Freshman congressman Allen West speaks his mind

Freshman congressman Allen West speaks his mind: "Rep. Allen West doesn't do subtlety.

Take the recent suggestion to his congressional colleagues — Democrats and Republicans — pressing for a speedy exit of U.S. troops from Afghanistan: 'I would take these gentlemen over and let them get shot at a few times and maybe they'd have a different opinion,' says West, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who spent 22 years in the service.

Firm in his convictions and unafraid to share them. It was vintage West — brash, brusque and bombastic.

The black biker and conservative Republican who became a fixture on the tea party circuit has brought his own brand to Congress.

'I'm not a career politician,' West says. 'I'm just being myself.'"