On Capitol Hill, the French Is Put Back in the Fries

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Kicked Off the Council?

Iranian President Ahmadinejad says the U.S. and Great Britain should be thrown off the U.N. Security Council for supporting Israel. The Iranian leader blames the two countries for civilian deaths in Lebanon, saying, "They are not competent to be members of the Security Council... they are criminals and should be put on trial."

But Ahmadinejad wasn't finished. He accused Israeli troops of being part of a Western plan to re-colonize the Middle East, calling the soldiers, "worse than beasts," and "bloodthirsty savages."

Gamblin' Charlie

New York Congressman Charlie Rangel is putting his money where his mouth is. The 76-year-old Democrat, who's served 35 years in the House, says he'll retire from Congress if Democrats don't retake control of the House in November.

Rangel says, "It just seems like America is so frustrated and fed up like I am, and if she's not then I may have to say maybe it's me." The party needs to pick up 15 seats from Republicans. But Rangel says he's not worried, telling the AP, "I would not put everything on the table if I thought for one minute we would lose."

French Twist

It happened without fanfare or publicity — but french fries have once again become french fries on Capitol Hill. The fried potatoes were renamed "freedom fries" in the House dining rooms three years ago after France scolded the U.S. for its planned invasion of Iraq.

At the time, Ohio Republican Bob Ney, called the gesture, a "small but symbolic effort to show the strong displeasure of many on Capitol Hill with the actions of our so-called ally, France." Ney refused to comment on the switch back.

But a spokesman for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says maybe Republicans now "will admit their other foreign policy mistakes."

—FOX News Channel's Aaron Bruns contributed to this report.