Rep. Mike Shelton gets no free pass in the Obama portrait controversy.

The Gadfly: No Free Pass For Shelton

By Mike McCarville

Shelton has painted himself as among those wronged by the removal of the president's portrait from a wall in the House chamber. He's railed against those nasty Republicans for taking it down.

Not to be outdone by the childish behavior of a few Republicans, Shelton exhibited his own immaturity: In retaliation, he removed the portrait of former GOP House Speaker Lance Cargill and put it on the floor next to his desk.

Shelton's act would have received more publicity had GOP House Speaker Chris Benge not gone brain-dead and refused to release security camera videotapes that would show who removed the Obama portrait. The ensuing controversy focused on that act rather than on the acts of the portrait removers, Shelton among them. Shelton followed up by marching into the chamber with a collection of crack pipes, the mere possession of which is a misdemeanor.

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