Stop the Dancing in the Streets

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) lays out the reasons why we should elect John McCain over Barack Obama: it's to keep al-Qaida from dancing in the streets.

An Iowa Republican congressman said Friday that terrorists would be "dancing in the streets" if Democratic candidate Barack Obama were to win the presidency.

Rep. Steve King based his prediction on Obama's pledge to pull troops out of Iraq, his Kenyan heritage and his middle name, Hussein.

"The radical Islamists, the al-Qaida ... would be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on Sept. 11 because they would declare victory in this war on terror," King said in an interview with the Daily Reporter in Spencer.

King said his comments were not meant to demean Obama but to warn how an Obama presidency would look to the world.

"His middle name does matter," King said. "It matters because they read a meaning into that."

On the up side, though, Mr. King did not say that the Obama White House would only serve fried chicken and watermelon at state dinners.

Mr. King will undoubtedly say he was quoted out of context. Josh Marshall has the original interview from the Spencer (Iowa) Daily Reporter. It doesn't help.

King thinks radical Islamists will say the United States has capitulated because the Obama administration would be pulling troops out of any conflict associated with al-Qaida.

"Additionally, his middle name (Hussein) does matter," King said. "It matters because they read a meaning into that in the rest of the world. That has a special meaning to them. They will be dancing in the streets because of his middle name. They will be dancing in the streets because of who his father was and because of his posture that says: Pull out of the Middle East and pull out of this conflict."

Let's see how fast John McCain denounces and repudiates this guy.

[crickets]

Update: Here's a video of Rep. King via Crooks and Liars below the fold.