This Is So Funny

Talking Points Memo is keeping track of the GOP blowhards who are repeating the line about China drilling for oil just off Cuba, close to the country to the north there.

Dick Cheney was the biggie on this, who retracted the statement. But since then, others have jumped on the outrage bandwagon to repeat it.

Today's features Virgil Goode...


"We are foolish, we are dragging the economy of the United States down while China is just chugging along, drilling any place it can. They're drilling off the coast of Cuba, close to Florida -- closer than the 200 miles, the 50-200 miles, that's on the outer continental shelf."

Virgil B. Goode

Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) is back at his anti-Muslim ways, writing to his supporters to man the pitchforks and torches. He also had quite an episode, it seems, of standing down, dressing down, an uppity Muslim student, who no doubt slunk away in great shame and humiliation. The student asked him why he didn't have the Koran on his wall along with the Ten Commandments. Virgil spoke up forcefully, taking on the airs of a man willing to stand strong when his office wall was under threat: "As long as I have the honor of representing the citizens of the 5th District of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives, The Koran is not going to be on the wall of my office."

I don't know what Virgil's voice sounds like, but to me I'm sounding it out in my head almost like it's coming from a very strong character like Foghorn Leghorn. "Now see here, see here, sir, as long as I have, I say, as long as I have the honor of representing these here citizens of the great state, that's the great state of Virginia, the Koran, I say, the Koran will never be on the wall of my office!"

Virgil came to fame when he objected to how the first Muslim representative in Congress would be sworn in. Since then he's had the pride of place, his picture next to the entry "Duh" in the dictionary.