Representative Patrick McHenrymade a name for himself in 2007 as seriously Energy Dumb in his truthiness attack on the Energy Bill as focused on bicycles as the solution path. Amid the $billions of spending (and tax benefits) under consideration, the insightful McHenry focused on $1 million per year in spending on bicycles as somehow representing "the" Democratic solution path to America's energy challenges. While McHenry did use a true fact (yes, there was $1 million in funding), his commentary was neither truthful nor speaking truth, since it tried to represent this extremely small portion of the bill as central and somehow quite significant. (If he had used more accurate words like "less than 1/100 of 1 percent of funding", would his demogogyperhaps been undermined?)
Well, Energy Dumb McHenry showed his idiocy in the past month with his words and actions in Iraq. And, sadly, the idiocy goes well past questions of energy.
Thoughtless about Energy
Last year's energy bill, amid literally $10s of billions of subsidies and expenditures, had a small amount of money headed toward bicycle programs. Evidently, any amount was too much for Energy Dumb McHenry.
A major component of the Democrats' energy legislation and the Democrats' answer to our energy crisis is, hold on, wait one minute, wait one minute, it is promoting the use of the bicycle.
Major. Yes. Truly central in the face of trying to get $billions into, for example, renewable energy programs, energy efficiency standards for appliances with very large implications, increasing the CAFE standard.
Oh, I cannot make this stuff up. Yes, the American people have heard this. Their answer to our fuel crisis, the crisis at the pumps, is: Ride a bike.
Yes, you demagogue, you can make it up. Nowhere was there a statement that "ride a bike" was "their answer" as if it is was a Silver Bullet that would solve everything out there.
Democrats believe that using taxpayer funds in this bill to the tune of $1 million a year should be devoted to the principle of: "Save energy, ride a bike.''
"$1 million a year ..." Stop the presses! What an outrage!
Some might argue that depending on bicycles to solve our energy crisis is naive, perhaps ridiculous.
First, clearly you. Second, you are the "naive ... ridiculous" one for refusing to see the need for working multiple solution paths, for leveraging everything to deal with the challenges of Peak Oil and Global Warming (oops, probably two elements of reality that McHenry rejects ...).
Some might even say Congress should use this energy legislation to create new energy, bring new nuclear power plants on line, use clean coal technology, energy exploration, but no, no. They want to tell the American people, stop driving, ride a bike. This is absolutely amazing.
Apparently, the Democrats believe that the miracle on two wheels that we know as a bicycle will end our dependence on foreign oil. I cannot make this stuff up. It is absolutely amazing.
Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the Democrats, promoting 19th century solutions to 21st century problems. If you don't like it, ride a bike. If you don't like the price at the pumps, ride a bike.
Stay tuned for the next big idea for the Democrats: Improving energy efficiency by the horse and buggy."
Honestly, I couldn't make this up if I tried ...
McHenry isn't just Energy Dumb ...
When an alert US soldier guarding the facility refused McHenry entrance to a Green Zone gym, what was McHenry's reaction? Did this patriotic Republican, who so respects the military, praise the soldier for being alert and doing his duty? Not exactly ... In McHenry's own words,
We spent the night in the Green Zone, in the poolhouse of one of Saddam’s palaces. A little weird, I got to be honest with you. But I felt safe. And so in the morning, I got up early — not that I make this a great habit — but I went to the gym because I just couldn’t sleep and everything else. Well, sure enough, the guard wouldn’t let me in. Said I didn’t have the correct credentials.
It’s 5:00 in the morning. I haven’t had sleep. I was not very happy with this two-bit security guard. So you know, I said, "I want to see your supervisor." Thirty minutes later, the supervisor wasn’t happy with me, they escort me back to my room. It happens. I guess I didn’t need to work out anyway.
"Two-bit security guard ..." Yup, love them soldiers, don't we Patrick? (By the way, might we wonder why patriotic 32-year old Patrick isn't in uniform?) That he was foolish enough to post this material suggests that McHenry isn't simply Energy Dumb.
(McHenry's insult was discussed by Chumley last week and Kagro X who also discussed McHenry's views on the great successes of the operations in Iraq.)
McHenry's faux pas in Iraq went beyond insults into recklessness. Last week, on his official website, McHenry posted a videothat clearly violates operational security (OPSEC) considerations, putting into public information about where insurgent weapons struck inside the Green Zone. This is the type of information reporters are not supposed to publish as it could be used by the enemy to learn about their weapons' effectiveness (or lack of) and how to improve future effectiveness. While a stretch to connect the dots, it does bear mentioning that
Unfortunately, only two days after the bellicose, yet clueless, Congressman McHenry posted the video, more rockets rained down on the Green Zone--this time killing two U.S. soldiers and wounding 17 in the most damaging attack on U.S. forces in the Green Zone since last year.
In the past, McHenry has called for investigations of leaksabout national security issues. "We have an obligation to ensure the offenders are held accountable." As someone else noted, "The irony is rich." In this case, Patrick, we clearly know who the offender is. Will you join your House colleagues in censoring him?
With the Green Zone seemingly ever more at risk, will the House act to censor McHenry for his thoughtless endangerment of the Green Zone's security?
NOTE: McHenry has removed the video from his website and youtube without explanation or apology.