Speaker Pelosi rebukes fellow Bay area liberal over war commentsBy ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer
Friday, October 19, 2007
(10-19) 15:38 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rebuked a fellow San Francisco Bay-area liberal Friday for what she said were "inappropriate" comments about Iraq during a congressional debate.
During a debate on children's health care Thursday,
Rep. Pete Stark accused Republicans of sending troops to Iraq to "get their heads blown off for the president's amusement."Condemnations rolled in from Republican politicians, right-leaning bloggers had a field day, and a White House spokesman declined to "dignify those remarks" with a response.
Pelosi issued a statement late Friday rapping Stark, who is in his 18th term representing the liberal East Bay. He's California's longest-serving House member.
"While members of Congress are passionate about their views, what U.S. Rep. Stark said during the debate was inappropriate and distracted from the seriousness of the subject at hand ? providing health care for America's children," Pelosi said.
Stark's comment came as the House failed Thursday to override President Bush's veto of legislation to expand the popular State Children's Health Insurance Program.
"You don't have money to fund the war or children," Stark accused Republicans. "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."
After numerous Republicans called on him to apologize, Stark said it was they who should be apologizing, for failing to provide the votes to override Bush's veto.
Asked for a White House response Friday, spokesman Tony Fratto said: "I see absolutely no reason to dignify those remarks with a comment."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/10/19/state/n150300D31.DTL&type=politics