Rep. West says he won't challenge Boehner for leadership

Freshman Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) said Monday morning that he is not looking to challenge House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to lead Republicans in the next Congress.

"It's humbling, it's very honorable that you would think that of me," West said on C-SPAN Monday morning, in response to a caller who suggested that he try to become the next House Speaker. "But I'm a junior Boy Scout up here, I'm learning things every single day."

"I think Speaker Boehner is doing the best possible job that he can do right now," West added. "He's in a tough situation, when you have ... some very intransigent individuals such as [Majority Leader] Harry Reid [(D-Nev.)] over in the Senate."

West has generally been supportive of Boehner and other House leaders, and has voted against the majority of Republicans far less frequently than other freshman members, who have voted against spending bills to protest their failure to make more drastic cuts.

But West did use his C-SPAN appearance to note that he, like dozens of other freshman Republicans, opposes further expansion of government, and opposes the idea that government can create "this egalitarian state where you can have social and economic justice."

"If America was all about fairness and a fair share and all of that stuff, well, I probably would have been suited up with the Miami Heat last night, playing basketball," he said. "But unfortunately, I was born at 5'9" and I'm not able to dunk, but there are other things than I can do and other talents that I can have.

"So I don't think we need to have government try to engineer and design outcomes and results for the American people."

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