Two words come to mind:

"batshit" and "insane."

How do these psychos get elected? I mean really, this is the kind of thing that elementary schoolchildren get suspended for.

The real frightening thought is:

He has a constituency.

We know his state of mind. What State is he from?

Thank GOD for the Republicans! Without them, we'd all be speaking Swahili and bowing down to pray to Macaca five times a day. Or whatever. The American public gave these lunatics the boot because they wouldn't listen, and they STILL AREN'T LISTENING. What gives them the impression that they still have the right to debate this at this point? We, the people who pay their wages, already told them how to vote. They work for US. What part of "representative government" don't these cluelessly arrogant buffoons not understand?

My favorite line in the speech is when Representative Gump warns us that if this resolution passes "the terrorists would suuuuuurrrely enter in to this country", presumably to make us all slaves of this fellow Moohamid. While I'm relieved to learn that there currently are no terrorists in this country (phew!) I wasn't aware that the resolution actually addressed the issue of immigration. Maybe I missed a line or two. All I can say is, it's too bad we didn't invade Iraq sooner. Maybe the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City would still be standing today.

Let's fight them over there. I sure as hell don't want to have to fight them in the restroom at Taco Bell.

"I wasn't aware that the resolution actually addressed the issue of immigration. "

Heh, Ellison swearing on the Koran didn't have anything to do with immigration, either. This guy is just nuts - and extremely hateful.

This clown's district includes Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia. I'll bet those UVA people are real proud to be represented by an idiot like this.

That, and a rock

Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they can not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated.

What I'd really like to know is what idiots voted this moron into office...

WTF were they thinking???

Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they can not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated.

The GOP is in full-on bunker mode. They dare not say anything of substance re this issue. The best they can hope for is to say nothing but "support the troops," watch the escalation fail, and then throw their hands up and blame the Iraqis for this failure. By my clock they have until September at the latest. Problem is, by that time, all of the credible presidential candidates will have participate in at least one debate, which will only put more pressure on GOP reps.

What a shame.

OK, I'm from Charlottesville (thus my screen name) and frankly I am glad that this stupid hillbilly is finally nailing his coffin shut! The truth is that he has always been a dope but he has a reputation for responding to constituents' requests for help.

His opponent in the last 2 elections was Al Weed. A gentleman and a scholar and a real thinker. All you have to do is listen to Virgil for one minute to realize that he doesn't appeal to thinkers.

My hope is that his idiocy will finally be obvious to all those who just voted the status quo or listened to all those who said, "Virgil will read your letters and stand up for you."

Our daily paper has had about 50/50 letters to the editor about his remarks about muslims. Some say that he is saving our country from the godless, and the rest of us say he is ruining our country. I don't think he will survive another election, but I could be wrong.

Virginia may be entering the world of the educated and thoughtful, but I don't make any promises. There are way too many
uberchristianswhofeartheworldandvotewedgeissues here. I know. I am related to many of them!

Jan Knaus

I think they also revere Abraham

I honestly do not know which is more frightening / disheartening / disgusting:
(a) Goode is as stupid as he sounds or (b) he is not as stupid as he sounds. Forced to choose, I think it is the latter. At any rate, this is a very depressing display - all the way down to his "invocation" of Moo-hammad. One could almost feel him/herself transported back to the roaring 20's.

If in fact he is a lame duck, that would explain a lot of reasons he might have to spew administration talking points. I wonder how many others are sacrificing their terms for this cause.

I think you overestimate people. If he does get tossed out, it will be a sign that attitudes have changed. Even after the Keith Ellison flap, he won re-election with 59% of the vote. He's had some financing scandals hit him since then, and frankly those have a better chance of scuttling him than all thr bigoted comments he could make -- as long as the comments are aimed at the right ethnicities.

The Keith Ellison episode did not happen until after the 2006 elections. Before that and now this event, I had only known him as a usual strong conservative you'll see in Congress. But he seems to be getting rather outspoken, now that he's in the minority.

If the US currency said "In Jesus We Trust" then at least the analogy would be technically equivalent.

