An Alabama congressman told local officials this week that he's worried about the number of socialists in Congress, and he put the number already there at 17.

"Some of the men and women I work with in Congress are socialists," Rep. Spencer Bachus, the top Republican on the Financial Services Committee, said at a breakfast with city and county officials.

When the local newspaper asked him to clarify his comments, Bachus said 17 members of the House of Representatives are socialists. He didn't name them.

Efforts to reach Bachus' office for comment were unsuccessful Friday morning.

The congressman made his comment on the heels of a Rasmussen poll that found 53 percent of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism, 20 percent favor socialism and 27 percent were not sure which is better.

It is not the first time in the last year that a Republican congressman has accused colleagues in Congress of harboring views that they perceive as anti-American.

In October, during the presidential campaign, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann told MSNBC host Chris Matthews that she believed Barack Obama harbored anti-American views and suggested the media should do a "penetrating expose" and take a look at members of Congress to find out, "Are they pro-America or anti-America?"

Click here to read The Birmingham News report.