[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 35 (Thursday, March 24, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               COWARDICE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Strickland] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. Strickland. Mr. Speaker, before I came to this Chamber I was a 
psychologist, and so I am a student of human behavior. One of the 
things I have observed since I have been a Member of this body is that 
there is much what I would term cowardly behavior displayed in this 
Chamber at times.
  We have people in this Chamber who hide behind the rules of this 
House. The rules of this House enable those of us who are Members to 
speak about other people, other individuals, our President, in the most 
callous, crass, and unkind manner. We know that we can hide behind the 
rules of this House because it is impossible to be identified by name, 
and to be censured by name by other Members of this body.
  Last week, Mr. Speaker, I sat in my office and I observed a Member of 
this body make a statement about Vincent Foster and his suicide, saying 
in effect that Mr. Foster committed suicide because he was too cowardly 
and did not have the guts to face the coming firestorm
  Mr. Speaker, I was appalled by that kind of statement, because it 
takes a coward, Mr. Speaker, to pick on the dead.

                          ____________________