Free Press/AP Running Interference For Obama/Democrats

Up until a week a go Joe Wilson was a substantially anonymous member of the South Carolina delegation to the US House of Representatives. That anonymity lasted about five seconds after he called out "You lie!" from the floor during a speech by President Obama trying to sell his massive socialist takeover of the health care industry.

"You lie!"

I have said that I think there are better places for outbursts like this to occur, but there is no questioning that his questionable antics have gathered much fruit. His outburst, while breaching decorum, is hardly unprecedented unless you look at what was said through the magnifying lens of minutia.

The Detroit Free Press has a headline today titled Outburst in speech may be a 1st in U.S. Wow. Really?

Fred Beuttler, deputy historian at the House of Representatives, called the Wilson incident "highly unusual, if not unique."

"Occasionally, members of the opposing party have been known to boo and jeer as expressions of dissent on a specific point," Beuttler said. But before Wednesday, he says, "expressions of individual opposition of members to a president's speech had not been recorded."

My emphasis. So, the fact that it was a one member outburst make it unique?

Some have compared Wilson's outburst to those that occur routinely in Britain's House of Commons, when the prime minister is answering questions. But one political analyst says this is vastly different because the prime minister isn't the head of state.

"We expect a certain amount of deference to the president in the same way as we would for the queen," said Steven Cohen, professor of public administration at Columbia University.

Unless, of course, it is a whole pack of outbursting Democrats booing the bejeebus out of a President's assertion during a speech that Social Security will face insolvency if something is not done soon.

To another political analyst, it's the nature of the accusation -- an elected official calling the president a liar -- that is not only a serious breach (accusations of lying are forbidden under House rules) but also extremely rare in politics.

"Accusing someone of lying is impugning their integrity," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, an expert on political communication at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

So, an organized boo and hiss session perpetrated by Democrats when a Republican president is standing behind the podium is not specifically calling the President a liar, and is therefor a lot different and more forgivable than a solitary member momentarily losing his composure and yelling out "You lie!"

Thanks. I'm glad we got that cleared up.