Crossing The Rubicon (Then Dumping Gas On It And Lighting It)

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Debbie Wasserman Schultz by a long shot. She's a good Congresswoman and fundraiser, but her votes are borderline Blue Dog (especially on abortion) and she keeps supporting anti-choice Dems like Heath Shuler.  I have policy disagreements with her as DNC chair.

But House Republican Allen West shows why I'll defend her against a GOP slimeball like himself any day of the goddamn week.

Maybe it's the stress of the debt ceiling debate or maybe it's his well-documented short fuse, but Rep. Allen West (R-FL) appeared to cross any number of lines in an email sent to DNC chair and fellow Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz Tuesday.

The message, which was obtained by Politico's Ben Smith and confirmed to TPM by a Wasserman Schultz aide, was sent to Wasserman Schultz, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and West's Chief of Staff.

West's tirade against Wasserman Schultz came after she chastised him on the House floor for supporting the Cut, Cap and Balance debt ceiling deal favored by the House GOP. Wasserman Schultz called out West -- not by name -- for supporting a plan she said would "increase costs for Medicare beneficiaries," which she said was "unbelievable from a Member from South Florida."

West took that personally enough to respond with this nonsense:

Look, Debbie, I understand that after I departed the House floor you directed your floor speech comments directly towards me. Let me make myself perfectly clear, you want a personal fight, I am happy to oblige. You are the most vile, unprofessional ,and despicable member of the US House of Representatives. If you have something to say to me, stop being a coward and say it to my face, otherwise, shut the heck up. Focus on your own congressional district!

I am bringing your actions today to our Majority Leader and Majority Whip and from this time forward, understand that I shall defend myself forthright against your heinous characterless behavior......which dates back to the disgusting protest you ordered at my campaign hqs, October 2010 in Deerfield Beach.

You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!

To her credit, her office's response was classic:

"I don't think that Congressman West is upset at the Congresswoman, but rather with the fact that she highlighted that he and other Republicans are once again trying to balance the budget on the backs of seniors, children and the middle class. As someone who lives in Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz's Congressional district, Congressman West knows that we have hundreds of thousands of seniors in South Florida who have paid into Medicare throughout their lives and now rely on this program to keep them healthy and active. The truth hurts."

On second thought, the DNC chair doesn't need anyone defending her.  She's more than capable of cutting a blustering fool like West to pieces with the precision of a neurosurgeon.  I may not agree with her voting record or some of her choices, but I greatly respect her (unlike West).  Then again, he thinks Obama supporters are a "threat to the gene pool" anyway, so it's not like his opinion should matter.  Sadly, as a member of Congress, his vote does.

Perhaps the people of South Florida should remedy that situation.