This sets the precedent. Heckle the President in front of 30 million viewers and however many else via the news coverage and apologize privately. Increase your exposure by going on all of the wingnut talk shows, and have your outburst complicity supported by your leadership.

Can't wait for the State of the Union Address...

Majority Leader John Boehner and other House Republican leaders were quite open about their determination to force a vote that would alternately be used to attack Democrats as unpatriotic or expose them as hypocrites.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jun2006/iraq-j20.shtml

Hey, John? STFU.

Late Breaking News: Sens. Baucus and Conrad have just offered their heartfelt apologies to Rep. Wilson for the evil Democrats who are expressing their disapproval of Wilson's shouting out "You lie" at the president on the floor of the House. They are also moving to enact legislation that will bar Democrats from expressing disapproval at anything that Republicans do, regardless of whether current House or Senate rules, or state or federal laws, have been broken.

I say fuck decorum. In fact, let's up the ante. How about if the Dems just shout down any Republican that gets up to speak on the House floor, at any time. And then before they get a chance to return fire, up the ante again. Start breaking the furniture apart and whacking the Republicans with table legs. Smash chairs over their heads. And don't apologize.

Seriously, when and where does this bullshit end? The Republicans continue on with the air of entitlement that the previous administration had, the attitude that laws and rules or only meant for other people, and that Republicans should never ever have to pay the consequences for anything they do. What a bunch of goddam babies.

Boehner's just a chemically-tanned coward who have never added anything positive to the public debate.

Boehner's just a chemically-tanned coward who has never added anything positive to the public debate.

Let's speculate that this happened in 2005 and it was a Democrat who shouted at Bush.

Fox News, talk radio, Redstate, would be screaming at the top of their lungs how disrespectful Democrats are to the office of the President and this is a sign of how low they have sunk. The Dem in question would be forced to recant and apologize numerous times and would incur the wrath of a Congressional reprimand of the highest order. Democrats from coast to coast would quickly toss him/her under the bus, agreeing with their Republican counterparts about how rude and shameless it is to break the rules of Decorum, no matter how you might personally feel.

But, since it's a Republican who did the yelling to a Democratic president, he's now a hero, thumbing his nose at the rules of the House. Because Obama made him do it. It's not his fault. Really.

Good! Let's force the issue and enourage the Republicans to support the racist asshole from SC as much and as loudly as possible. Encourage them to play the martyrs on this and highlight at every point the racist motive behind it all.

Enough rope sums it up, I think.

If Dems keep their shit together and act like adults in the face of this circus (hopefully, is this possible?) then the repugs will hang themselves...not with their small base, but with the independents that really matter come voting time.

I think the real question is, and i'm almost afraid to ask it quite frankly, who are the real Dem leaders in the Senate and the House and when are they going to start acting like leaders. Repugs would hang themselves a lot sooner if we had some backbone and conviction on the hill.

I am convinced that there are people out there that are just unwilling to accept a black president.

This video is priceless. A few days ago, O'Reilly had Beck on his show to talk about racial issues. Beck said he is tired of this racism thing. You think?

http://progressnotcongress.org/?p=2901

Really? This is what we're going to go to the mat over?

Can someone explain why the Democrats always pick the wrong fights to dig in for? Joe Wilson is an insignificant little prick. I think most Americans recognize that. But pretty soon, this is going to sound like nothing more than whining. And in the end, all it will do is distract from the real debate. It's not the outburst that's important...it's the fact that Wilson was WRONG in what he said that really matters.

Could we maybe save a little energy for something worth fighting for...please?

from Maureen Dowd's column:
Congressman James Clyburn: "'In South Carolina politics, I learned that the olive branch works very seldom,” he said. “You have to come at these things from a position of strength. My father used to say, ‘Son, always remember that silence gives consent.’ ”

I don't know that I agree that the olive branch rarely works, (although I'll believe it of South Carolina politics!) but I do agree with slb that "civil discourse is worth a bit of a fight."

Boehner may vote "no" - all the Republicans may vote "no" ..... but that's not going to be a vote they will be happy to have hanging over them. It's THEIR institution that was disrespected, not just the President ... and someday it may be their President, as well.

Double down on stupid. No real surprise here.

Another gang No from the right. Imagine that. Not really worth getting a tan over though.