Going down fightin’

How tight are things in Washington over health care? Pretty dang tight if the strange tale of Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Massa of New York is true. Late last week Massa announced he wouldn’t seek re-election this fall, and it was reported he was being investigated by the House ethics committee for “inappropriate” comments he allegedly made at a New Year’s Eve party. Now Massa claims he’s the victim of a leadership move to oust him because he’s a “no” vote on Obamacare. It gets more interesting. In a radio interview, Massa went off on the strong-arm tactics of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who was a member of the House before joining the Obama administration. Massa said Emanuel once confronted him in the shower area of the congressional gym — when both were in their birthday suits — and castigated him for opposing the president’s budget. “Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil’s spawn,” Massa said. “He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive.” Stay tuned …

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