Barney Frank's 5 Pithiest Moments

More

Like him or not, Barney Frank is a funny guy. Humor and gregariousness have made him one of Capitol Hill's standout personalities for over his three-decade career, during which time he's dropped his share of memorable quotes. Like, for instance, his 1986 explanation for voting against a $6 billion anti-drug-trafficking bill, "I'm afraid this bill is the legislative equivalent of crack. It yields a short-term high but does long-term damage to our system, and it's expensive to boot." When Frank retires from Congress after the 2012 elections, as he announced on Monday, the Capitol will lose one of its most outspoken denizens.

Unfortunately, much of Frank's verve was on display in the pre-YouTube era. But, below, find his five funniest moments caught on video:

Jump to comments

Chris Good is a political reporter for ABC News. He was previously an associate editor at The Atlantic and a reporter for The Hill.

Get Today's Top Stories in Your Inbox (preview)


Elsewhere on the web

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register. blog comments powered by Disqus

Video

Miami: The Next Big Start-Up City?

How the city became a center for innovation

Video

Video

A Brief History of Romantic Comedies

From The Atlantic's Chris Orr

Video

Life in 'the New Arctic'

A moving portrait of a fading landscape

Video

Video

The Rise of New York City

A fascinating look at Manhattan in the 1940s

Video

What Is Methane Hydrate?

"Flaming ice" is a vast natural energy source

Video

NASA's Time-Lapse of the Sun

Now with epic dubstep music

Video

Shaken Not Tuned: Cocktail Experiments

Can a tuning fork improve a cocktail?

Video

Video

Is He Cheating? A 1950s Guide

'That little blonde secretary from the office?’

Video

New Yorkers: Vintage Vacuum-Tube Amps

Risking electric shock to restore old amplifiers

Video

The DIY Piano-Bicycle

Everybody needs a hobby

Video

What Does It Take to Make Real Craft Gin?

Tour the Green Hat Gin distillery

Video

Letter From the Editor

The June 2013 issue

Video

What Straights Can Learn From Same-Sex Couples

New insight from decades of research

Video

The End of the Mall Rat

A tribute to that pillar of teen culture

Writers

Up
Down

More in Politics

In Focus

Finland in World War II