North Dakota's U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy calls President Bush a "clown" and says he "can't stand" him in a new video posted on the Internet.
The Democratic congressman was approached by a group called Grassroots America last week as he was walking the streets of Washington, D.C.
As he talked on a mobile phone, two women approached him and asked him about impeaching Bush, giving statistics of people who approve of the idea.
As a camera rolled, Pomeroy is shown to be clearly agitated by their questions.
"Most of the people I represent think that's (impeachment) a horrible idea. I'm a Democrat, and I can't stand this president, but I'm to represent the people that I represent and they are against impeaching the president," Pomeroy said while pointing and waving his arms.
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As the women press him further on the issue, Pomeroy continues to show his frustration.
"I'm here to represent people. The people I represent don't want to impeach this clown. I'm here to represent the people of North Dakota," Pomeroy said.
The video lasts for one minute and 32 seconds and ends with Pomeroy walking away, still talking on his phone.
On Tuesday, Pomeroy told The Forum in a phone interview that he got "a little impatient with a very persistent protester demanding that we impeach the president.
"Certainly I admit to being a little frustrated with this version of radical partisanship at a time when we've got so much work to get done on behalf of the country," Pomeroy said.
At the time, Congress was in the middle of the "high stakes drama" farm bill fight, he said.
"Because it was so wound up, I might have been a little testier than I might have been," Pomeroy said.
His phone call shown in the video was related to the farm bill, he said.
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"I frankly think the folks that want us to drop everything and take on impeachment of the president really are at the fringe of things," Pomeroy said.
"We got things breaking on the farm bill all over the place, and I have somebody in my face about impeaching the president."
Tina Richards of Salem, Mo., one of the women in the video, said in a phone interview Tuesday that Grassroots America is devoted to social-justice issues.
The group is trying to engage people in their democracy, she said. The goal is to talk to members of Congress and report back to the grassroots what the politicians' responses and positions are, Richards said.
She had a chance meeting with Pomeroy as he left the U.S. Capitol last week and decided to ask him how he felt about impeachment, she said.
"I thought it was interesting, his response," Richards said. "When you make strong statements that represent the entire state of North Dakota ... people in North Dakota should know about it."
Richards turned her grassroots efforts national at the beginning of the year and has a particular interest in veterans' rights, ending the war and impeaching Bush.
Her son, Cloy, 24, is a U.S. Marine who completed two tours of duty in Iraq and faces a third tour, she said.
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According to Grassrootsamerica4us.org, Cloy has suffered severe depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome from his time in Iraq. Richards says her son has not received adequate care from the federal Veterans Administration system.
The group's Web site describes Richards as wanting members of Congress "to know what she feels and how important ending the war is to her."
She "is not afraid to embarrass those members of Congress who stand in the way of change and in particular the Democratic Party leadership, those who should be 'on her side.'"
Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., is another Congressman who made the Internet and the news after his angry outbursts during a videotaped discussion with Richards in March.
Spokesmen for North Dakota Democratic Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad said the senators have not been contacted by Richards.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Teri Finneman at (701) 241-5560