Please... don't give the fundies any ideas!

You know, these people picturing the the "surge" as the only way to forestall the Apocalypse remind me of George Carlin, when mocking the decision makers during the Vietnam War:
" Pull out? Doesn't sound manly to me Bill. I'd say lets leave it in there and lets get the job done"
And in Virgil Goode, we have found the one politician who's more of an embarrassment to this country than George W. Bush. I was getting worried.

I know it probably doesn't rate as important in the larger scheme of things but I propose a game of sorts.

What is the most despicable speech ever made in either house of congress? I think Virgil Goode's call to action to all true christianist amuricans must certainly be in the top five.

I suppose you would have to go back to the slavery debates between Calhoun and Clay or, perhaps, the debate over the Spanish American war? Maybe the debate over the Philipine action. I don't know - I just can't imagine being more ashamed of being an American than listening to this neanderthal today.

Who would you nominate and for what speech?

ps. Stupidity and mendacity - i.e., Jeff Sessions - doesn't count. It has to be a true offense against humanity.

Bush lied us into this bloody unnecessary war and lied that we were making progress while Bush supporters blathered about Freedom Fries and boycotting France whose leaders wisely warned us not to invade the heart of the Muslim world.

Twenty-one Democratic Senators and one Republican voted against the politically timed October 2002 'use of force' resolution, which was pure pre-election partisan jujitsu by Republicans to milk the 'war president' mojo to stupid American voters, while reaping billions for Republican connected war profiteers.

Going on a fifth year of bloody conflict and killing, it should be clear to even the most mentally challenged observor, there is no military solution to the huge mess Bush has made with his failed policies of aggression in the Middle East, that is the message sent by the Democrats.

It was never about 'protecting us'.

We, and the people of the Middle East, need protection from the failed Bush policies that you support.

Why Goode is a moron? A terse answer is that this is because he is a cretin. More elaborate answer is possible, of course.

You see, an outside force without friends in a country has not prayer for exercising decisive influence in that country, and this is what we try to do. Why Iraqi security forces do not defend their own country etc.? Because potential officers do not like us (understatement), so when we train and arm them, we do not trust them and they do not trust. We have some choice between folks who detest us and folks who hate our guts, but that's about it.

Now, why t_h_e_s_e p_e_o_p_l_e do not like us? Our Congressman contributes to the perception that we hate all Muslim, so they hate us back. Our wing nuts are convinced that al-Qaeda or al-Mahdi types read periodicals like Mother Jones and The Nation and thus they get hope of success. I say, they read about people like Boykin or Goode and fortify their hatred or contempt. Thus our Representative hurts the war effort he supports.

On February 17, 2007 - 11:10am TJKING said:

So Bronto, you also choose not to address the subject of what might occur in the aftermath of a pullout.

You ask about what will happen after we withdrawal.

I think a better question would be,  what happens if we don’t?

You like questions, answer these.

We’ll save American sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, from the grave, from maiming. Isn’t that reason enough.?

How long must American’s fight for European interests. For Israel’s interest? Foreign interests?

How long must America be held hostage to the addiction of oil?

How long before the recruitment numbers don’t meet the expectation of war making leaders?

How long before they’ll say we need forced conscription? The DRAFT, because we shouldn’t abandon the memory of those who have already sacrificed?

Will the American people support the draft? Will they be forced to like it against their will?

How long must the American people bear the weight, of treasure being squandered?

With problems mounting in the Continental United States, our homeland. Healthcare, baby boomer expectations only to be told, we have no more money to satisfy the social compact the Government made to We the People,how will we pay for these programs?

Why then, do the people have to support a government, that can’t keep it’s promise, or just uses it’s citizens as cannon fodder? Or as a mercinary army for commercial interests?

When do we the people, say enough of this madness? Will the people have to suffer the indignities of poverty because the Government spent, what rightfully belonged to the people of the United States. For another peoples causes?

Why are we fighting against the desires of people, who want to remove the yoke of Colonialism, just as we were determined to do?

