Barney Frank, Through Videos

House Representative Barnett "Barney" Frank '61-'62, who has been the Congressman for Massachusetts's Fourth Congressional District since 1981, recently announced that he would not be seeking reelection in 2012. With the arrival of this news, many are mourning the loss of his outspoken voice in Congress.

Frank is known for his wit, intelligence, ardent defense of liberal causes, and strength as one of the first and most prominent openly homosexual Congressmen. Here we revisit some of Frank's greatest moments caught on camera and in the press.

On an amendment to the stimulus bill, after Republicans requested more time to read it:

"The bill under consideration is five-and-a-half pages...I believe even the gentleman from Texas could have read it by now. And if the gentleman from Texas has not been able to read this five-and-a-half page bill, I'll talk long and even if he reads slow, he'll get it done."

In response to a woman comparing the Obama health care plan to that of the Nazis:

"On what planet do you spend most of your time?"

When serving as Speaker pro tempore:

"Point of orders [sic] rarely end with a question mark. I've never heard one that did."

"Comments on the past behavior of the Speaker may be interesting, but they are not points of order."

On Newt Gingrich:

"You have to understand when you think you are the intellectual leader of the free world and you find yourself struggling to pass Michelle Bachman in a poll in Iowa, it is unsettling."

Here's another montage of Congressman Frank's best moments.