Published: September 16, 2009 07:54 am      

Wilson and shoe thrower not dissimilar

Much ado has been made about the decreasing levels of civility in America, and there is something to the charge. Anecdotal evidence abounds that we are a less polite culture than even a few decades ago. This is unfortunate.

South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson and the Iraqi shoe thrower recently released from prison have a couple of things in common. Wilson, the world knows, took exception to Pres. Barack Obama’s assertion before a joint session of Congress that illegal aliens are not included in his health care plan.

Wilson yelled out, “Liar!” to express his doubt.

Muntader al-Azidi, the Iraqi shoe thrower - a journalist no less, threw his shoes at Pres. George Bush during his final trip to Iraq in the waning days of his administration. Showing the underside of one’s shoes to an Iraqi is a terrific insult. Throwing a shoe presumably ups the insult quotient by a significant margin.

Wilson and Azidi have this in common: They are both being heralded as heroes by large portions of their countrymen and women. The second thing they have in common is that neither of them deserve to be heralded for anything other than the fact they succumbed to a moment of emotional buffoonery.

The Iraqi shoe thrower got jail time for his actions. He’s probably fortunate Bush’s Secret Service detail showed restraint and didn’t shoot him for threatening the president.

The best that can be said about Rep. Wilson is that he apologized to President Obama. He should have. And it may turn out that his outburst has stirred up his political opposition to the point he may experience a much tougher race this time around than he otherwise would have had he kept his mouth shut.

His defeat in the next Congressional election may be his severest penalty.

— Loné Beasley