Sorry, Jim, but that excuse doesn’t hold up.

“Obviously, it’s a protest vote against Steve King,” the Iowa Republican who sponsored the resolution that passed 372-9, McDermott said. Democrats cast all the nay votes.

McDermott supported House resolutions this fall to recognize the Islamic holiday of Ramadan and the festival of Diwali, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. He drew the line at Christmas, he said, because the resolution only stated “obvious facts” that Christianity was the predominant faith in the U.S. and that many Christians and non-Christians celebrated Christmas.

“It’s Christmas time. There’re lots of Christians in the U.S. Hurray for Christmas,” McDermott said, giving his take on the resolution.

Rather than “wasting time on this stuff,” he said, people should be protesting President Bush’s veto of legislation that would have boosted federal funding of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, by $35 billion over five years. Bush had sought a much smaller increase.

Riiiiight. Because it was obvious and a waste of time. Unlike the Ramadan and Diwali resolutions, which McDermott happily voted for. Here’s the Ramadan resolution he voted for:

Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith.

It goes on to mention non-obvious, non-time wasting facts like: There are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, Ramadan begins on September 13 and Muslims celebrate Ramadan.

For comparison, here’s the resolution McDermott voted against, this one recognizing Christmas. So voting to recognize Ramadan wasn’t a waste of time and obvious, but voting to recognize Christmas is. Ok. Allah:

He’d have been on firmer ground noting that the Ramadan resolution went out of its way to refer to the war on terror and the need to make common cause against jihadis, a distinction that in theory makes King’s proposal comparatively unnecessary. But in that case, how do you explain the yes vote on the Diwali resolution?

Thanks for playing, Jim.

Incidentally, who voted for the resolution recognizing Christmas? The first and only Muslim in Congress, and a Democrat, Representative Keith Ellison. He didn’t see it as obvious and a waste of time, but McDermott did. Interesting.