Obey gave false information to fellow Democrats, yelled at anti-war protesters and slammed The WP

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070407/D8OBKI481.html

Rep. Obey Credited for House War Bill
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Apr 7, 3:31 AM (ET)

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER

WASHINGTON (AP) - In putting together the House's war spending bill, Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey gave false information to fellow Democrats, yelled at anti-war protesters and slammed The Washington Post.

"I didn't come here to win any charm-school award," the cantankerous Wisconsin Democrat said in an interview.

His social skills aside, analysts and lawmakers credit Obey for pushing the $124 billion spending bill through the House last month on a 218-212 vote. House and Senate negotiators will craft a final bill, which faces a near-certain White House veto.

"David Obey is a very, very bright guy with a very, very short fuse," said Rutgers University political science professor Ross Baker. "Given the factionalism within the Democratic caucus in the House, I think he handled it very skillfully. He has a reputation for not suffering fools lightly, and he had to suffer a number of fools."

-- snip by Lithos --

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Lithos
DU Moderator

[TwilightGardener]

1. I don't care how many eggs he had to break to make

the omelet. Everybody has a different operating style, and politics is a tough business--good on him!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. hey, 1 out of 3 ain't all bad. nt

[MADem]

3. He has a reputation for not suffering fools lightly, and he had to suffer a number of fools."

He sure did. But he did the impossible, and because of that, the momentum is now building.

It's a long road, but he got the slogging started.

[LiberalFighter]

5. I hope he bitch slaps my fool of a representative Mark Souder here in Indiana

My fool representative probably is too scared to go face to face with Mr Obey.

[LiberalFighter]

4. The false information...

In crafting the bill, Obey was so angered about leaks to the media that he deliberately gave some Democratic members false information to find out who the culprits were. He said he doesn't regret doing so.

If I was him, I would do the same thing. I would trust every Democrat as much as they deserve to be trusted. At least he knows who will stab him in the back and not worrying who might be.

[NYCGirl]

6. Bravo to David Obey! I wish we had more "short fuses" like him! NT

[ClassWarrior]

7. Go Dave!!

NGU.

[Fovea]

8. When was the last time you heard someone like Gingrich

call his base idiots?

Pure genius.

[Cameron27]

9. This is what politics is about,

and protesting's not going to change it.

"I told the Democratic caucus what I'm bringing to the floor isn't my choice, it isn't my first preference," Obey said over lunch at the National Democratic Club on Capitol Hill. "If I had my way, we'd be out yesterday."

...I learned that while you can have your own preferences, and your own agenda, that you spend 90 percent of your time simply trying to find the balance point in the House. So you're constantly balancing other peoples' preferences and agendas."

Here's hoping for more cantankerous, suffer no fools, get things done Democrats like Obey.

[Ninja Jordan]

10. I love his glasses

they're very 1987

[mike_c]

11. history will remember Obey as the guy who enabled the worst foreign policy...

...in a hundred years to continue long after its shelf date. The war against Iraq was walking dead without supplemental funding. Obey and Pelosi could have stuck a fork in it right then and there. Instead, they funded it through the end of Bush's administration. How many people will die because they lacked the will to do what needed to be done?

[saracat]

12. I think not .History will remember Obey as the man that helped end the Vietnam

war and worked to end the Iraq war.One David Obey is worth all the protestors put together! David Obey has taken contructive action against wars since before many of the Johnny come lately big mouths were even thinking about any kind of war!

[mike_c]

13. how many will die while Bush spends the money Obey gave him...?

Ironically, Bush's own stubbornness might be the one thing that pulls the plug-- IF congress has the courage to suspend the funding when Bush sends the supplemental back. But if Bush accepts the supplemental he will be fully funded to go on killing innocent people until the end of his term. Yeah, that's progress.

[saracat]

14. "Ironically, Bush's own stubbornness might be the one thing that pulls the plug"

Whose plan do you think that is? And yeah, that would be progress. Even if Bush accepts the plan, which he won't, at least there is a deadline! I have a lot of respect for Obey.If anyone can end this it is Obey.He doesn't deserve the "trashing" he has been subjected to.