California (Real) Democratic Representative Pete Stark Tells the Truth:

“I’m just amazed that the Republicans are worried that we can’t pay for insuring an additional 10 million children,” he said. “They sure don’t care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq. Where are you going to get that money? You are going to tell us lies like you’re telling us today? Is that how you’re going to fund the war? You don’t have money to fund the war or children, but you’re going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President’s amusement.”

What Stark said was entirely fair, reasonable, and accurate. There is no legitimate reason to criticize him.

Has anyone forgotten how often Bush smirks when he talks about war?

Demonizing politicians when they take the rare step of actually telling the truth is counterproductive for our nation’s political discourse. Yet, that is exactly what is happening.

As one would sadly expect, Nancy Pelosi and other Republicans have launched irresponsible and unreasonable attacks against Stark.

Pelosi:

"Yesterday’s debate in the House to override the President’s veto of bipartisan legislation to cover 10 million children was heated on both sides. While Members of Congress are passionate about their views, what Congressman Stark said during the debate was inappropriate and distracted from the seriousness of the subject at hand – providing health care for America’s children.”

Pelosi is definitely in a closet. She's a closet Republican.

The Republican National Committee (which blames our troops for what's happening in Iraq):

"Pete Stark's out-of-control rant is an insult to every American, Democrat or Republican. It is one thing to disagree with the war in Iraq, but it is another to go to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and rave that the men and women of the United States Armed Forces are '[blowing] up innocent people.' The Democrats cannot stop playing partisan politics, and they don't care whether they have to tie up reauthorization of children's health care or attack our brave men and women in uniform to do it. The leaders of the Democrat Party, including Nancy Pelosi and their presidential candidates, need to stand up and make it clear that this kind of attack is unacceptable from any elected official."

Since when are Democrats, or really anyone with IQs over 60, suppposed to be under the control of the RNC anyway?

Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, House GOP Whip:

“Pete Stark’s statements on the House floor this afternoon crossed all lines of decency and decorum. As a member of Congress, he should be ashamed. But as a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee –- and the current chairman of its Health subcommittee –- the Democratic leadership ought to be ashamed as well.”

Blunt should be ashamed, for killing our troops in Iraq, for slaughtering innocent Iraqis, for being a bought politician, and for a variety of other reasons.

The culture of dishonesty gets more pervasive in DC as time goes on. Now, telling the truth is the most grave political offense that anyone can commit.

How pathetic!