Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings Shoots from the Lip

"If Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention...Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through."--Florida Representative Alcee Hastings

Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings (above) used to be a federal judge in Florida before he was impeached and removed from the bench because of a bribery scandal.

Now Rep. Hastings is claiming that John McCain's running mate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin doesn't care about Jews and blacks just because she is a hunter.

ABC News (9-24-08) reports:

Florida Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings pointed to Sarah Palin on Wednesday to rally Jews to Obama.

"If Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention," said Hastings. "Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through."

Hastings, who is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, made his comments in Washington, D.C., while participating in a panel discussion sponsored by the National Jewish Democratic Council.

Asked what the congressman meant, Hastings spokesman David Goldenberg told ABC News that he was trying to argue that Palin is an "extremely conservative woman who is out of touch with mainstream America." [Full text]