Just two words have vaulted Addison G. “Joe” Wilson, a relatively obscure Republican member of Congress from South Carolina, into national prominence.
During Barack Obama’s address Wednesday to a joint session of Congress, Wilson yelled out “You lie” after the president stated that the health care reform would not insure illegal immigrants.
This breach of decorum triggered criticism of Wilson from Democrats and Republicans alike.
Joe Wilson
The New York Times reports that Rahm Emanuel, a former member of Congress and Obama’s chief of staff, said, “No president has ever been treated like that. Ever.”
Republican Sen. John McCain, Obama’s opponent in the 2008 presidential race, told CNN’s Larry King that Wilson “should apologize for it immediately.”
Wilson got the hint.
His office released an apology in which Wilson said, “I let my emotions get the best of me … My comments were inappropriate and regrettable.”
Unable to reach the president personally, Wilson expressed his regrets to Obama via Emanuel, who accepted the apology on Obama’s behalf.
Thursday morning, Obama accepted Wilson’s regrets.
“I’m a big believer that we all make mistakes,” the president said. “He apologized quickly and without equivocation and I’m appreciative of that.”
As Wilson scrambled to express his contrition, so did members of the media and the general public hustle to find out who he was, a new interest that had paralyzed Wilson’s official website Thursday morning.
But other online sources reveal that Wilson is 62 and a graduate of the University of South Carolina Law School.
He interned in Sen. Strom Thurmond’s office in 1965 and later worked on Thurmond’s Senate campaigns.
Wilson was a member of the South Carolina Senate in 2001 when he ran for a seat in Congress made vacant by the death of Rep. Floyd Spence.
Wilson won with 73 percent of the vote. He has been re-elected four times since then, the closest race coming in 2008 when he won with 54 percent of the vote.
In Congress, Wilson has been a dependable conservative vote.
He has opposed human embryonic stem cell research, and he supported building a fence along the Mexican border.
Wilson did vote for last September’s $700 billion bailout bill.
But he has consistently opposed Democratic health care proposals as too costly.
A former member of the U.S. Army Reserves, Wilson serves on the Armed Services Committee in the House, as well as the Education and Labor Committee and the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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4 Comments
#1. GO GO JOE 09.10.2009
Keep yelling, Joe! Republicans are the only ones demanding the TRUTH! Obama, where is your BIRTH CERTIFICATE!???
#2. Okpulot Taha 09.10.2009
There is a serious problem with Obama’s speech. Personally, I caught Obama lying several times. Those lies of Obama will come to light, will come to the forefront of discussions. Obama lying not only to America but also lying to our entire world is extremely offensive and certainly deserving of having a person shout out “you lie” in anger.
I would have enjoyed being there in the chamber to throw rotten tomatoes and heads of cabbage at Obama; I do not tolerate liars.
Consensus estimates are about 6 million illegal aliens will be insured by Obama’s health plan at a cost of roughly 30 billion dollars a year for American taxpayers. This is offensive. This angers me.
Obama is a habitual liar. He must be called out on his lying even if during a joint session of Congress. Obama lying to America is extremely dangerous.
What other lies is Obama telling us?
Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
Puma Politics
#3. Russ 09.10.2009
And now, the inevitable musical remix…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCTnabi8M_I
#4. Walter Ford 09.12.2009
Wilson wants to get rid of “government run health care”- that’s strange, since he and his family are ALL on the government health care system known as TRI-CARE, for the military. They receive the best health care your tax dollars can buy, and will do so till they die. I am sure he will want that to go away also, so he and his family can try and get private insurance like the rest of us.
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