Van Jones, President Obama's "Green Jobs" Czar Calls Congressional Republicans Assholes

UPDATE

Van Jones last night issued a statement apologizing for past controversial remarks and said a petition which he signed suggesting that President Bush "may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen" perhaps to justify war in Afghanistan or Iraq, "does not reflect my views now or ever." An administration source said Jones says he did not carefully review the language in the petition before agreeing to add his name. But this morning it became known that Jones was on the organizing committee of a 2002 march making similar insinuations and allegations.

So far, he has not been thrown under a bus by the Obama administration, but he isn't out of the woods yet. Once again, the right wing will focus on the president's associations. Michelle Malkin is already pushing her brand of right wing-ism.



With the Democrats and Republicans engaged in name calling of the worst kind, it doesn't help that Van Jones, co-founder of ColorofChange and President Obama's "green jobs" czar, has been heard on video calling Republicans assholes. He told a group of listeners at an energy lecture in Berkeley, Calif., earlier in the year that the reason Republicans are stonewalling the president is because they're "assholes." His remarks came in response after a woman in the audience asked him why the president and congressional Democrats were having trouble moving legislation, even though the Republicans with a small majority, didn't have as much trouble earlier in the Bush administration. Come on Mr. Jones, surely you could have been a little more tactful and professional.

"Well, the answer to that is, they're assholes," Jones said, to uproarious laughter. "That's a technical, political science term." The questioner responded, "I was afraid that that was the answer." But Jones said that, even though Obama is "not an asshole," others have to step up the fight. "Now, I will say this. I can be an asshole, and some of us who are not Barack Hussein Obama are going to have to start getting a little bit uppity," he said.

Wow, this isn't the language I expected to hear from a member of any presidential administration to a group of listeners. He needs to apologize for calling all Congressional Republicans assholes. I would not have used that word to describe them. He could have picked from a long list of names. I am sure Glenn Beck will be only too happy to rant about this on his Fox News Channel Show tonight. Here's another distraction for President Obama to deal with.