Fans mourn Rep. Lee's rambling speech at Michael's memorial
By: Jeff Dufour and Kiki Ryan
Washington Examiner
07/07/09 6:25 PM EDT
After his comments disparaging Michael Jackson, fans of the “King of Pop” are looking to silence Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y. But the same seems to be true of those praising him, as Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s dedication at Jackson's memorial service Tuesday apparently showed.
The Houston Democrat appeared in Los Angeles on Tuesday to present the Jackson family HR 600 — a bill she and Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., introduced to honor the singer’s contribution to the arts and humanitarian efforts. Problem was, she treated the stage in the Staples Center as she would the House floor.
She took up more time speaking than others there who knew the singer more personally, speaking minutes longer than Al Sharpton, Queen Latifah, Magic Johnson and Brooke Shields.
In fact, a well-placed source at the service told Yeas & Nays that the teleprompter flashed to her, “Please end your comments,” and said everyone was “groaning” over how long it went.
“Even after everyone applauded the family following the dedication, she still continued talking,” our spy said.
The framed bill she presented to the family in itself is quite rambling as well, containing 44 “whereas” clauses.
That's not to say that she was there randomly. According to her press secretary, Lee met Jackson in 2004 and maintained relationships with the family. Jermaine Jackson personally requested that she attend the service.
I guess you can take the congresswoman out of Washington, but not the Washington way of self-promotion out of the congresswoman.
Source: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/blogs/yeas-and-nays/Lee-at-Jackson-memorial-service-or-floor-of-House-50164132.html
(Related excerpt)
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
It might be a stretch to say that the remarks from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas were too great an overlap between church and state. However, the flow, tone and tenor of the memorial was not one where it was appropriate to announce intentions to introduce a House resolution, regardless of its intention and connection to Jackson.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31803536/ns/entertainment-gossip/
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Note: Red Bolds and Highlights added for emphasis by blogman.
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