Speaking to the Daily News, Republican Senate Leader Mike Hewitt says Friday's budget coup traces back to the legislature's recent approval of marriage equality.

If that sounds unbelievably petulant, well, here's what Hewitt said yesterday about Olympia's Democrats, who hold a majority in both the house and senate:

"This year, they're doing everything by themselves," objected Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, and wrangling over "moral issues," he said.

Hewitt said legislators should have gotten down to work immediately on the budget. "It just became about redefining marriage, so we just wasted three weeks."

"Policy issues always go before the budget," countered [Democratic Senate Majority Leader Lisa] Brown.

Which is a little odd, because Hewitt's been around long enough to know that when you're in the minority, you don't get to control what happens when. (Unless, of course, you can get three Democrats to defect and give you a majority.)