Obama Orders Rangel to Quit; LaRouche Responds

President Obama used an interview aired Friday evening on "CBS Evening News," to order embattled 40-year New York Congressman and Korean War hero Charles Rangel to quit. "I think Charlie Rangel served a very long time and served his constituents very well, but these allegations are very troubling," Obama told CBS. "He's somebody who's at the end of his career. Eighty years old. I'm sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens."

Lyndon LaRouche responded, "It's hard to tell what he means, because he's a mental case. From any person more sane, you would have to say this is a death threat." (I.e., "death with dignity.")

A person close to Rangel told Politico the Congressman "doesn't give a damn about what the President thinks about this," and won't resign. Another source close to Rangel added that Obama's "statement comes as no surprise to us. We're not surprised by this; we've known the people in the White House have felt this way for a while, but this doesn't change anything for us."

LaRouche added further: "Rangel will fight; he is a soldier who fought with honor in Korea. Obama is making a big mistake, which goes together with his lack of character."

In a related development, another African-American congressperson and Hillary Clinton supporter targetted by Obama's House "Ethics" Committee, Maxine Waters of California, has chosen to go through an Ethics Committee "trial," like the one against Rangel, rather than admit to alleged ethics violations, Politico reported last night.