Yet Another Moran Rationalization

State delegate Mark Sickles responded to my non-specific complaints about Moran with "I know Jim and I don't think he's anti-Semitic."

Moran's campaign manager Dan Lucas responded to complaints about Moran's remarks about Israel during Moran's May 20, 2003 further criticisms of Jews by allowing that Moran is "passionate" about what he believes.

In addition to the "I know Jim" and Jim-is-passionate rationalizations, now Moran himself has weighed in with why a candidate who embarasses himself with outrageous statements is better than one who does not. In a statement in the 11/20/03 Hartford Courant, Moran criticized most candidates in the Democratic presidential primary as follows:

"They tend to be candidates," said Rep. James Moran, D-Va., "whose staff can tell you what they say before they say it."

Moran positions himself as the lovable rascal, the hard-punching, outrageously-off-the-cuff speaking fighter for the people. Half of the 8th district believes it, but there is another half, those of us who understand that a person who borrows money from lobbyists, grabs 8-year-olds and blames a minority group for the Iraq War does not belong in Congress.

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