AP photo
It's a Toyota accelerator pedal.
Rep. Dan Burton (R) of Indiana, facing another serious primary challenger, announced this morning that he will not seek re-election.
Burton's lengthy career -- the right-wing Hoosier is currently in his 15th term -- has at least been memorable. The lawmaker has been accused of some highly suspicious fundraising and ties to unsavory international thugs, as well as having a scandalous personal life. He's also known for having odd habits, including avoiding soup in restaurants because of a fear of AIDS.
But it was Burton's wildly unhealthy hatred for President Clinton that will be hard to forget.
Burton was at his most famous in the 1990's, when he led many of the investigations against President Bill Clinton. "If I could prove 10 percent of what I believe happened, he'd [Clinton] be gone," Burton declared in 1998. "This guy's a scumbag. That's why I'm after him."
Over the last six years of Bill Clinton's presidency, Burton led the House Government Reform Committee and unilaterally issued 1,089 subpoenas to investigate allegations of misconduct.
Burton handed out subpoenas like candy, targeting 141 different Clinton administration officials. He once held hearings -- for 10 days -- on the Clintons' Christmas card list. In one instance, Burton was so reckless, he subpoenaed the wrong man (looking for someone with a similar name).
In the most famous instance, Burton fired a bullet into a "head-like object" -- reportedly a melon -- in his backyard to test the theory that former White House counsel Vincent Foster was murdered.
Burton, of course, wasn't just some shock-jock or publicity-hungry provocateur; he was the chairman of a congressional committee with oversight authority over the White House. And he wielded that gavel as if he were a fringe activist with a chip on his shoulder.
So long, congressman. We knew you all too well.
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How do crazy people get into office like this???
Other crazy people elect them.
In Indiana, if there is an R next to your name, you really don't need much else to get elected. Which is lucky for them, because the R's around here usually don't have much else anyway.
And that's why this nation is f---ked, because the sheeple don't think, vote against their own (& the nations) best interest, and they've chosen to remain ignorant of "truth"!!
Classic Steve Benen. Some of my most memorable Political Animal posts are from Steve writing about the 90s. So glad to see Rachel is letting you blog. The web would not be the same without you writing.
Darrell Issa doesn't have as much to work with, but he suffers from the same level of derangement syndrome.
Yet again the hypocrisy of waste drives me insane. It's not as though someone approached Issa and gave him credible reason to believe that fraud was occurring or that President Obama had engaged in something impeachable. Instead Issa is hoping that if he throws enough darts at the board that the magical properties of statistics will eventually land one dead center. All the while you and I have to foot the bill and suffer the consequences of his pointless investigations and congressional hold ups.
Amen to that re; Darrell Issa.
Did Burton really stop eating soup in restaurants out of fear of catching AIDS from a waiter?
https://twitter.com/#!/timothypmurphy/status/164403436866117635
There are more than enough kooks in Congress to take Burton's place.
Hope that door does hit him in the ass!
I moved from the north side of Marion County (Indianapolis) to the east side last summer. If not for moving, I would have been redistricted into Burton's district which population-wise is composed mostly of Hamilton Country and it famous city of Carmel. Carmel is famous for its long history for arresting persons for DWB (driving while black). Dan has been a good representative of the county which has not had a democrat even bother to run for county-wide office for several decades.
Dan "The Watermelon Man" Burton was famous for a long time as the craziest person in Congress. These days, he is not even competitive for the title. Did not hear Dan's speech announcing his retirement, but I suspect he said something like "Mirror, mirror on the wall; if I can't be the wierdest of them all, f*ck it!".
Good riddance to bad rubbish!
I said the same thing on another website -- great minds...
I moved to Indiana 7 years ago from Calif and can't understand how people can be so stupid as to vote for idiots like Burton. Of course, there are a lot of stupid people here in Indiana...............
We lived in his district for 16 years. The only guy the Dems got to run against him was cross-dressing ex-con. Sheesh!!! I never once voted in the congressional category. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
Dan Burton told the truth about how Eli Lilly's thimerosal poisoned our babies and was the cause of the autism epidemic. None of the other scumbags in Congress ever did the right thing for our children regarding this crime against babies. Dan Burton is a hero in my book for taking on these criminals from the Pharmaceutical Industry.
