"YOU LIE!"

By now everyone has seen -- or at least heard of -- Rethug Congressman Joe Wilson (R-Deepsouth Racist) calling the president of the United States a liar during a joint session of congress.

In case you've been under a rock, here's the video clip from last night's address:

Naturally the wingnut pigs on Faux News and the rightwing airwaves have been falling over themselves, predictably, with variations on "The Democrats did it to Bush", etc. etc.

Now is the time to call bullshit on that. I challenge anyone to come up with a video that shows anything even mildly similar to this incident. My next month's salary to the lucky rightwing pinhead who can do it. Good luck to you on trying to find it.

Anyway, back to Wilson. After seeing the shitstorm he'd created, he did call the White House later last night to apologize personally to Obama. His phone call, however, was taken by Rahm Emanuel, who said he'd pass it on.

While it wasn't entirely one of those famous Republican-patented non-apology apologies, it did come pretty close: "This evening I let my emotions get the best of me. While I disagree with the president's statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility."

Bullshit. That isn't good enough. He needs to apologize to Congress for his boorish and totally uncalled-for behavior, and to the the American people.

Good luck on that happening.

In the larger picture, though, if a member of Congress can get that carried away with his emotions, to call the President of the United States, addressing a joint session of Congress on national television a liar -- shouting it out -- because he let his emotions get the best of him, then maybe members of Congress as well as the general public need to pass through metal detectors before they take their seats. Who's to say that the next time some Rethug (it's always them, isn't it) gets so wound up that he'll open fire with an Uzi streetsweeper?

Okay, back to Wilson. His bio says that he was in the military (albeit the Army Reserve and National Guard) from 1972 to 1975. As an officer! When I was in the military, pretty close to the same time as Wilson -- except of course I went to Vietnam and he didn't -- it was beaten into our heads that no matter what kind of an asshole your superior officer happened to be, you had to respect the rank, if not the person.

And that apparently is a lesson that Wilson never learned. Or chose to forget. I can just imagine what would have happened to some hapless 2nd Lieutenant who let his "emotions get the best of him" and shouted at Wilson "You lie!" during a military formation.

And that's why Wilson's outburst is even more reprehensible. It's one thing for a no-nothing idiot first-term freshman congressman to let something like that slip out. It's something else for an experienced politician who was also a military officer to do it.

Wilson' opponent in next year's election is a guy named Rob Miller, who is also a veteran (a real veteran) of 13 years in the Marine Corps, including two tours in Iraq, and a Democrat!

Rob is going to need some funds to send this neanderthal Rethug pig packing. Please contribute as much as you can to his campaign.