Congressman Pete Stark of California stood up at a meeting of the House Ways and Means Committee and addressed chairman Bill Thomas of California in the following way: "You little fruitcake, you little fruitcake, I said you are a fruitcake." At that point Thomas summoned Capitol Police, claiming he felt physically threatened. When police arrived, they scratched their heads and turned the matter over to the House Sergeant at Arms, who also scratched his head and did nothing. Democrats had been complaining about how Thomas was running the meeting to discuss a pension bill, especially when he wouldn't give them more time to study a text they had received just the night before. To head off a quick vote, the Democrats walked out to discuss the bill in the library. Stark lingered behind, had the confrontation with Thomas, and the cops were called. After the gendarmes left, both Democrats and Republicans rushed to the House floor to denounce one another. By the end of the day, they had exhausted all pastry expletives.
August 2, 2003 6:02 AM
