Conservative California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who is thought by some to be a closeted gay man, recently regaled listeners of California's KPCC radio station with a story about the time he got drunk and arm wrestled Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sample quote: "His muscles are just unbelievable."

It was the 1990s and Putin, who at that time was billing himself as the "deputy mayor of St. Petersburg," according to Rohrabacher, was in Washington D.C. on business. In a moment of diplomatic whimsy, Rohrabacher invited the visiting Russian politician and some of his colleagues to play a game of touch football, after which everyone decamped to a nearby pub. That's when things got really fun, as the Washington Post explains:

"So we went out and played touch football. And Scooter Libby was one of the players, and a bunch of my right-wing friends were there. And so we all went over to this pub afterwards, the Irish Times pub."

"We were having a little bit too much to drink, I guess. But anyways, we started arguing about who won the Cold War, etc. And so we decided to settle it like men do when they’ve had too much to drink in the pub. And so we got down to these arm wrestling matches. And I ended up being paired up with Putin. And he’s a little guy, but boy I tell you, he put me down in a millisecond. He is tough. … His muscles are just unbelievable."

Put him down in a millisecond. Pathetic. Is this the kind of weak-armed leadership we want in Washington? I bet this congressman doesn't even lift. Also, "Dana"? Isn't that a lady's name?

The last America heard from Rohrabacher, he was saying he'd like to make sure "white trash" wasn't taking advantage of federal welfare programs. You know white trash; they're the white people too unsophisticated to get drunk and arm rassle in stupid Irish bars.

[Image via AP]