Pete Stark (D-CA) in his 18th term in the Congress representing the San Francisco Bay area, and currently the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee for Ways & Means, exploded with one of his tantrums October 18, 2007 on the House floor that was over the top even by his standards. Well known to go “off message” now and then, the publicly proclaimed atheist was not happy that the House was about to vote to uphold the President’s veto of the bloated SCHIP reauthorization legislation. Emotion got the best of Stark and stepping to the microphone he opened up with:

“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.”

When Stark and the Democrats were in the minority, his often incoherent and shameful outbursts were seen as sad, misguided, and embarrassing for this institution of the House of Representatives. But, now Pelosi has elevated him as Chairman of one of the most powerful Subcommittees in all of Congress at a time when real leadership on the critical issue of healthcare is needed. Irrational, inflammatory, disgraceful remarks such as his should have no place in the halls of Congress, or in the public debate arena.

Republican Minority Leader John Boehner requested an apology saying Stark “dishonors not only the commander in chief, but the thousands of courageous men and women of America’s armed forces.” No apology was given, of course. Not surprisingly, the entire left side of the House Chamber was silent as well.

This all happened within days of the Democrat’s twisted context and pretense of outrage over Rush Limbaugh’s reference to Jesse MacBeth as a “phony soldier.” MacBeth received much media attention when he claimed to have been part of combat forces in Iraq that committed atrocities. All of which was later proved to be lies. He was never in combat, never in Iraq, and discharged from the Army as unfit to serve before completing basic training. Nonetheless, the Dems, including Colorado’s own Ken Salazar and Mark Udall, claimed Limbaugh had dishonored all our troops and demanded an apology.

A double standard? Politics as usual? This is from a new leadership team that promised they could do better. What they’ve delivered instead is politics per Pelosi, and it stinks!