate backhanded compliment.

On Thursday, McCarthy talked 2020 at an Axios event with reporter Mike Allen. The Republican obviously wasn't a big fan of his home-state Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif), saying she should "accomplish something in the Senate" before running for president. Yet he had a more subtle dig for former Vice President Joe Biden, and employed a stellar comparison to do it.

"I think Biden ... is the Jeb Bush of this cycle," McCarthy said, adding that "I think he could have run at a different time and he would have been the nominee. I think he has too much to apologize for." "No disrespect," McCarthy was sure to add, presumably directing this consolation at Biden.

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McCarthy did leave out a few points that could invalidate his comparison, notably not mentioning that Biden smiles a whole lot more than the failed 2016 candidate, and also doesn't include punctuation in his signage that completely contradicts his persona.