House Majority Leader Eric Cantor became the first member of House leadership to go after Weiner. “I think the American people are sick of seeing their elected officials tied up in scandals like this. My advice would be to come clean and clear it up. Perhaps he’s trying, but I know there’s a lot of explaining going on, without a lot of clarity,” Cantor said.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor [said] someone shot a bullet through the window of his campaign office this week.
“I’ve received threats since I assumed elected office, not only because of my positions, but because I am Jewish,” Cantor said...Cantor said a bullet was shot through the window of his Richmond, Va., campaign office this week, and that he’s gotten threatening emails...
... he was heartened by Tuesday’s meeting between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.Wow. "Disproportionate".
But he continued to express his opposition to Obama’s “disproportionate focus” on halting the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank instead of adopting a policy geared toward eliminating the “existential threat” posed to Israel by Iran’s nuclear program.
“If you look at the policy that this White House has followed, it certainly does not seem as if we are dealing with a true friend” of Israel, Cantor said.
Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to respond to Cantor’s comments but said that securing a lasting two-state peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians was “how you can be a true friend to Israel.”
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement after President Obama suggested that the Mideast peace process and our interests have been harmed by the failure of the United States to be “honest” with Israel, then that Iran might have a right to nuclear energy:
“As Palestinian terror shows no sign of abating, President Obama’s insistence that it is in America’s best interest to pressure Israel sends the wrong message to the region. Where is the outrage at the Palestinians’ continued refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state? Where is the concern for their failure to root out the terrorists in their midst?
“Palestinian terror and the refusal to recognize Israel stand directly in the way of peace, yet this is only one part of the process. It is misguided to assume that if we deal with the Israel-Palestinian question, somehow all the problems in the Middle East – including in Iran – will be solved.
“I strongly disagree with President Obama’s dangerous suggestion that Iran may have some right to nuclear energy. Iran forfeited any right to nuclear energy when it made the decision to illicitly enrich uranium to levels that can be used for nuclear weapons. Access to nuclear energy is an irreversible process, and the United States cannot trust the aspirations of the world’s foremost state-sponsor of terrorism.”
But Jennifer Crider, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the attention Cantor’s getting now is simply an inevitable part of life in the political limelight.
“In Washington, D.C., there is a free hedge-clipping service,” she said. “Stick your head up for long enough, and someone will come along and give you a trim.”
Whatever its cause, members of Cantor’s team insist that they appreciate the attention he’s getting from the other side. In Washington, partisan barbs can be the ultimate sign of political respect, and Cantor’s staff says the attacks from the left are proof that he’s shaking the Democratic establishment.
“Mr. Cantor’s hard work has not only caught the attention of the president and key players at the White House but has clearly rattled armies of the left,” said Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring. “Partisan attacks by the liberal echo chamber will not deter Mr. Cantor from continuing to offer common-sense solutions and work with the president. We have too much work to do for the American people.”
Eric Cantor, A Jewish congressman from Virginia who was once thought to be a possible vice presidential pick for Arizona Senator John McCain's campaign , was elected on Wednesday as a House minority whip.
Minority whip is the second highest position in the minority party. Cantor has served as the chief deputy whip since 2002.
...Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia plans to seek the all-important Minority Whip post, a position he has been rumored to covet for weeks, according to sources close to the Congressman. The post is currently held by Roy Blunt of Missouri.
...In a decidedly unfriendly environment for Republicans across the country, and even in once solidly Red Virginia, the 45-year-old GOP congressman had won 63 percent of the vote.
...Politico last year called Cantor "a dominant Republican voice," and many insiders expect him to play a large role in helping to rebuild the damaged GOP. Telegenic, intelligent, and a vigorous fundraiser, Cantor has built a formidable brand of his own. He is known for an emphasis on fiscal discipline, lowering taxes and government accountability...Cantor said House leadership and especially Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have alienated voters by flexing partisan muscles at a time of economic crisis...
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