Was Boehner drunk or just a bad actor?

By now, you've probably seen the video of House Minority Leader John Boehner (R–OH) sobbing on the floor of the House of Representatives, talking about the supplemental funding bill to continue the Iraq quagmire. It's not the first time he has cried on the floor of Congress, not by a long stretch. In fact, he's become known for it. However, watching his latest performance, I am left with only two possible conclusions: he's faking it, and faking it quite badly, or else he's drunk off his ass.

Here's the text of Boehner's remarks:

I know that there’s this — I know there are differences in this chamber. Members on both sides of the aisle who feel differently about our mission in Iraq and our chances of success there. I know when I came here and every two years since I’ve been here on the opening day we all stand here, we raise our right hands and swear to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States. There are a lot of my colleagues have heard me make this statement that I didn’t come here to be a congressman. [starting to choke up a little] I came here to do something. And I think at the top of our list [choking up much more] is providing [slurring like a drunken sailor] for the safety and security of the American people. That’s at the top of our list. After 3,000 of our fellow citizens died at the hands of these terrorists, [plaintively] when are we going to stand up and take them on? When are we going to defeat them? [recovering his composure] Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, if we don’t do it now, and we don’t have the courage to defeat this enemy, we will long, long regret it. So thank you for the commitment to get the job done today. — Rep. John A. Boehner, R–OH 8th, on the House floor, 2007-05-24

There's not much more to say about the crybaby act than to say that I don't believe for a nanosecond that it's sincere — even by the lax standards of political rhetoric. As to the substance of his remarks, though, the real question is, When are we going to get out of Iraq so that we can take on the people who actually attacked the United States? That would be people like Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, and the Taliban who gave them safe haven. When are we going to take on bin Laden and defeat him?

Technorati tags: John Boehner, crybaby, Iraq War, War on Terror

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