'Mean Jean' Goes to Washington, and Invites a Firestorm

New York Times ^ | November 20, 2005 | JASON DePARLE

[OkeyDokeyOkie]

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 - She grew up in the rough-and-tumble of a family auto racing business, went through concealed-weapons training, and bears a local nickname seldom applied to shrinking violets: "Mean Jean."

So when Representative Jean Schmidt, an Ohio Republican, created a furor on her 75th day in Congress by lobbing the word "coward" toward a Democratic war hero, those who know her best were anything but surprised.

Just this week, a profile in The Hill newspaper, which covers Congress, labeled her "gloriously uncensored." Back home in her suburban Cincinnati district, the Whistleblower, an online newsletter that tracks local politics, rushed out a special I-told-you-so issue calling the speech "vintage Jean Schmidt."

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

If the silly little rule is that one is not supposed to address another member during a debate, she didn't do that. She was quoting a message she received from a Marine colonel in Iraq: "Tell Congressman Murtha that..." I don't regard that as addressing Murtha.

[rvoitier]

I understand the near altercation was between Ford and Tancredo, not Schmidt.

As it went, Ford assumed Tancredo was discussing the Murtha situation with a dem when he overheard the conversation and stuck his nose where he had no proper business. The conversation was on another topic.

[coffee260]

BAD-...she had received a call from a Marine colonel, who "asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do."

GOOD--...she had received a call from a Marine colonel, who "asked me to send Congress a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do."

The first one is just as true as the second. The second one is in accordance with House rules the first one is not. So tell me, are you more offended at the word "cowards" or the omitted "man Murtha?"

[NYCVirago]

The 100-proof speech on the House floor may shore up Ms. Schmidt's standing inside her party's right flank. "I was listening to talk radio today, and people were calling in and praising her," said Chris Finney, a Cincinnati Republican allied with Ms. Schmidt's local rivals. "They like that jingoistic thinking."

Finney is not much of a "Republican." Think about it -- do you know any Republican who ever uses the word "jingoistic"? It's a code word for a liberal who's mad over somebody being patriotic.

[coffee260]

Since when do heros get veto power over critic?

[JCEccles]

Murtha's proposal was irresponsible, disgusting

Irresponsible? It was criminal! Murtha cruelly undermined the morale of our own troops and lifted the spirits of the terrorist who kill our troops!

And you're outraged over a letter Schmidt cited from a Marine officer in Iraq calling Murtha on his heinous perfidy?

Whose side are you on?

[beyond the sea]

Great post.

She should have left her words on the record.

[beyond the sea]

What exactly did they do on SNL concerning her?

[Dustbunny]

We have to help he overcome.

[Dustbunny]

he s/b her.... it is late and I should be sleeping

[beyond the sea]

You have been hanging around to long with cut and run hanoi kerry

He has been getting his marching orders from the party.

I saw a picture of Murtha the other day. The only thing missing was Edgar Bergen at his side.

[doug from upland]

We are forever in Murtah's debt for his service to our country. He has certainly earned the right to express his opinion. That doesn't mean, however, that for the rest of his life he can do no wrong and he gets a free pass.

[sageb1]

"Rep. Schmidt did not call Rep. Murtha a coward, she simply quoted a Marine constituent who asked her to remind Rep. Murtha that cowards cut and run, Marines never do"

You're right. She didn't. I understood exactly what she meant the minute she said and it was not an attack on Murtha. The Dems were just deliberately looking for any excuse to jump anyone they could. That was the whole purpose of giving Murtha all the talk time. They wanted him up there because they were specifically looking for anything they could claim was a personal attack on Murtha.

[sageb1]

Whose talking points are you quoting? Obviously, you did not listen to or understand what she said.

[armydawg1]

Murtha may not be a coward, but he wiped out 35 yrs of good work with one week of lunacy.

[conservative_2001]

"And you're outraged over a letter Schmidt cited from a Marine officer in Iraq calling Murtha on his heinous perfidy?"

With this kind of misinformation I'm not surprised you're defending her. The letter she read was from State Rep. Danny Bubp, a former Marine who is currently "serving" in Columbus, Ohio in the State House. He is not serving in Iraq. Get your facts straight.

[conservative_2001]

a) Murtha called Cheney a Chickenhawk and said our troops were the enemy.

