It's a shame that more didn't just put Wilson and the sign-holders and the legislation-wavers in context.

Let the kiddies hope for a stop by the Dems' health-care bus tour at Fort Sumter; otherwise, grow up.

Different party same deal.

Did he call Bush a liar as Bush was giving a speech before a joint session of Congress?”

No.

Now answer mine

Has the leader of any party in either House of Congress ever called a sitting President a liar on national TV before? or was that also unprecedneted?

Also do you think it was inappropriate, both Reid's remarks and the fact that he never apologized for them?

Shouldn't Reid have given an apology, apology that Wilson was man enough to do?

Shouldn't Democrats have asked Reid to give one, something the GOP did do in regards to Wilson?

I answered my question, now would any of you answered mine, which I asked first, and which remain unanswered, and please do so without a wimp out whinny little justification of “Oh, our precious wittle democratic Seantor did it on national TV but not the floor of the house”. (I hope the condescending tone translates into my typing, probably not well enough).

So answer the questions.

Note that 'equivalencies' were only raised here after certain bloggers began hyping a blurted out comment for which the offender apologized as THE WORST EXAMPLE OF INCIVILITY EVER DIRECTED TOWARD A PRESIDENT AND AN ACT OF UTMOST SIGNIFICANCE WHICH MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN BECAUSE IT IS AN UNPRECEDENTED LOW WHICH MUST HAVE BEEN MOTIVATED BY RACISM.

Stick with a rational perspective- it was an act in bad taste, unprecedented to a slight degree (I don't actually see why it's worse than a mass of people booing, which is just as disruptive and disrespectful) because of the venue.

But stick to calling the guy out on it, accepting that Obama has accepted his apology- and you won't have people pushing back against your irrational hyperbole about the heinous nature of the act.

I believe that politicians accuse each other of lying all the time. But to my knowledge no sitting member of Congress has screamed “You lie!” as the President addressed a joint session of Congress.

It would also be nice to see a link to this Harry Reid quote. Exact words and context are always really nice to have.

Finally, your and others' continuing attempt to trivialize or excuse an unprecedented, shockingly disrespectful and inappropriate disruption of a presidential address to a joint session of Congress by bringing up every ordinary example of rudeness you can find, is disgraceful. It's disgraceful, Leonidas. It's shameful. It's contemptible.

“You lie! Lies!” is obviously rude and disrespectful and uncivil, but it also goes well beyond those characterizations.Think about this for a minute. Booing the President (or anyone) says “I disagree with you. I dislike what you're saying. I don't want to hear what you're saying.” Engaging in inappropriate activities like texting on a Blackberry says, “I'm bored, I don't care about what you're saying, I don't need to listen to you.” But Obama certainly would not have known that Cantor was doing that unless he looked at a video afterward or someone told him. It's rude, but it's not disruptive. Same with eye-rolling and mugging.

So how would you rate Senate majority Leader Harry Reid calling Bush a liar on National TV Kathy?

Did he call Bush a liar as Bush was giving a speech before a joint session of Congress?

“You lie! Lies!” is obviously rude and disrespectful and uncivil, but it also goes well beyond those characterizations.Think about this for a minute. Booing the President (or anyone) says “I disagree with you. I dislike what you're saying. I don't want to hear what you're saying.” Engaging in inappropriate activities like texting on a Blackberry says, “I'm bored, I don't care about what you're saying, I don't need to listen to you.” But Obama certainly would not have known that Cantor was doing that unless he looked at a video afterward or someone told him. It's rude, but it's not disruptive. Same with eye-rolling and mugging.

Again I mention that you forgot to mention harry Reid calling Bush a liar.

But what does screaming “You lie! Lies!” as Pres. Obama speaks to a joint session of Congress say? It's not just the words, it's the venue. In my view, that action says, “You are not worth even the ceremonial respect and observance of protocol given to every president in U.S. history at solemn occasions like a joint session of Congress.” It expresses contempt. It says, “You may be the president, but you have no legitimacy, you shouldn't be there, you are a usurper, you are not owed any respect as the person who occupies the office of the President.”

After Wilson's outburst, when Rahm Emanuel went up to the Republicans sitting around him, Dana Milbank reported his exact words. He said, “No president has ever been treated that way. My advice to you is that he apologize quickly. You have my number.”

“No president has ever been treated that way.” I'm no huge fan of Rahm Emanuel, but in this he was 100 percent correct. “No president has ever been treated that way.” That is the line that Wilson crossed. And no counter-example that anyone here has given crosses that line.

I suspect there is some truth to what you say – as I was reading this thread I had to switch off from MSNBC, because they had Jesse Jackson on the TV, expounding how every little thing that the republicans has been doing (including the Joe “The Liar” Wilson outburst) is really racist. Everything. Racism.

Please.

The outrage over Joe “The Liar” Wilson's faux-pas was entirely justified…for a day. He apologized, Obama accepted the apology, and said “Let's move on”. In fact, a huge theme of Obama's entire speech, not to mention his whole over-arching administration, is getting beyond petty politicization and bickering and find common ground to move forward. I doubt that the reactionaries on the far right will ever embrace that, but I would hope that more so-called “progressives” on the far left would at least give it a try.

Clue to the far left who are still digging up dirt on Joe “The Liar” Wilson and poking him in the face: Villifying him yesterday (Thursday) was fine, but continuing to pound at him over and over again only plays into his hands as a victim who goes from being tsk-tsked by his fellow conservatives to receiving sympathy for the heavy-handed dogpiling. Drop it, move on, and focus on pushing back against the lie that illegal immigrants will be covered by the health care bill instead of focusing on the politician.

DLS, if those idiotic quips you endlessly indulge in are related to a medical problem then you have my sympathy. If not… then why even pretend you care about what goes on here?

'Un-American' attacks can't derail health care debate

By Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/08/unameric…

Your other comments are well taken. Both parties need to take the proverbial logs out of their own eyes.

As to the polarization, it's not so much that it's worse as it appears more visceral (seriously, how many people who despised George W Bush on the left showed up outside his speaking events carrying guns?! I'd bet dollars to donuts none.). What does it say about America when people who disagree can't at least be civil and respectful of each other? Aren't we ultimately all supposed to be in this together; united we stand, divided we fall and all that? Yes, there are those on both sides that are to blame for this so those that insist on acting like children should step out of the way to let those willing to act like adults work to get things done.