Kool-Aid and sheikhs in W.V. health care spat
West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall's reluctance to say how he'll vote on health care reform legislation has touched off a fierce back-and-forth between the veteran congressman and his Republican challenger.
Losing patience with former state Supreme Court Justice Spike Maynard's attacks on the issue, Rahall struck back Thursday, sarcastically invoking a locally infamous lunch the jurist held with a coal industry CEO whose company had a case before the court Maynard sat on.
The Charleston Daily Mail reports Rahall said he was just doing his due diligence by studying the health care issue, adding: "It's like a judge using integrity. You can't base it on drinking Kool-Aid on the French Riviera. You've got to base it on facts. You've got to hear all the facts before you render a decision."
In response, Maynard dug into his own oppo file and noted that Rahall, who is of Lebanese heritage, had held meetings of his own with Yasser Arafat, Sadaam Hussein and "Arab oil sheikhs."
The spat illustrates how intense the health care debate has already become in congressional campaigns, particularly in conservative-leaning districts where a "yes" vote could be a liability. It also underscores how seriously Rahall, who is in his 17th term, is taking his reelection fight and how willing he is to go after his likely rival. With gusto.
Read the full exchange in the Charleston Daily Mail, here.
Nick Rahall
W.Va. 03
Spike Maynard