Joe Wilson's War- (plus a few comments of my own)

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Discourse: The reaction to the congressman's outburst shows what happens when you judge this president by the content of his character. In a post-racial presidency, charges of racism are the new last refuge of scoundrels.


When Joe Wilson, the decorum-challenged South Carolina Republican, reacted to President Obama's assertion that there was nothing in health care legislation giving coverage to illegal aliens by shouting "You lie!" he knew, as his critics ignore, that there was nothing requiring proof of citizenship either.

A nonpartisan Congressional Research Service study found that the House health care bill at that moment did not restrict illegal immigrants from receiving health care coverage.

"There were two opportunities for House Democrats to make clear that illegal immigrants wouldn't be covered by putting in requirements to show citizenships," House Minority Leader John Boehner said. "Both of those amendments were, in fact, rejected."

When the president mysteriously dropped the number of uninsured from the 47 million he had been insisting on to 30 million, perhaps he had in mind the charge that illegal aliens would be included and that Democrats in Congress were actively working to make that happen.

Congressional Democrats and the White House have been disingenuous in other ways. They talk about cutting $130 billion from Medicare Advantage without affecting services to seniors. They talk of savings from cutting waste from Medicare and Medicaid, even though this could have been done the day after the 2006 election with willing GOP help and as a stand-alone effort.

The president threw the GOP something of a carrot by saying he would "look into" malpractice reform and support "demonstration projects" at the state level. He ignores that malpractice reform has already been acceptable at the state level, most notably in Texas, and no further study is needed. He knows the Democrats' No. 1 lobby, the trial lawyers, would never permit real reform at the national level.

As we have written, malpractice abuse accounts for between 2% and 10% of all medical costs today. For a $2-trillion-a-year industry, even the low end would mean $40 billion a year in cost savings, and $400 billion over the 10-year period that Obama uses as his scale. Malpractice reform could also be handled as a stand-alone issue to control costs of defensive medicine. Why isn't it?

For his efforts, Joe Wilson has been subject to a barrage of ad hominem attacks. MSNBC's David Shuster, for example, reminded his viewers of "the fact that Joe Wilson is from South Carolina," which raised "the idea that maybe there was some sort of racist or bigoted element there."

Then there was Chris Matthews, also of MSNBC, saying Wilson's opposition to the president is based on "who he is, where he comes from, his background."

MSNBC, of course, is the network that tried to portray town hall protesters as white racists by using a doctored video showing a man "packing heat" outside an event where the president was speaking but edited in such a way as to conceal the fact that the man was actually African-American.

Over a screen banner asking "Motivated By Race?" CNN anchor Don Lemon previewed his 7 p.m. program Saturday night by citing Wilson, "town hallers yelling at lawmakers" and those "refusing to let kids hear the commander in chief. And on and on and on." The sour Lemon ended his tease: "What's behind it? Is it racial?"

Arguably the patron saint of unglued rhetoric, Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, wrote in her recent screed: "Some people just can't believe a black man is president and will never accept it." We accept it, Maureen, and Joe Wilson does too. (Is she serious??????)

What we cannot accept is the hypocrisy of those who cheered when moans and groans were directed at President George W. Bush during his speeches to Congress or when he had to dodge shoes tossed his way.
Politics, as they say, ain't beanbag. Joe Wilson, were he a member of the British Parliament chastising the prime minister face-to-face, would barely get noticed.

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I won't sit here and defend what Wilson did, like some have, but neither will I outright condemn him.I will defend what he said to the end because he was RIGHT, but I think he timing was inexcusable. Just because democrats repeatedly booed Bush (in chambers I might add) doesn't mean the Republicans have to sink to that level as well.
I think the overall lack of civility in this country is disgusting. What happened to being able to agree to disagree? Can't we disagree without degenerating into name calling and personal attacks? I vehemently disagree with Obama, but I do try to keep it civil. I don't always succeed, but I try real hard to.
Another thing I want to comment on is the apparent need of the democrats and liberals in Washington to call those who dare to disagree with the president racists. I am so freaking sick of it! Remember all the VICIOUS names that Bush was called and no one ever screamed race. Its ridiculous. I grant there are select FEW who might think that,but the MAJORITY don't agree with him because of his policies, attitude, the things he says and does, and his overall arrogance. That is why most people disagree with him and anybody that wants to keep throwing the race card around is not helping this country any and is in fact doing great harm to race relations in this country. I have said it before and I will say it again. I DON'T CARE THAT HE IS BLACK (half actually but that is besides the point), what I do care about are the horrible things he is trying to get passed in congress. Most of it is just downright socialistic and unconstitutional at worst and at best potentially devastating to our economy. (I dont use these names lightly either. I have heard him and his policies called much worse and for the record I think those folks are way out of line)
I just wonder now that people are slowly starting to wake up, if its just too little too late?
Time will tell.