Sure, there's a war going on. But let's not forget we have some outstanding issues with Iran and Afghanistan— and, if you ask congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA), mix tapes.

In a speech more suited for High Fidelity than the House of Representatives, Doyle recently spoke out about mashups on a hearing regarding the future of radio, citing both Atlanta's DJ Drama and hipster remix favorite Greg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, two artists typically unfamiliar to the general public, let alone a disconnected Pennsylvania state rep.

Even Girl Talk's publicity team seems stymied by the reference. As their press release states, "Who knew politicians could be so hip?"

Doyle brought up Girl Talk as an example of a "local guy done good" (Gillis happens to share a zip-code with the congressman), telling the story of how a regular kid from Pittsburgh gained notoriety from his odd mashups (the DJ takes three-second clips from pop acts as different as Elton John and El-P and smashes them together creating danceable "sound collages"), and how the popularity of this music indicates the need for major changes in copyright laws.

The congressman likened Gillis to the Beatles—who famously ripped off a Chuck Berry bass line for "I Saw Her Standing There"—saying that both groups might have stolen, but hey, the world is better for it. Doyle called for a loosening of DRM laws on new music (Steve Jobs has caught on already), arguing that because people are going to sample beats anyway, it should not be illegal to use other's music in the name of one's own art.

Imagine how psyched Doyle's gonna be when he gets The Neptunes to remix the pledge of allegiance.

Photo: myspace.com/girltalkmusic