Martin Hoke: “there are some strange new creatures roaming the Halls of Congress these days. I am going to call them Metoobuts because…”

“there are some strange new creatures roaming the Halls of Congress these days. I am going to call them Metoobuts because of the peculiar sound they make. We just heard one. Let me tell you how to spot a Metoobut. Their habitat is on the minority side of the aisle. To flush them out, just make a statement of Republican principle, for instance, ``We want to end unfunded mandates.'' The Democrats, who have never met a mandate they didn't like, will say, ``Me too, but * * *.'' Or say that we Republicans want to balance the budget. The Democrats, who approved all the spending that led to the mess we are in, will say, ``Me too, but * * *.'' We want to shrink the size of Government. ``Me too, but * * *.'' We want a middle-class tax cut. ``Me too, but * * *.'' It is not just a case of the tiger changing his stripes, it is more like the tiger has become a vegetarian. Mr. Speaker, the American people won't buy this phony conservative conversion by the Democrats and after the American people witness the extraordinary effort we are making to change the Congress and keep our promises, I think the Metoobuts may become an endangered species around here.”