Turn back the clocks to 2009. Newly christened President Obama is giving his address on healthcare reform to a packed Congress. The President says “There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false – the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.” A matter of fact statement that everyone knew was true but that some pundits kept refused to believe. Then a voice rings out like a catfight in the night. “You lie!” The heckler was Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina’s second district, a Republican lovechild who favors arming airline pilots, giving tax credits to living organ donors and federal prohibition of online poker.
Fast-forward to today. Anthony Weiner has been cast out of the House for sending pictures of his junk to consenting women. Neither of the acts is illegal in the letter of the law, but Weiner became a martyr while Wilson got a slap on the wrist. That’s right, the Representative who showed ignorance and insubordination towards the President of the United States got off scot-free. All he had to do was issue a half-hearted apology towards Obama. “This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill. 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.” Even in his apology he said that Obama was wrong.
This is not the first controversy that Wilson has been involved with. In 2002 Wilson and Democratic Congressman Bob Filner were discussing Iraq weapons of mass destruction on C-SPAN. When Filner said that the US had supplied Iraq with “chemical and biological” weapons, Wilson said point blank that Filner was wrong, that he had made that up. “This hatred of America by some people is just outrageous. And you need to get over that.” When it turned out Filner was right, Wilson was forced to issue an apology. In 2003 it was revealed that the late Senator Strom Thurmond had a child out of wedlock with his black maid. Wilson adamantly said that girl’s story was not true, and that even if it was true, she should never have revealed it because it was a “smear” campaign and would “diminish” Thurmond’s legacy. When the Thurmond family came forward and said the girl was in fact the Senator’s illegitimate lovechild, Wilson again had to apologize but said he still didn’t believe that she should have come forward with the truth.
Joe Wilson is not so much a statement of his own perseverance but rather the lack of balls the Democrats continue to show. Weiner was thrown out like a disease ridden dog who growled one too many times. A shit storm rose up and he was caught in the crosshairs. Wilson, on the other hand, got to point his finger square at the President and laugh at his face. And nothing came of it. Time after time, Wilson has been able to stir up controversy and make us forget about it. Where others have fallen, he has remained. He is apparently a lot like the character Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption when he escapes from prison. Joe Wilson, the man who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side.
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