Police were called to a session of the House yesterday because there was an imminent threat of attack.
No, not by terrorists. Not the ones we think of anyway.
Democrat Pete Stark from California (yay, us!) made a verbal taunt at Republican Scott McInnis of Colorado. It kinda went like this:
Republicans said it was the Democrats who started it.
Stark "threatened me with physical harm," said Rep. Scott McInnis of Colorado, a Republican who sits on the committee.
"I think it was entirely appropriate for the chairman of the committee to call the sergeant at arms and the Capitol Police," McInnis said. "I considered that a bodily threat and I fully intended to defend myself. To calm this down -- that is why the chairman did that."
Rep. Kenny Hulshof, a Missouri Republican who sits on the committee, read what he described as a transcript of the meeting.
In it, he quoted Stark as saying to McInnis, "You little fruitcake, you little fruitcake, I said you are a fruitcake."
And, according a Republican leadership aide, the 72-year-old Stark called (Ways and Means Committee chariman, Republican Bill) Thomas a vulgarity.
You read that right! 50-year-old McInnis (l) trembled for his very life against the human wrecking machine 72-year-old Stark (r)!
Words cannot describe how much I'm lovin' this, but Lambert at Eschaton has a brilliant way of letting actions do the speaking. Send Bill Thomas your old fruitcakes (or send him a fresh one). Here's how.
