Here's a bit you might want to bring up the next time a Republican says President Obama is embarrassing us overseas. About a year ago, several GOP House members decided to get extremely drunk in Israel to the point Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas decided to go skinny dipping in the Sea of Galilee.
You know? Where Jesus walked on water, one of the holiest sites of Christianity? Yep, that one.
Not only that, he decided to do in front of three female staffers and the daughters of some of the other party guests. Sounds more like Animal House than glimpse into the life of a diplomatic envoy.
Of course, Eric Cantor has kept this under wraps because the FBI had to get involved to make sure the GOP didn't get so tanked they decided to hand out state secrets to their Israeli counterparts. Seriously, this is real.
GOP lawmakers reprimanded after swim in Sea of Galilee
CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash and CNN Senior Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh, CNN.com
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/...
The incident happened a year ago, but the repercussions are just now being felt in Washington after a report in Politico detailed the trip and an ensuing FBI investigation. A law enforcement official said the FBI looked at the incident in Israel, saying the late-night swimming was probed to determine if U.S. officials were putting themselves at risk, or if any information the lawmakers possessed could have been exposed by a night of drinking and partying. This official did not believe there was any damage.
Of course, it's hard to remember what you said when you are almost blackout drunk and decide to wade naked into a holy site, right Rep. Yoder?
Yoder, who's serving his first term in Congress, was among the last to jump in, and was the only one who was completely nude. As he dived into the water naked, someone screamed that he was not wearing any clothes, according to the GOP sources.
I wonder if anyone walked on water they tried to get out so quickly.
McCarthy and Cantor were afraid that news of the swim would leak, anticipating how bad it would look for members of Congress to be seen drinking and swimming late at night. They were mostly worried, however, because Yoder took off his clothes and jumped into the water in front of the whole group – including at least two female staffers.
Senior House Republicans were also concerned about the timing of the incident, which came right after a bitter fight over raising the federal debt limit and as the stock market was tumbling.
I'd be more worried if these yahoos got so drunk they spilled confidential information than worry about the GOP image, but hey, that's me.
"Republican leaders knew that these House Republicans' behavior was inappropriate and wrong, but kept the FBI investigation under wraps for more than a year," DCCC communications director Jesse Ferguson wrote. "What other inappropriate, embarrassing behavior have Republican Members of Congress been engaged in that Republican Leaders are keeping under wraps? It's getting harder and harder to keep track of this House of Scandal given how many House Republicans face FBI investigations."
So true, but the next time you hear a Republican bemoaning the American image abroad, remind them that its the GOP whose leaving the worst streak out there, just hanging in the breeze, floating in the same waters Jesus walked on.
Good thing Jesus wasn't around to make that water into wine, or Rep. Yoder would have gotten totally out of control.