Joe Walsh: Foot in Mouth Again

Republican Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh put his foot in his mouth again. He's running against Democrat Tammy Duckworth, a former Blackhawk pilot in Iraq who lost both her legs and the use of her arm when her helicopter crashed.

In his remarks, Walsh referenced Arizona Sen. John McCain — and his reluctance to talk about his imprisonment in Vietnam in his presidential campaigns — as an ideal to which Duckworth should aspire.
“Finally he talked a little about it, but it was very uncomfortable for him,” Walsh said. “That’s what’s so noble about our heroes. Now I’m running against a woman who — I mean, my God — that’s all she talks about.”

Walsh made headlines last month for saying Democrats “want the Hispanic vote, they want Hispanics to be dependent on government, just like they got African Americans dependent on government.”

During his first months in Congress, Walsh emerged as a sharp critic of President Barack Obama, accusing him of lying, siding with the Palestinians, bankrupting the United States, and burdening younger generations with debt. During his 2010 campaign as a fiscal conservative and following his election to Congress, several media outlets reported on Walsh's personal financial issues, such as past due child support, a recent condo foreclosure, and tax liens from the 1990s. Walsh explained that these issues have made him more attuned to the struggles of the average voter.

We'll see if Walsh's loud mouth and crash comments get him re-elected or sent home with his hat in his hand. He's already known as America's most offensive congressman. He'll probably write a book.