Rangel promises hearing to prove there are no patriots

I like Charlie Rangel. Not his politics but rather his personality. He is willing to take a liberal stance and defend it. He’s no John “foot in mouth” Kerry. Kerry says what he means then denies it or vice versa as in: “I never called the troops stupid but they aren’t smart enough to know that I didn’t call them stupid.”

Rangel once called Vice President Cheney a SOB. He didn’t apologize for it. Instead he referred to the VP as an old colleague and laughed it off noting that Cheney once called a senator much worse. When he offended the entire state of Mississippi, Rangel made a sincere apology and withdrew the offensive remark. He didn’t do the Dick H. Durbin non-apology, I’m sorry if what I said offended you, but I meant every word, apology.

So Rangel says what he means, stands up for it but will apologize if he thinks he’s off the mark.

On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace, after reading Lex’s post on the draft, confronted Rangel with the facts here. Rangel didn’t back off. Essentially Rangel thinks that nobody in America thinks America is worth fighting for. According to Rangel, the only reason anyone is in Iraq or Afghanistan now is because they are too dumb, too poor, too anything to find a job in an economy that has the lowest unemployment on record in a decade. There are no patriots in Iraq, according Rangel. Listen to him. In an all volunteer Army, “nobody wants to fight in Iraq…” In spite of the facts presented to by Wallace, Rangel claims “most all are from economically depressed areas…”

Rangel claims that hearings, the ones Democrats denied they would pursue before the election, on this subject would bear him out. Can’t wait for that. “Sgt. Jones isn’t it a fact that you are too dumb to get a good job in this economy that is humming along at near full employment?” “Well no congressman Rangel that is not true. I’m a high school graduate. I joined the Army because my dad joined the Army and his dad before him. Beyond that, I think the country needs me to defend it against Islamo-terror-fascists that want to destroy our way of life.” “Mr. Chairman, I move that this stupid, unemployable fool’s remarks be stricken from the record. He’s obviously a shill for the Bush administration.” “So ordered. Next witness please.”