Charlie Rangel, 'Post,' Tell It Like It Is
We'll admit it, we've always looked favorably on Charlie Rangel, the Harlem congressman who's got one of the best "New York politics" voices going. He's blunt, he's down-to-earth, and he's not afraid to tell it like it is. Take, for instance, his views on Vice President Cheney:
"He's such a real son of a bitch, he just enjoys a confrontation," Rangel fumed, describing himself as "warm and personable." Rangel said Cheney may need to go to "rehab" for "whatever personality deficit he may have suffered." "When you have those sorts of problems, you're supposed to seek help," Rangel advised. "He acknowledged that he has problems with communication." Asked whether he was resurrecting over-the-top charges he made last year that he believes Cheney is mentally ill, Rangel cracked, "I don't think he's shot anyone in the face lately, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt."
Great, great stuff. Even better is the way the Post, from whence the quotes come, frames the debate:
The bitter war of words escalated to the point where the bombastic Rangel even questioned whether the tightly wound Cheney needed professional treatment - and mocked him for accidentally shooting his hunting buddy ealier this year.
Cheney fired the first shot when he predicted that Rangel - who is poised to chair the powerful House Ways and Means Committee if the Democrats seize the House next week - wouldn't continue "a single one" of President Bush's tax cuts.
Cheney always fires the first shot.
