[[Image:{{Officeholder|name=James Moran|image=Moran2.jpg|rightparty=[[Democrat]]|thumbspouse=Mary Howard (1988–2003)<br/>LuAnn L. Bennett (m. 2004)|religion=[[Roman Catholic]]|offices= {{Officeholder/representative |state=Virginia |district=8th |terms=January 3, 1991-Present |preceded=[[Stanford Parris]] |former=n |succeeded= }} {{Officeholder/mayor |number= |city=Alexandria, Virginia |terms=1985–1990 |preceded=Charles Beatley |former=y |succeeded=Pasty Ticer }}}}'''James Patrick "Jim " Moran, Jr.''' , born May 16, 1945 (age {{age|1945|5|16}}), is a [[Democratic party|Democratic]] Representative to the U.S. [[House of Representatives]], representing the Eighth Congressional District of [[Virginia]]from 1991 to 2015.Moran has announced his retirement and is not seeking re-election to Congress.<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6MeXbJrbc|archivedate=January 15, 2014|url=http://moran.house.gov/press-release/moran-announces-plans-retire-congress|title=Moran Announces Plans to Retire from Congress|work=Press Release|publisher=[http://moran.house.gov/ Office of Congressman Jim Moran]|date=January 15, 2014|accessdate=January 15, 2014}}</ref>
Moran is of Irish descent and was born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Boston. He is the son of professional football player James Patrick Moran, Sr. and the brother of former Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Brian Moran. Moran is Catholic, although his votes on abortion issues have resulted in tensions with the church.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=6016|title=On Denying Communion as a Sanction: Letter to a Cardinal|work=catholicculture.org|date=October 16, 2014}}</ref>==Views on Israel==Moran, who serves as a whip on the House Democrats' leadership team, is very controversial for his history of making [[Anti-Semitism|anti-semitic]] remarks. In early March of 2003, he singled out Jews as the reason behind attempting to topple [[Saddam Hussein]]'s regime in Iraq: "''If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this [[war with Iraq]] we would not be doing this''," he [Moran] said at the event, organized by the Greater Reston Interfaith Peace Coalition, according the Reston Connection newspaper. "''The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should.''" <ref>"White House, Democrats Rip Moran for Offending Jews," Stephen Dinan, ''The Washington Times'', Mar. 12, 2003.</ref>
Moran participated in a [[Democratic_partyDemocratic party#Policies_and_criticismPolicies and criticism|mock hearing]] held by Democrat members of the House Judiciary Committee to consider impeaching President Bush in which a witness testified that the United States toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime for Israel, that Israel should not be considered an ally, and that [[President Bush]] was doing the bidding of Israeli Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]]. Moran had asked the witness if the reason the United States went to war with Iraq was because it was a threat to Israel:
:''"The session took an awkward turn when witness Ray McGovern, a former intelligence analyst, declared that the United States went to war in Iraq for oil, Israel and military bases craved by administration '[[neocon]]s' so 'the United States and Israel could dominate that part of the world.' He said that Israel should not be considered an ally and that Bush was doing the bidding of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "Israel is not allowed to be brought up in polite conversation," McGovern said. "The last time I did this, the previous director of Central Intelligence called me [[anti-Semitic]]." Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), who prompted the question by wondering whether the true war motive was Iraq's threat to Israel, thanked McGovern for his "candid answer."''<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/16/AR2005061601570.html Democrats Play House To Rally Against the War], Dana Milbank, ''Washington Post'', June 17, 2005.</ref>
Later in 2007, in an interview published in the September-October September–October issue of ''Tikkun magazine'', Moran said that a Jewish-American special interest group ''"has pushed this war from the beginning...They are so well organized, and their members are extraordinarily powerful -- most of them are quite wealthy -- they have been able to exert power."''<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402171.html</ref> ==ACORN==The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to defund ACORN, 345-75 on September 17, 2009. Seventy-five Democrats [Moran] stood with [[ACORN]] and voted no.<ref>[http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/House-votes-to-cut-off-ACORN-funding-59647917.html House votes to cut off funding, but 75 stand by ACORN, Washington Examiner, September 17, 2009]</ref> This despite nationwide attention related to voter fraud and recent revelation of ACORN's ties to prostitution including child trafficking and defrauding the IRS.
==References==
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==Links==*[http://moran.house.gov/ Congressman Jim Moran], U.S. House site*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000933 Biography] at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress{{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, James}} [[Category:Anti-war movement|Moran, JamesMovements]][[Category:United States Representatives|Moran, James]][[Category:Democratic Party|Moran, James]][[Category:110th United States Congress]][[Category:Virginia]]