Iowa Lawmaker's Brashness Earns Notice

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, left, speaks during a minuteman rally in Laredo, Texas, Monday, Sept. 11, 2006. King doesn't shy from controversy, and his perspective has earned him praise from conservatives _ and disdain from those who consider him outlandish. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) (Eric Gay - AP)

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- He's described torture at Abu Ghraib as "hazing," argued that living in Iraq is safer than in Washington and dismissed President Bush's guest worker immigration program as amnesty.

Two-term Republican Rep. Steve King doesn't shy from controversy, and his perspective has earned him praise from conservatives _ and disdain from those who consider him outlandish.

"He says so many idiotic things. I just see him as a wacko," says Suzanne Ryan, one of King's constituents in his rural, western Iowa congressional district.

Still, King remains popular, and his penchant for brash, and some say offensive, sound bites has helped the 57-year-old construction company owner become something of a national spokesman for his party's far-right wing.

"At the FRC (Family Research Council), he's a good friend to the family," says Tom McCluskey, the vice president for government affairs of the conservative group. "Steve King is right out front. He's one of the most articulate and one of the most willing to speak up."

Among King's notable comments:

_He argued that the media exaggerated the story of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

_After compiling what he called an accurate civilian violent death rate for Iraq, he said living there was safer than in some U.S. cities, including New Orleans and Detroit.

"I have a feel for the rhythm of this place called Washington, D.C., and my wife lives here with me," he said on the floor of the House. "I can tell you, she is in far greater risk being a civilian in Washington, D.C., than an average civilian in Iraq."

_He called Bush and Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., an amnesty coalition and said "amnesty mercenaries of the Senate" should have a "big, bright, scarlet letter 'A' branded on their robes."

King also led a rebellion of 80 House Republicans who opposed renewal of the Voting Rights Act because of a provision that required state and local governments to print ballots in foreign languages or provide interpreters.

Some see King's rhetoric and hardline views as bombast, but his methods have opened new avenues for his political ambitions, which may include a run against four-term Sen. Tom Harkin in 2008. King also has raised the profile of his district, a sprawling farming region with only two sizable cities _ Council Bluffs and Sioux City.