29 Apr 2004 Our Party, Under God

Roll Call today has an interesting story by John Bresnahan about Rep. Jim McDermott getting slammed by fellow Democrats for his failure to properly lead the Pledge of Allegiance:

Fallout from Rep. Jim McDermott’s (D-WA) refusal to say the words “under God,” or place his right hand over his heart while leading the Pledge of Allegiance on the House floor Tuesday morning continued Wednesday.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) was furious with McDermott and blasted his longtime colleague during a Democratic leadership meeting Wednesday, according to sources.

Hoyer argued that whatever McDermott’s personal feelings were about the phrase “under God,” that when he gave the pledge on the floor, McDermott was representing all Democrats, not just himself. In Hoyer’s view, McDermott should have thought about what it would mean for the entire Democratic Caucus and not just himself before he spoke…

“There are a lot of people unhappy with McDermott,” said a senior Democratic leadership aide…

The pledge was printed in the Congressional Record without McDermott’s revisions…

McDermott’s explanation for Tuesday’s episode was laid out in a statement released by his office: “My thoughts were not where they should have been and I reverted to the Pledge as it was written and taught in the public schools throughout my childhood. The Pledge has indeed been amended since then and I will endeavor to concentrate on what I’m doing in the future and say the modern version.”

There’s more, but I think they’ll want you to subscribe.