Caucus member draws fire for remarks about Democrats

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ben Nelson is a co-chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, but the Nebraska Democrat may want to think twice before taking any hunting trips with Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss.

In an interview published by Politico on Tuesday, Harper was asked what the caucus actually does.

"We hunt liberal, tree-hugging Democrats, although it does seem like a waste of good ammunition," Harper responded.

According to its Web site, the group of legislators actually is dedicated to looking out for the interests of hunters and anglers.

One of the keys cited for the group's success: bipartisanship.

Nelson declined to comment on Harper's remark other than referring the congressman to that section of the Web site.

Another member of the sportsmen's caucus, Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., disagreed with Harper.

"I don't ask a pheasant's politics before I shoot it," Terry said. "Gregg should have focused on his game, not his colleagues."

Terry said the caucus is typically nonpartisan. He also said that Nelson, among the most conservative Democrats of the Senate, has little to fear from the gentleman from Mississippi.

"Ben has nothing to worry about," Terry said, "he is not that much of a tree-hugging liberal."

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