This is the kind of hypocrisy we have to avoid. We can't condemn Michael Moore and other liberals who resort to cheap personal attacks, then defend a Republican when they do exactly the same thing.

b) Schmidt read a response of a service member that stated cowards cut and run, Marines never do. That MARINE called Murtha a coward and damn well earned the right to do so. DEMOCRATS BOOED A MARINE'S WORDS!

She quoted the words of a politician serving in Columbus, Ohio. Most people in SW Ohio are well aware of this, and know the difference between quoting a Marine serving in Iraq and quoting a friend of your's serving in the State Legislature.

c) Do not repeat Liberal propaganda on this board and expect us all to be "chastised" because we are applauding this woman giving this troop and thousands of others a voice against a man calling them the enemy.

There's where we differ. I thought it was liberal propaganda to follow the lead of MoveOn.hitler, DailyKos, DU, and Michael Moore that says all personal attacks are ok as long as you disagree with their politics. We should be above that, even if Jean Schmidt isn't.

d) The only ones exposed as petty, vindictive, without a foundation were Democrats after exposing they didn't have the guts to back up their vicious rhetoric. Pure political hackery all along and the Reps shamed them rightly.

No, but that's exactly what would have happened had Jean Schmidt articulated her thoughts in an adult manner. Instead Murtha looks like the victim and Schmidt looks like the Republican Michael Moore.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Free online version of
Kerry's "The New Soldier"
You can read it online right now.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

There is no need to impeach Hanoi Kerry from the US Senate

He is there illegally!

WAKEUP AMERICA!

For those who "forgot" what Hanoi Kerry
did in the past read on and learn the truth.

Hanoi Kerry was still a USNR officer while he:
gave false hearsay testimony to Congress
negotiated with the enemy
helped the US lose a war
abetted in the deaths of millions
created a hostile environment for all servicemen

Why is Kerry still in the US Senate?
This is in violation of
U.S. Constitution Amendment 14 Sec 3 (1868)

Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress,
or elector of President and Vice President,
or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States,
or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath,
as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States,
or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer
of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States,
shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same,

or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxiv.html

---

The FBI has proof of his giving aid and comfort to the enemies

Hanoi Kerry Timeline of a traitor
includes FBI files

May 1970
Kerry and Julia traveled to Paris, France and met with Madame Nguyen Thi Binh, the Foreign Minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Vietnam (PRG), the political wing of the Vietcong, and other Viet Cong and Communist Vietnamese representatives to the Paris peace talks, a trip he now calls a "fact-finding" mission.

(U.S. code 18 U.S.C. 953, declares it illegal for a U.S. citizen to go abroad and negotiate with a foreign power.)

http://www.archive-news.net/Kerry/JK_timeline.html

---

a) A person charged with absence without leave or missing movement in time of war,

or with any offense punishable by death,

may be tried at any time without limitation.

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj.htm#*%20843.%20ART.%2043.%20STATUTE%20OF%20LIMITATIONS

---

904. ART. 104. AIDING THE ENEMY

Any person who--

(1) aids, or attempts to aid, the enemy with arms, ammunition, supplies, money, or other things; or

(2) without proper authority, knowingly harbors or [protects or gives intelligence to or communicates or corresponds with or holds any intercourse with the enemy, either directly or indirectly;
shall suffer death
or such other punishment as a court-martial or military commission may direct.

http://www.military-network.com/main_ucmj/SUBCHAPTERX.html#904.104

[ElderEdda]

Sorry, but you need to get your facts straight...he's a reservist. Parsing words here and choosing to believe the worse sounds very much like the liberals we face in the media every darn second of the day.

Quite frankly, if the woman wants to call the former marine a coward, so be it. Because he once was brave, does not make him so now.

This is all a campaign orchestrated by the victocrats--the John Kerry "this is about me Swift Boat" analogy says it right there. There were no personal attacks and if there were, so what? Repubs apologize too much.

I get that you're trying to take the high road, but this is life and death and it's not the time to pussyfoot around and worry about hurt feelings when people are DYING. It just shows what babies the dems are--they can dish it out, but they can't take it. And if they whine enough the Repubs will apologize and appease. That's the real shame. Sticks and stones...you know...