And, for going after Clinton, that was also a good decision. People who don't appreciate Dan Burton are welcome to whatever scum succeeds him.
Don't get much, do you?
Should read: Don't get OUT much, do you? My bad.
RV ... it works either way! :-)
um John...you are aware that thimerosal does NOT cause autism correct? That myth has been debunked so many times over- it's a conspiracy and this jackass helped give it momentum instead of killing it for the silliness that it actually is. Again- it's one thing if people hold hearings and insist that something is investigated because they are given ample evidence to suggest something harmful is going on. Burton gave in to a conspiracy theory that had been circulating around the left for some time and wasted taxpayer's money on investigating crap using pseudo-science. Praising him for going after Eli Lilly's is like praising McCarthy for going after communists. And why was going after Clinton a good decision? What exactly did Clinton do that necessitated his ethics inquires and his eventual attempted impeachment?
I am sure that pharmaceutical companies do lots of bad things and it may one day be proven that autism has a cause that can be prevented that's environmental or pharmaceutical or whatever, but adding fuel to the fire instead of trying to actually get to the bottom of the disorder causes more harm, not less.
Good. I hope the person who replaces him isn't even worse. Given the GOP today, there are no guarantees.
The "good news / bad news" for the idiot residents of Indiana is that the 2nd stupidist person of the face of the earth (and we are still looking for #1) Mike Pence is also not running for reelection. The bad news is that the wealthy and corporate interests have already bought Pence's election as the next governor!
oh, God, don't remind me. I think I just threw up a little.
Why do so many of these Sicko Loonies become Republican politicians?
because they're for sale.
These kind of people get into office when regular everyday citizens do not get involved with their local political precincts. The TEA party learned this very well and have capitalized on that. The comment about Darrell Issa is just as viable in that this is one man with a checkered background. A High school drop out, a Liar - The San Francisco Examiner found that Darrell Issa's claims sweeping stadiums for bombs prior to games was not true; Jay Bergey, claimed that Darrell Issa stole his Dodge Charger in 1971; Issa and his brother William were charged with stealing a Maserati from a dealer's showroom in Cleveland. When Darrell Issa returned to civilian life and a week before he was discharged, he and his brother were arrested again on theft charges. Then there are the Terrifying Errant Activist(TEA) party who have offered another candidate to counter John Boehner. The Toxic Egotistical Activist(TEA) party want to control America. Bigotry and prejudice hiding behind the "Conservative" mantra. The conservatives want control at any cost. Hiding behind this title the TEA party wants to control you and your thoughts. They protest taxes which pays for a multitude of programs they deem unnecessary, in-effective or not allowed by the constitution. They try to shield their actions under limited government while allowing others to impose their strict religious beliefs. They want no controls over monies, schooling, curriculum and even isolationism. These guys want to grab and hold onto patriotism as their own and no one else can claim it. Birthers began immediately after Barack Obama began his run for the nomination. There is so much hatred for the fact that a black man won the presidency and even more than he has been effective even with the constant barrage of toxic talk. They have challenged in states and courts where TEA parties are most in control. The TEA parties ranks have remained steady and have offered their own candidates rather than meld into the mainstream Republican party. The TEA party are strict, conservative confrontational-ist! The Wall Street movement have brought to light the concentration of money in the hand of fewer and fewer people and the concentration of power in fewer more conservative hands or control. The continued slurring of president Obama is contained in posts to inflame the people. Here's an open call to open your minds and realize this man has been good for the country and shown to the world all Americans are equal, even with the constant drumbeat of political hacks and opposition leaders.
And let's not forget about "the boy", the love child of Burton and his (seriously) clown girlfriend, that he finally 'fessed up to when he thought an article in Vanity Fair was going to out him. That was in '98, the Clinton bashing years. The stories go on and on. I used to have to vote against him until my neighborhood was gerrymandered out of his district for being too liberal.
"He's also known for having odd habits, including avoiding soup in restaurants because of a fear of AIDS."
It's called misophobia! *ba-dum-dum*
Oh, thank God! I'm in Indiana-05 and I am glad to see the last of Burton who has been cited in Indiana press as the most hated man in Indiana politics. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Danny!!
He's just like all the other Indiana republican congress me!I know I'm from Indiana and my rep is about that bad!