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Republican Congressman Joe Wilson’s half-assed apology for yelling “You lie!” during the president’s speech is a glaring example of Washington D.C.’s lack of political backbone.

Political correctness includes the word “political” for a reason.

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Plenty of congressmen could be heard murmuring and raising their voices prior to Wilson’s outburst, he just happened to say it while nobody was else was talking, and Barack Obama just happened to acknowledge him.

So what.

Listen to Obama’s speech. He called people liars right and left, including the politicians he was addressing. He said “bogus claims” by “prominent politicians” were “lies plain and simple.” It was only a few moments later when Wilson hollered, “You lie!”

If Wilson thinks Obama is a liar, he should be applauded for saying so in a public venue. Maybe that wasn’t the right time or place, but he certainly got his point across. If his constituents don’t like his point, they can get rid of him. But at least he’s got a point.

Politicians are supposed to fight for what they think is right. And since pistols and duels are no longer proper behavior, words are the accessible weapon of choice. Wilson wielded his well.

18 COMMENTS

  1. Because Joe Wilson is a lowly Congressman and Barack Obama is the President of the United States. It’s a matter of common decency and respect. Joe Wilson did not have the mic, or the stage, nor was he addressing congress. He apologized b/c he realized what he did was wrong. Plain and simple. Yes, President Obama was calling people liars. He was calling LIARS liars.

  2. Well, Joe Wilson was well within his rights to lie to America. Anyone who reads the bill can plainly see that NOWHERE in it does it provide for free health care for illegal immigrants. Of course they can PURCHASE it and anybody who has a problem with that is just ignorant-even if you hate immigrants, the bigger the pool of people buying insurance (in theory) the lower costs will be. So it benefits even the racists to allow immigrants to PURCHASE insurance. Joe Wilson can say whatever he likes, as can Obama.

  3. He should have said, “Not true”! That way it could have been possible that Obama was mistaken; not being untruthful. That would have shown respect for the office.

    The leftists completely trashed the office under Bush. There are many solid examples of this.

    Conservatives need to respect the office and not lower themselves to the standards of the left.

  4. They all lie. Politicians are slime, at least the career politicians are. Tghey are in the pockets of the lobbyists and the rich corporations and they don’t give a damn about nobody else.

  5. Well said, Mr. Prince. Politics was never meant to be, and never has been a gentleman’s sport in the US. Had a congressman jumped up and called Bush a liar during a speech, he would have been lauded for “speaking truth to power”.

    Oddly, the day after Wilson’s comment, dem’s closed the loophole that was cause for his outburst, so it appears that while Obama may not have technically lied – there was no specific language which extended benefits to illegals, just no safeguard against it – his disingenuous approach is beginning to wear thin.

    Now, about the claim that the proposal won’t add one dime to the deficit, is there anyone that truly believes that? Certainly not the CBO. I suppose they are liars. as well?

    Also, any guesses as to why we have to ram this through when it won’t be enacted until 2013? Could it be dem’s are hedging against a disaster which might affect Obama’s re-election?

    Ditto the stimulus, which had to pass in a matter of days to save the economy, but which is backloaded to spread the wealth closer to the ’10 elections.

    Maybe I’m just getting too old and cynical about pols of any stripe.

  6. “…NOWHERE in it does it provide for free health care for illegal immigrants”.

    Nowhere in the bill was any provision to prevent it, either – that is the point.

    Repub’s had verification language in there, dem’s stripped it out, and after Joe Wilson “lied”, they put it back in. What does that tell you?

  7. The big fear, is that this health care takeover is happening whether we like it or not. Speaking out (even if the time and place is somewhat inappropriate) is the last civilized way we citizens can do anything about it. Other than that we can feel helpless as our so-called representatives ignore us. Ignore us as they have on immigration, the deficit, corruption, the bankruptcy of Fannie Mae and Freddie mac, Social Security Medicare and Medicaid. now healthcare. Many of those in congress who lead us to this sad state over the last 15 years are still in congress telling us that they and they alone are our salvation.

  8. I am a 14 year old girl, who listen to the speech on Wednesday. I am appalled at what has be happening in Congress over the past year, spiking during the election. He said that he won’t use our tax dollars for abortions, but HE’S ALREADY DOING IT! It just infuriates me that while not the generation before me might not pay so much, mine will! Also, after the defecate grows out of control, it will be 10 years from now, when Obama is out of office! I wish I was old enough to vote!

  9. You can read the bill online. It’s H.R.3200. Just google that. Joe Wilson appologized because he was told to. He didn’t mean it. He still doesn’t understand that yelling at the president during his address to Congress and the American people is disrespectful.

  10. All the concern over illegal immigrants getting healthcare reminds me of how the USA denied personhood to native peoples back in the 1870’s. At that time immigrants from anywhere in the world had basic rights but not the Indians. They were even lower than blacks in those days. At least Dred Scott was able to have his freedom bought for him. Indians were forced to live in a godforsaken corner of Oklahoma. On the forced march there thousands of them died for lack of food and basic care. I don’t think a proper apology was ever issued.

  11. Don, head on down to Cherokee, NC and set up a booth next to Susie the pop-drinking bear, and ‘ll do my apologies at the Tonkowa Casino bar. Since I’m 1/32 Cherokee, I can buy myself a drink and kill two birds with one shot.

  12. The difference between Obama calling them liars and Wilson calling Obama a liar is simple.

    Obama had the stage. It was his speech and his time to be speaking, and he had every right TO be talking, whether he was telling the truth or not.

    Wilson did not have the stage. He was in the audience and should have not been speaking. His outburst, however true or untrue it may have been, was just plain rude because he interrupted the person he was supposed to be listening.

    THAT was why he should’ve apologized. Not for what he said, but when he said it. He’s perfectly free to call anyone he wants a liar – when he’s not interrupting other people to do so.

  13. Jeff: You missed the point entirely. Obama called out people who were lying. Flat out making up shit about the Health Care bill. The representative was lying in saying that the bill would allow illegal immigrants to get health care. So there was only one liar at that fracas and that was the rep. If Barton had spoken, he’d have been a liar too.
    So if you want to say “Call a liar a liar”, Obama had truth on his side with the fact that no illegal immigrant will be allowed healthcare free.
    The rest of them who deny that are flat out liars and Obama has the right to call them that. But to call a man telling the truth, on record truth, a liar on a point that has already been written is not the truth.
    So put your pants on the right way tomorrow and make sure you don’t see the sunrise as the sunset. Wrong Wrong Wrong call on this one. Wilson can be an asshole, and he is, but he can’t be a correct asshole on this one.

  14. “So if you want to say “Call a liar a liar”, Obama had truth on his side with the fact that no illegal immigrant will be allowed healthcare free.”

    Well, that’s not a factual.

    The dem’s bill provided the same protection from abuse as Medicare (and most other social programs) .

    So, clearly, illegal aliens would access the program.

    I’m not calling him a liar, he may believe what he stated, but there is nothing that suggests that his statement was in any way factual, though it was full of Hope.

  15. “Jeff: You missed the point entirely. Obama called out people who were lying.”

    Which is a small position to take as the leader of the Free World. The man has to grow up, this is not a Chicago bubble.

    He reminds me of Nixon in ways. Upside? He’ll get us out of Afghanistan.

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