Bradley in DC
06-26-2007, 11:59 PM
Larson Praises Republican on YouTube (http://www.courant.com/news/local/hcu-larson-ronpaul-0626,0,4905017.story?coll=hc-headlines-local)
1:26 PM EDT, June 26, 2007
By DAVID LIGHTMAN, Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON -- John Larson, booster of Republican Ron Paul?
Seems unlikely, but YouTube has a 45-second clip of Larson, the erstwhile Democratic congressman who rarely deviates from party orthodoxy, praising the Texas congressman.
And it's getting more hits than almost anything ever posted about Larson on the site.
Larson's praise of Paul came Monday, when he was talking about the need to end the Iraq war.
The East Hartford congressman was sharply criticizing the Bush administration and the Senate. "Meanwhile, while they dither," he said, "we lost more than 23 soldiers this past weekend. How much longer can the insanity continue here without a strategy that provides us with the strategic withdrawal to an over-the-horizon force as has been advocated on this floor by colleagues on both sides of the aisle?
"Why is it that Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate who has the nerve on the Republican side to talk about it without fear of being called unpatriotic or in fact booed in an audience?"
The YouTube clip ends a sentence later, but Larson went on to say "It is time to end this war," among other things.
Paul has said of the Iraq war, "We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing American and bring the troops home." Though he is far behind on most polls, he's been popular on the Internet.
He's logged about twice as many YouTube hits as any other Republican, and he runs a close second to Arizona Sen. John McCain in the number of MySpace friends, according to data compiled by thePresident.com
Larson laughed Tuesday and made it clear he remains eagerly supporting his longtime choice for president in 2008 -- Connecticut Democrat Chris Dodd.
In the meantime, he's won some Republican friends. Comments include "I'm glad he (Paul) is getting some support from the Democrats," and "All sides can agree with Ron Paul."
1:26 PM EDT, June 26, 2007
By DAVID LIGHTMAN, Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON -- John Larson, booster of Republican Ron Paul?
Seems unlikely, but YouTube has a 45-second clip of Larson, the erstwhile Democratic congressman who rarely deviates from party orthodoxy, praising the Texas congressman.
And it's getting more hits than almost anything ever posted about Larson on the site.
Larson's praise of Paul came Monday, when he was talking about the need to end the Iraq war.
The East Hartford congressman was sharply criticizing the Bush administration and the Senate. "Meanwhile, while they dither," he said, "we lost more than 23 soldiers this past weekend. How much longer can the insanity continue here without a strategy that provides us with the strategic withdrawal to an over-the-horizon force as has been advocated on this floor by colleagues on both sides of the aisle?
"Why is it that Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate who has the nerve on the Republican side to talk about it without fear of being called unpatriotic or in fact booed in an audience?"
The YouTube clip ends a sentence later, but Larson went on to say "It is time to end this war," among other things.
Paul has said of the Iraq war, "We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing American and bring the troops home." Though he is far behind on most polls, he's been popular on the Internet.
He's logged about twice as many YouTube hits as any other Republican, and he runs a close second to Arizona Sen. John McCain in the number of MySpace friends, according to data compiled by thePresident.com
Larson laughed Tuesday and made it clear he remains eagerly supporting his longtime choice for president in 2008 -- Connecticut Democrat Chris Dodd.
In the meantime, he's won some Republican friends. Comments include "I'm glad he (Paul) is getting some support from the Democrats," and "All sides can agree with Ron Paul."