Hawkish Democrat

I'm looking for some input here, and when I explain the situation, you'll understand why.

I started an internship in DC (here) this week, and one of my jobs is to attend relevant hearings. (I spent the whole day on the Hill. :) ) I was attending the House Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation, and I came across a pleasant surprise. The ranking member (that means the oldest Democrat on the committee when the Republicans are in charge) went off on a rant about how weak we look while we're dealing with Iran, and he essentially called on the president to stop being such a weenie. I want to know if this is for real, or if this is just election season comercial taping. (Homepage, Wiki)

You decide...and let me know what you think. I'd love comments from anyone who's familiar with this guy to tell me what's going on.

I mean, he made me feel liberal...