Representative Eric Massa (D-NY) accuses the Democratic leadership of forcing him out to save health care reform. He says the target has actually been on his back since he voted against cap and trade:

“When I voted against the cap and trade bill, the phone rang and it was the chief of staff to the president of the United States of America, Rahm Emanuel, and he started swearing at me in terms and words that I hadn’t heard since that crossing the line ceremony on the USS New Jersey in 1983,” Massa said. “And I gave it right back to him, in terms and words that I know are physically impossible.”…

Massa slammed House Maj. Leader Steny Hoyer for discussing a House ethics committee inquiry, accusing Hoyer of lying in an effort to eliminate an opponent of health care. Hoyer said last week he heard in early Feb. about allegations against Massa, and that he told Massa’s office to report the allegations to the ethics committee.

“Steny Hoyer has never said a single word to me at all, never, not once,” Massa said. “Never before in the history of the House of Representatives has a sitting leader of the Democratic Party discussed allegations of House investigations publicly, before findings of fact. Ever.”

“I was set up for this from the very, very beginning,” he added. “The leadership of the Democratic Party have become exactly what they said they were running against.”

Apparently, however, Massa is no blue dog: he didn’t vote for health care reform because it wasn’t liberal enough (the link has more on Massa, and on the incident that got him into hot water).

As they say, politics ain’t beanbag. Although I’ve heard that some beanbag games can be mighty rough.

[NOTE: And here Massa actually calls Rahm Enanuel “the devil’s spawn.”]