When Rep. Joe Wilson (R, S.C.) yelled “You lie!” at President Obama during his health-care speech, said Dana Milbank in The Washington Post, “the nation’s rapidly deteriorating discourse hit yet another low.” But Wilson’s outburst, in response to Obama’s assertion that his plan would not cover illegal immigrants, was “only the most flagrant” of the House Republicans’ “appalling” antics—boos, hisses, and less-show-stealing outbursts such as “Shame!” (watch Wilson heckle Obama)
Wilson “deserves censure” for his conduct, said John Podheretz in Commentary. There’s “no excuse” for interrupting the president while he’s speaking to a joint session of Congress. That said, Wilson “is about to become a folk hero.”
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