Why don’t we build schools at home, build infrastructure at home, remove the burden of debt off our middle class? How about bringing pallets of money to my neighborhood?

As Bush always said when promoting tax cuts. "It's your money, it isn't the governments" 

Support the troops, bring them home alive an unharmed, no more delays. No more deaths. NO DRAFT, Prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prevent the draft.

Mother Jones? Oh yeah, right, our enemies on the other side of the world are not aware of or interested in the fact that the Left is insisting that we open up the region to their free reign of hegemony and sharia. They have no interest in your propositions and are so inert that they have never seen CNN or Cspan.

Al-Qaeda does not waste two seconds thinking about Goode's speech, but they analyze the efforts of the left endlessly, because they consider it the path to their success.

Regardless of who they detest, they do not have even the slightest esteem for the Left, since that seems to mean something to you.

If you can't see that then your head is too deep down there to pull out.

If Zarqawi or Saddam has contempt for the right, then let them stew in their hatred from down below.

"It was" is past tense. TJ

The Iraq of 2002 was a threat to no other country. Millions of people went to the streets all over the world to try to stop the dogs of war being set loose by Bush and his delusional supporters.

The poor 'peasants' of Turkey had enough brains and knowledge to know Saddam was contained and was no threat to them. The Turkish government listened and refused to let the US invade from Turkey. Turkey is next door to Iraq.

TJKing (above) thought Saddam was a threat to him. He lives on the other side of the world in the US, which has the biggest defense budget on earth. It seems illiterate peasants in a third world country have more brains and common sense then the likes of you, TJ.

Let me repeat slowly: the problem is not that al-Qaeda hates us, but that prospective members of Iraqi armed forces detest us, and so do the politicians that we work with.

If our fight is with Islam, it is hopeless. We cannot commit enough atrocities to win such a thing. If our fight is to defeat sworn enemies while winning allies among the rest, then Goode has potential to hurt us.

I keep hearing this from the left. Why does the left keep asking why would want to fight Islam? Why does the left keep asking if we are fighting on behalf of Christianity against Islam?

There is a huge difference between us fighting Islam and a maniacal group of radicals claiming to be fighting on behalf of Israel that have chosen to fight against the rest of mankind, but starting with us.

Trotsky said, "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you."

When the Hordes rush over the hill to attack your village, you don't ask how we can buddy up with them. You kill the murderers first until you have neutralized their ability to attack.

They are disgusted by our Constitution, our bill of rights, our tolerance, our freedom, our respect for the individual, they want us dead for that reason. Period. If you are willing to negotiate those things over to them, count me out.

On February 17, 2007 - 3:00pm TJKING said:

"How do you expect anyone to rely on your judgement if you can't even hint at what consequences your decisions will have in the future."

Saving American lives is the objective. We can sit here all day and think of all kinds of scenarios, possibilities,  that can occur.

again On February 17, 2007 - 3:00pm TJKING said:

 "as to what will we do in the future if these possibilities are given proper consideration."

Heck, we better build a meteorite protection system, because you never know? Possibility Although meteors hit the Earth everyday.

Heck, maybe we better equip the people with space suits and eye shields because a solar flair might erupt. Possiblity?

Your so worried, you better build a bomb shelter and crawl in it, because someone named McVey could be looking to do you harm.

Get real, deal with today, you don't know if you'll be around tomorrow.

Personally this President and the war leaders have cried Wolf so long. I don't belive them anymore. I actually fear more, what the lack of trust, has done to our way of life.

Are you going to sign up, for the all volunteer military?

Before these war preachers, force us, to drink the koolaid?

Like the farmer, who keeps his eyes to the sky, for fear of rain and then because he sees a cloud, he never plants seeds, because he's afraid it will rain. He's foolish. Likewise; we as a Nation can't afford to sit idly by, running our American kids, our American people, through the meat grinder of war, because of some cloud of worry. Sow seeds of peace. War is not peace.  

Bottom line: Iraqi's are not American's.  

I propose we ask all those who signed up to defend America, (National Guard) give them the option to opt out, return to defend the mainland. Do you think Americans should be forced to serve? Do we have the right to determine where we die, or what causes or conscience, is acceptable? Are we just pawns, for National interest Commercial interests? 

