Since gaining the upper hand in Congress and most state legislatures, Republicans have embraced cretinous blowhards such as Sen. Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina) as poster boys.
The petty, mean-spirited chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is anything but subtle in wrapping himself in the Confederate flag, blocking diplomatic appointments and taking revenge on political opponents.
Helms the Terrible even got away with threatening the life of President Bill Clinton, saying the commander-in-chief would need a bodyguard while touring military bases in North Carolina.
Helms is not the only bigoted tyrant on Capitol Hill, but he is a one-man argument for term limits in Congress.
Flush Jesse Helms.(7 NOVEMBER 1999).
