Bob Haueter (left) unwittingly attends an anti-Buck McKeon rally.

SANTA CLARITA — Bob Haueter, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, accidentally attended an anti-McKeon rally over the weekend.

“I saw a bunch of protestors marching down Valencia Boulevard,” explained an embarrassed Haueter. “I thought they were tea-partiers, so I just grabbed a sign and joined them. In retrospect, I guess I should have read it first.”

McKeon took it all in stride. “After 18 years in office,” lamented the 9-term incumbent, “screw-ups like this happen all the time.”

The congressman said he was headed back to Washington to cast a “yes” vote on a bill that  ”either increases defense spending or raises interest rates on student loans.”

“I haven’t really read the whole thing,” he admitted. “I leave that kind of stuff up to my Deputy Chief of Staff.”