With so many peope who hate America, I'm surprised our war leaders haven't promoted fear of Venezuela, Cuba, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia (where the majority of 9/11 ATTACKERS came from). Britain, has terrorists, should we send troops. Spain?

What about the undocumented workers flooding across our southern border? Is it posssible? Terrorists?

You' better get a grip, or fear will overtake you, and rob you of a satisfying life.

YOU, You cannot positively tell me the outcome of what will happen if we withdraw. You can only make conjecture of the possibillities.

But I, can assure you, that if we pulled out tommorrow, we might save more American lives. Iraqis might lose lives, but our troops do not belong to IRAQ. When did Iraq become the 51st State? We are not going to solve all the Worlds problems, lets solve the ones we can.

Bush himself said Mission accomplished, he manipulated his stature as a war hero to get reelected, of course he's going to exploit fear, he's done so in the past. He wants you to fear the possibilites. It keeps his friends in power.      

If America has been heavy handed, in maintaining regimes that the people do not support, then you will not change the law "You reap what you sow" 

I really believe that if there were no oil in Iraq, what national interest would we have? Cive me the answer to that and I'm sure we'll understand whose interests were serving? Paying with forced, conscripted, American blood is to expensive.

What planet are you on? There is no draft and there is not going to be a draft. What do you mean conscripted? The people that are signing up to fight believe in what they are doing, they support the mission, they believe in the President. There are even a lesser represented contingent of Democrats involved in Combat as well. Whether you like it or not only Democrats are calling for forced conscripted service and the leading advocate in the last 40 years in the government for abolishing the Draft is Donald Rumsfeld. Refrain from the acid for a day and check in to rehab.

Your idiotic statements intended to imply that there is nothing to worry about after a pullout, includes examples like Timothy McVey[sic]? He did actually blow up a building and kill 100s of people, so are you arguing we should not waste our time concerning ourselves with the "extremely unlikely" possibility that people blow up buildings?

A meteorite did not kill thousands of Americans in New York (93), Pennsylvania, Virgina, Kenya, Khobar Towers, USS Cole, Beirut, Lockerbie, and New York again in 2001. Murderers did that dimwit! But you would have us, as you say:

"...Get real, deal with today, you don't know if you'll be around tomorrow..."

You have again failed to answer the Pol Pot question, what are you going to do in the future?

Your above answer speaks volumes. Don't think about tommorrow! ..or the past. Don't have sympathy for the thousands of Americans that died at their hands and definitely don't care for the future victims that our soldiers would like to protect. No, you should leave them in the field and deny them the offensive capability in a cynical strategy called "Slow Bleed".

You still won't answer the question and for that, you can not be trusted to make decisions of national importance, because you don't care, and this draft fantasy of yours proves you totally have no clue about the war.

Finally this completely assanine slur on the American people proves that you think that we deserved to have our people murdered on 911. That it was our fault? You are a sick and troubled person!

"...If America has been heavy handed, in maintaining regimes that the people do not support, then you will not change the law "You reap what you sow" ..."

Boy what a paranoiac. Your just like every other promoter of war. Blinded by your own blood lust, lets get even.

On February 17, 2007 - 7:33pm TJKING said:

“Don't have sympathy for the thousands of Americans that died at their hands and definitely don't care for the future victims”

That’s the same mentality that sent our young friends and family to their deaths.

According to Marc Leepson, ed, Webster's New World Dictionary of the Vietnam War. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999. U.S. killed in action, etc. - 58,159. South Vietnamese military - 224,000. Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand - not listed. DRV military - not listed. DRV civilians - 65,000. South Vietnamese civilians - 300,000.

58,119 deaths, before we realized the pointlessness of the Vietnam War, and the lies our government told us. How the world was going to end, if we lost Vietnam.

We have over 3,000 deaths now, how many are you and the easychair Generals, willing to expend to save the world from destruction?

