Congressman Denny Rehberg, who is running for the US Senate against Jon Tester, made a very troubling comment yesterday while addressing a joint session of the Montana State Legislature.
While speaking about the ruling of Judge Donald Molloy on the Endangered Species Act (Molloy had ruled that it was illegal for the US Government to use the Wyoming border to determine which wolves are endangered and which are not), he said:
Currently, the only thing growing faster than the gray wolf population is the number of obstructionist environmental groups and their lawyers. Environmental obstructionists found a federal judge in Missoula that was willing to ignore the scientific evidence, as well as the expert opinions of on-the-ground wildlife managers here in Montana. And he ruled last August that the gray wolf had to remain on the Endangered Species Act…How can we put some of these judicial activists on the Endangered Species Act? I’m still working on that.
It is out of the question that, especially in the light of the Tucson assassination of Judge Roll, these are completely inappropriate and dangerous comments.
Congressman Rehberg should definitely apologize for his remarks. You can call on him to do so at the toll-free number 1-888-232-2626.
Another thing that he deserves to be called out for is his hypocrisy on judicial activism. When Judge Vinson of Florida ruled the Health Care Reform Law unconstitutional, did Rehberg think of Vinson as an activist judge who should be put on the Endangered Species list? You bet not. This is Rehberg's statement on the Health Care ruling:
This is a great victory for individual liberty and states’ rights. I hope Montana will join the fight so we don’t have to rely on our neighbors in Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington and Utah to carry our load.
Yeah... absolutely consistent here. I could go on at length over the many other ridiculous and offensive comments Rehberg has made over the years, but I think this gem deserves to stand on its own.
I'm much looking forward to the Senate campaign and to Congressman Rehberg providing us with a lot more gaffes and, to put it in a Palinesque way, 'WTF moments'.