all he had to do was apologize to his colleagues in the House

[novapsyche]

I haven't been able to get online much these last few days. Logging on this morning, I almost missed the fact that Joe Wilson was indeed censured punished with "disapproval" by the House [WashPost article]. Of course, now there are folks who are saying that a censure such a measure amounted to "slapping his wrist"; this type of comment is sidling alongside others from those who feel that any formal rebuke "made a martyr" out of Wilson. Pick one, people: you can't have it both ways.

Maureen Dowd at NYT had this to say Sunday:

I've been loath to admit that the shrieking lunacy of the summer--the frantic efforts to paint our first black president as the Other, a foreigner, socialist, fascist, Marxist, racist, Commie, Nazi; a cad who would snuff old people; a snake who would indoctrinate kids--had much to do with race.

I tended to agree with some Obama advisers that Democratic presidents typically have provoked a frothing response from paranoids--from Father Coughlin against F.D.R. to Joe McCarthy against Truman to the John Birchers against J.F.K. and the vast right-wing conspiracy against Bill Clinton.

But Wilson's shocking disrespect for the office of the president--no Democrat ever shouted "liar" at W. when he was hawking a fake case for war in Iraq--convinced me: Some people just can't believe a black man is president and will never accept it.