Charlie's not stupid. He can say these things forever and his constituents will re-elect him. He says these things for effect and is probably the "slickest-sleeziest" Congressman in D.C.. In this life, he's "untouchable."
I agree, he's certainly not stupid. I was trying earlier to get a discussion going concerning why he's so successful in his congressional district, i.e., what accounts for a constituency that feels he's representing their interests so well. What makes them view the world so differently than most of us do?