This is an opinion column.

By the end of the day Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville looked about as American as he is Alabamian.

Which is to say not much. Not so devoted an American. Not so real an Alabamian. He appeared as he always has: Tubervillian.

Tuberville finally backed off his 10-month blockade of U.S. military promotions Tuesday, not so much because of criticism from reasonable voices on both sides of the aisle, but because it became obvious he was going to lose. That he would continue to be talked about in the same sentence as “idiot” and “dumb,” and he’d have a goose egg to show for it.

Since February he had clung to an arbitrary hold on senior military promotions in protest of President Biden’s abortion policy, punishing hundreds of military families for something they had nothing to do with. He had no regard for the hardship it caused, no concern – as others in both parties did – that it left America’s fighting force in limbo and damaged morale, that it threatened the safety, security and military readiness of the entire country.

What this Florida man did — he came to Alabama as if in the transfer portal, but kept his Florida permanent address — was posture and pander, at the expense of his country.

“Coach” Tuberville, as he likes to be called, came off as an opportunist looking to make his splash, a man who knew he was so out of his depth that he needed to create sound and fury to disguise the fact he has no qualifications as a U.S. Senator.

It’s tempting to put his gaffes in terms Coach can understand.

He was out of bounds. He didn’t complete the catch.

He had his head up his end zone.

It was a butt fumble, to be sure, a bungle of epic proportions. Throw all the flags. He was offsides. There was intentional grounding of the troops. It was a blindside block, delay of game, and illegal tripping. Boy is he tripping.

Truth is, upon further review, the guy should have been kicked out of the game for targeting, launching himself at his own country’s military might.

It’s hard to fathom, in any other American era or place, how a U.S. Senator representing a state he doesn’t even live in could punish American heroes to make a partisan political point about something that had nothing to do with them.

All in the name of a state with 360,000 veterans, a state that has long valued patriotism and service, that courts military business in Huntsville and Montgomery and honors its heroes past and present.

It is hard to understand, in any age, how he has not been rebuked by the people in that place.

When Tuberville did throw in the towel Tuesday the Senate responded quickly by confirming 425 or more military nominations. But his damage continues. Coach said he will continue to block four-star promotions.

We’re not talking about politicians here. We’re talking about the best and brightest of our military men and women, rising to the very top of their country’s fighting team. Only to be held up by the likes of Tommy Tuberville.

It leaves high offices – commands of the Pacific Fleet and Pacific Air Forces, the heads of the Northern Command and the Cyber Command, and the vice chiefs of the Army, Air Force, Naval Operations and Space Operations – in limbo.

Because of a political stunt.

It is frankly astonishing that Alabama’s senior senator doesn’t see the danger. It is astonishing that we, Alabama, do not seem to care.

These antics are sound and fury signifying only one thing: That Tommy Tuberville does not belong in Alabama, much less in the United States Senate.

Despite the use of ‘butt fumble’ in a headline, John Archibald is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize.