…and is not often found paired in a sentence with “Barack Obama.”
But don’t call Obammy a “liar”, “hypocrite”, “cowardly”, or “intellectually dishonest” as the First Amendment has no place in the House.
The Economist, not bound by such childish attempts at squelching free speech, has no problem calling Jimmy II a liar. They just use bigger, prettier words.
…on his speech on America’s financial collapse:
Which is to say…
“You lie!”
In all fairness however, one must attempt to discern if Obama (and his accomplice TOTUS) are:
- employing deliberate disingenuousness or if
- President Bush is correct in saying Obama is without a clue, i.e. Obama’s just stoopid with numbers and math and money.
I might suggest 3. (1+2=3)
Maureen Dowd is right. You’re just not comfortable with an intelligent black man in the White House.
Baseless accusations of racism are really easy!
Someday when that happens we shall see about that.
Disengenuious is the most apt description of your post here John. The First Amendment isn’t at issue – and you know it – the rules of the house are, and this man was reprimanded by his party for an ugly outburst. That’s all this was and all this is. Turning it into a mountain of vitriole about how he’s being squelched will only make you (and others) look vindictive, petty, and mean. But go ahead – prove that lack of civility really IS the issue, by reinforcing Wilson’s lack of civility.
Kermit,
I don’t think racism was Wilson’s issue, conversely, there certainly have been a string of racist incidents coming from Republicans since his election – or do you find pictures of the WH lawn strewn with watermelons, or pictures/drawings of all the Presidents except for the one for Obama showing only his eyes, do you find those tasteful, non-racist?
The First Amendment isn’t at issue – and you know it – the rules of the house are, and this man was reprimanded by his party for an ugly outburst.
Is congress technically “in session” when the President is addressing them? If so, then he broke house decorum rules. No argument. He immediately apologized to the President himself
However, it is so plainly obvious that there are partisan Tic double standards in the House. One for republicans who burst out during times when the House rules may or may not apply, and one for democrats who burst out (twice in the same speech) while the House rules absolutely DO apply.
http://www.thefoxnation.com/pete-stark/2009/09/15/flashback-pete-stark-d-calif-calls-bush-liar-house-floor
(No apologies given. Ever.)
Like others (Kermit? Mitch?) here have said before: If standards are good, double standards are better.
How can Tics look themselves in the mirror when they are committing such patently childish and blatantly political thuggery? Easy: They have no soul.
(I think the Tic categorization should not be forgotten. Of course, that makes me a racist now)
Of course they are tasteless, Peev. Much of comedy in America is tasteless. The pictures of Bush as a monkey or Hitler were equally tasteless.
What is disturbing is the the way the Left tries to paint all opposition to Obama as racist (see angryclown). The worthless Jimmy Carter is the latest to employ this strategy, and it is despicable. And it is itself racist.
If we can’t call Dear Leader a liar when he’s spent 45 minutes telling lie after lie to Congress, we have a problem, and a big one. Something is seriously wrong whe we can have idiots like Barney Frank and the late Teddy Kennedy viciously slandering people with no action taken, but when Joe Wilson says something absolutely true, he’s in mucho trouble.
Please.
I lost interest in house rules when it is clear corruption, lying, stealing, abusing the power of your office, is all permitted provided you vote with the majority. Someone calling the president a liar during a speech in which not only is he lying, but he is calling HIS opponents liars, isn’t even on my radar.
If you don’t want to be called a liar:
1. Don’t lie; or
2. Go ahead and lie, but don’t do it in person, where people can respond. Tape your speech and mail it to Congress instead.
.
What if Wilson would have called him a “Weasel?”
Then Congress would have added “Weasel” to the non-utterance rules.
Animal rights activists would have been all-up-in their faces.
Weasels, and other small mammals would have protested.
Jimmy Carter I would somehow count “Weasel” as a racist slur.
Cats and Dogs sleeping together…
Scary.
Weasel? Then Wilson would have to apologize to Bobby Heenan.
Hmmm. Barack “The Brain” Obama does have a ring to it, though.
Wilson should have used Yiddish – called him a putz. That would really set Carter off.
Wilson should have paid Rep. Pete Stark to call the president a liar since Stark has done it before on the House floor.