Well, after parading it around again and again during the campaign with no meaningful results, republicans are again talking about the HUSSEIN. Not the one in Iraq, but the one right between the Barack and the Obama. Apparently the strategy to try and slander Obama's character with his own middle name was a good idea to them at the time, but now Rep. Steve King (R-IA) believes we should CENSOR his middle name during the inaguration. More details after the jump.
Steve King (scary, I know) is at it again. According to him, it is apparently inappropriate for Obama to use his full name during the swearing in ceremony. This isn't the first time this moron has proclaimed that Obama's name would encourage terrorists. Lets go all the way back to March of 2008 which to me seems like decades ago. King said that terrorists would "dance in the streets" if Obama were elected.
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, speaking to a local Iowa radio station, said that terrorists would dance in the streets if Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, is elected president -- precisely because of not only Obama's position on withdrawing US troops from Iraq, but because Obama's middle name is "Hussein," his father's Muslim roots, and his appearance -- or "optics," as King put it...
..."And I will tell you that, if he is elected president, then the, the radical Islamists, the, the al-Qaida, and the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11...."
Yeah...he said that. He apparently later changed his tune because Obama "modified" his Iraq stance to include a more "responsible" troop withdrawl. Anyway, back to what he recently said. According to the Omaha World Herald...
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said Tuesday's presidential inauguration will be an extraordinary moment in history, but he takes issue with one part of the ceremony.
The incoming president will use his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, when he is sworn in...
...During the campaign, Obama supporters criticized those who used the candidate's middle name as a way of implying that he was a Muslim.
Obama, a Christian, criticized King's comments as out of bounds. He was given his middle name in honor of his paternal grandfather in Kenya.
King, who represents western Iowa's 5th District, said he doesn't understand how Obama can now use his middle name for the swearing-in ceremony.
He took issue with the president-elect's suggestion that using all three names is in keeping with tradition. King said while several past presidents have used middle names at their inaugurations, most presidents have used simply a middle initial or no middle name at all.
GIVE ME A BREAK. This guy is so full of it I think we need to add him to our targeted list of fundies. He believes using the name Hussein would encourage terrorists, but to me, not using seems like a cowardly act. Not only does it imply that we are at war with Muslims and not terrorists who happen to be Muslims, but it shows a real immaturity that has infested itself in the republican brand. Along the lines of "freedom fries" and "mission accomplished", it seems nomenclature is more important to these people than actual substance and getting something done. His wiki page has an entire section dedicated to "controversies" which shows how much of a wingnut this guy is.
Here a couple more award winning moments from Rep. King.
-Likened the Abu Graib prison abuses to simple hazing
-Proclaimed Washington DC to be a more dangerous place than Iraq
-Called Joe McCarthy a "Hero for America"
-Says unions are "economic weapons of mass destruction"
-Compared illegal immigrants to "stray cats that wind up on people's porches"
-Said he believes he could abolish the 9th District Circuit Court if he wanted to or prevent the Justice Department from enforcing court orders.
-Defends cockfighting (seriously!)
These are just a taste of the filth spewing from his mouth. These are all listed and sourced on the anti-King website http://www.kingwatch.org along with many examples of his twisted voting record.
King has been an Iowa target but some how continues to get elected winning 60% of the vote in the last couple elections. Western Iowa is the more republican area of the state, republicans have about a 10,000 registrations advantage over democrats, but if the right Democrat came along he would face a tough fight. There were rumors that he would seek the governors seat in 2008, but decided to stay in the House. There is still a possibility he may run for governor in 2010, leaving the 5th district open, but he would loose the eastern more populated part of the state, so I think he will stay where he is at. Situated right between Des Moines and Omaha, there would be no shortage of volunteers to canvass this whole district for a good candidate. Lets get this guy out of office and make Iowa's 5th a priority for 2010.