The Weird Tancredo/Gutierrez Fight Last Wednesday

Our Tom has been doing weird stuff in the Capitol again.

Raw Story had this, but they provide a non-productive link to Roll Call's HOH, and Daily Kos had a complete quote. Nobody else is printing this story except the Right-Wing blogosphere, who are SPINNING IT LIKE MAD. I get the feeling that it didn't go quite the way they wanted it to, but they are making the most of it anyway.

Excerpts from Roll Call's "Heard on the Hill" (HOH) section:
...
After the lunchtime [CNBC] show in the Cannon Rotunda ended, Gutierrez made a joke about how the "immigrant" (him, though he was born in Chicago) showed up on time while the "Gringo" (Tancredo) was late. Gutierrez told Tancredo that he had a "really ugly policy."

The way Gutierrez's office tells the story, Tancredo and the two aides who accompanied him followed Gutierrez to his office. Tancredo kept "following him, touching him, following him, touching him," Gutierrez spokesman Scott Frotman said.

At that point, Gutierrez pretty much snapped. "Have you ever eaten in a restaurant?" he asked Tancredo, adding with feigned disgust, "How could you eat from the plates touched by those nasty illegal immigrants?"...

Gutierrez, who has a cast on one foot, and his three aides turned away and started walking. Tancredo stormed after him and put his hand on Gutierrez's back.

"Get your hand off me!" Gutierrez yelled, demanding that Tancredo "walk away! Walk away!"

"I will not!" Tancredo said, to which Gutierrez replied, "You racist! You bigot!" Tancredo insisted he was neither and added, "You look in the mirror if you want to see a racist."

Gutierrez made it to the door but Tancredo and his staff were catching up coming down the stairs. Gutierrez remarked to his staff, "Better hurry up -- the KKK is coming."

Tancredo now says the incident does not deserve further comment.

OK, THAT was really weird. Wonder why Tancredo kept following Gutierrez, and touching him? Trying to provoke an actual attack?