Diverting the Issue

On Wednesday, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) was stopped at a security checkpoint when she allegedly struck a Capitol Hill police officer. Members of Congress are given an identification pin which allows them to skip security checkpoints. Ms. McKinney was not wearing her pin at the time of the incident.

This is not her first encounter with the Capital Hill police; in 1998, White House guards stopped her and she demanded (and received) an apology from the Clinton administration.

Ms. McKinney and her attorneys have attempted to tie the incident into larger social issues: "Let me be clear, this whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and stopping of me, a female black Congresswoman," charged Ms. McKinney. "This is politics; this is Washington," an attorney said. "There are three issues here: sex, race and Ms. McKinney's progressiveness."

Another attorney blamed the police officer, "My client was assaulted and placed in impending fear of her safety and she responded." On recognizing the congresswoman, "It is the job of the Capitol Police to protect members of Congress. As a part of that job, they are to know who those members are. There is no excuse." Why are they issued pins? "The pin is not the issue," the congresswoman said. "The issue is face recognition."

After refusing to walk through a metal-detector, an officer grabbed her arm to restrain her when she struck him with a mobile phone.

"I would not make a big deal of this," said Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for Dennis Hastert (R-IL), asked, "How many officers would have to be punched before it becomes a big deal?"