[Video] Patrick Kennedy Flips Out on House Floor; Shouts "shameful" US Policy Needlessly Putting Soldiers in Harm's Way

Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island congressman, flipped out on the House floor yesterday, furiously shouting that "shameful" US policy was needlessly putting soldiers in harm's way in Afghanistan. The congressman's explosion during a 3-minute allotment of time came during debate on a Democrat, anti-war resolution written by diminutive Dennis Kucinich, which called for all US soldiers to be out of Afghanistan within 30 days. Curiously, however, Kennedy, for all his unhinged screaming against US policy, still voted against Kucinich's resolution. Kennedy, who has oftentimes been the subject of ultra-humiliating public incidents involving sobriety problems and addiction issues, also found time to assail the US media, cursing them for apparently not focusing enough on Afghanistan and all the treasure spent there in terms of blood and money.

Translation: He was upset that the US media wasn't being anti-war enough to his liking in their Afghan coverage, failing to relentlessly highlight soldier deaths and explosions as they did when Bush was still president. Of course, as anyone who's familiar with the double-standards of the mainstream media knows, the media at this time is willfully abstaining from reporting on difficulties in Afghanistan to the extent they did under Bush because of their ideological backing of Obama. So Kennedy's just out of luck there with his screaming, childish outburst at the media...sorry, Patrick!! Try again some time in the future!

There ought to be real suspicions raised about Kennedy's sincerity in throwing that temper tantrum due to inconstancies in his...ahem...performance. For instance, in the accompanying video clip, note how, suspiciously, Kennedy is able to compose himself at the 3:27-3:30 minute mark, long enough to lower his voice, coherently communicate about time concerns, and then understand the instruction given to him. That was instantly comical in my mind because if you're really fired up and unhinged as Kennedy was presenting himself up until that brief respite, you can't just commandingly "shut it off" for a few seconds and then turn it on again after that interruption. If you're really fired up, you wouldn't be able to adjust so quickly; you'd still have a lingering effect of passion and fire from your outburst that just wouldn't let you pivot in such a way.

Two other troublesome pieces of information lend themselves well to the suspicion that this was just grandstanding by Kennedy, a way for him to grab a pathetically insignificant moment of attention on the local nightly news for a few seconds. One, he's retiring (quitting, really) from Congress and not seeking reelection. So what better way for a completely failed son from an overly hyped political family to remain just-barely "relevant" before finally disappearing (hopefully for good)? Concoct a presentation like you're completely outraged-outraged, I say, darn it!!!!!!-about some aspect of US foreign policy, a safe choice for discerning liberals of all stripes. If anything, it will at least be a bit of red meat for the liberal base of cut-and-run withdrawal enthusiasts that make their home permanently in the Democrat Party these days.

Or, perhaps, Kennedy's flip-out session could be seen as nothing but pure show from how he actually ended up voting for that resolution, which, you'll recall, was written by that "lovable," diminutive congressman from Ohio, Dennis Kucinich. Kennedy's outburst clearly indicated that he was anti-war, that he wanted US soldiers out of Afghanistan as quickly as possible because the policy, according to him, wasn't being pursued effectively. Thus, you'd expect him to vote for the Kucinich resolution calling for an immediate, 30-day window for a US withdrawal from Afghanistan, no? Well, sure you would! However, confusingly, Kennedy actually voted against said resolution with a big, fat "Nay!" Gee...could it be...that-and excuse me for my slowness, here-maybe, Kennedy was being a hypocrite about the whole thing? I think so-otherwise, why the heck no "Yea" vote to be consistent with his outburst of a speech?!

Finally, could the reason for Kennedy flipping out be that he finally decided to fall off the proverbial wagon again? That is, the sobriety wagon, of course. Or, could it be that Kennedy was high or using again? I don't know; I'm merely asking intelligent questions based on his troublesome, personal history of seemingly doing everything possible to be addicted to as many possible substances as he could think of. I'm referring to his admission that he did cocaine as a teen; abused drugs and alcohol while "studying" (read: probably partying) at Providence College; was treated for an OxyContin addiction in 2006; and sought treatment again in 2009 for some other type of addiction. So with all those episodes and the fact that recovery can be a lifelong process, according to him anyway, I think it merits the question, Was he on something? You know, I'm saying that I'm just asking here...just saying.

To send Marc comments, praise or criticism, you can e-mail him at marc_schenker@telus.net

More Reading: Glenn Beck Apologizes to His Audience, Kathy Griffin Jokes About Sarah Palin Performing Oral Sex, Top Ten Obama Failures for 2009

Sources:

Andrew F. Tully, Afghanistan: Bush, De Hoop Scheffer Express Regret Over Civilian Deaths, Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

Obama in bed with the press?, Reuters

Ryan Grim, Patrick Kennedy: Press Corps Is Despicable For Not Covering Afghanistan War Resolution, Huffington Post

Chris Cillizza, Patrick Kennedy won't run for reelection, Washington Post

Final Vote Results for Roll Call 98, House.gov

Patrick J. Kennedy, Wikipedia