Your assurances of No future draft. You're clueless. Then you have the audacity to even mention a discredited Rumsfeld, as though he’s so brilliant and we should listen to him. You listen to him.

Besides; it would have been political suicide to have brought up the draft, and Bush would not have won a second term. I personnally believe it’s going to occur, because people like you don’t want to forget the fallen, mislead ones. You believe it would be cowardly to turn around, when knowing that the path were on is leading to destruction, but your attitude is full speed ahead. We can't forget those who died for the lie"

Your reference to acid, is unknown to me, Do you speak from experience? If that is the reason for your lack of civility, I guess I have to spell it out for you. We don’t have the draft yet, but if people like you, finally deplete America’s military, which is near the point of breaking. From your own mouth, you speak of the fear of the possibility. What is the prospect of a Draft, if people like you destroy the volunteer army?

As for the reference to McVey. America doesn’t have to run around the world, looking under every rock, looking for trouble.

We attack Iraq instead of the Nations of Origin: Nineteen men boarded the four planes, Fifteen of the attackers were from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt, and one from Lebanon.

What the hell,I guess people like you become so disturbed, you want to kill someone, Revenge Revenge Attack Iraq.

We have homegrown terrorists. WHY!!

Solve that problem. Take the rafter from your own eye, before you try to remove the splinter from your neighbors.

As for the Republican talking points Khobar, USS Cole, Kenya, tell me why did they attack us. Oh, I forgot your mentors tell us, they hate US citizens, just for the hell of it.

Did the CIA or any other secret organization, try to undermine, overthrow  the Taliban in Afghanistan, prior to 9/11?

Didn’t President Bush and the Administration believe that when you declare war secretly, you better be prepared for the opposing side? Instead briefing memos were ignored stating Bin laden determined to strike, FBI ignoring Middle Easterners learning how to fly, then claiming Oh my God, this enemy can strike us. DUH Let’s get them, in Iraq?

Your implication, Remember the Alamo, Remember the Maine, Remember, Remember why we need to kill. We’re righteous and they're  heathens. 

You wrote "You have again failed to answer the Pol Pot question. What question? You mean the question; if the United States had not been involved against Vietnam, that Vietnam would have dealt with Pol Pot. What, did you not know, we fought against Pol Pots enemy Vietnam? How many lives could have been spared?

Now with our war in Iraq, Bush has made Iran's position stronger. We destabilized Irans enemy.

It is people like you, BJ, that ruin it for those who love peace. We'll  fight when necessary, foreign and DOMESTIC, but not the wars, manipulated, promoted by falsehoods, directed at the wrong perpetrators.

If you want to remember something, do you know where Bin laden is. Ask your taking point managers.

When do you think we’ll push the button and launch the Nukes, to save the world from terrorists?

"There is a huge difference between us fighting Islam and a maniacal group of radicals...."

so -- are we fighting Islam or a "maniacal group"

"...fighting on behalf of Israel"

Are you talking about Pipes, Lieberman etc.?

"that have chosen to fight against the rest of mankind, but starting with us."

Some chronology?

"When the Hordes rush over the hill to attack your village you do not ask how to buddy up with them..."

So why are were we inviting Allawi and Maliki to talk to Congress? Not to mention inviting heads of state of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Malesia etc. And it was not "the left" doing so. And why our not-so-leftist Leader says that "Ishlam is peashful religion".

"our respect for individual"

expressed by "kill them all" and "they are all the same"

"our tolerance"

are you becoming a leftist in the middle of the sentence?

"Gigged?" You were in a band? Which one?

Jan Knaus

Well, lame duck in the sense that he doesn't (or isn't going to) have to worry about being (re-) elected in the next cycle.

Appalachia? No, not at all. His district does include some parts of Virginia's Blue Ridge, but the bulk of it is in Southside Virginia, including Prince Edward County, notorious for shutting down its entire public school system between 1959 and 1964 in order to avoid having to integrate it.

Small preview map here; 13MB PDF map here. 

While you're at it, you might add, "and more of an embarrassment to the state than George Allen."  Allen at least apologized (eventually, and sort of) for his "macaca" remarks.