Well Damn! Somebody finally SAID IT!!

"White Caucus" is a code word. It means "You are a racist".

Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst last week drew new recriminations from his colleagues Tuesday, with a member of the Congressional Black Caucus suggesting that a failure to rebuke the South Carolina Republican would be tantamount to supporting the most blatant form of organized racism in American history.

Making an obvious reference to the Ku Klux Klan, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said Tuesday that people will be putting on "white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside" if emerging racist attitudes, which he says were subtly supported by Wilson, are not rebuked. He said Wilson must be disciplined as an example.

WASHINGTON " Republican Rep. Joe Wilson may have violated good taste when he yelled "You lie!" at President Barack Obama last week, and Democrats are moving forward with a resolution scolding him for it. But did he break any specific House rules?

The answer is more complicated than it seems, and the rules that some initially cited don't appear to apply.

The House generally requires its members to abstain from personal insults during debate. Over the years, the institution has developed a long list of precedents deemed out of order, including insults directed at the president.

Some are downright odd: You can't call the president "a little bugger" or refer to any alleged sexual misconduct, for example. Others are more predictable: Don't call the president a liar or accuse him of lying.

Democrats initially cited the latter precedent in saying Wilson's outburst was a violation.

But Wilson, R-S.C., could get off on a technicality on that score because Congress was meeting in a special joint session for Obama's speech on Wednesday, not under the House's normal rules of debate.

"It doesn't violate House rules because the House wasn't in (normal) session," said Donald Wolfensberger, director of the Congress Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.

Wolfensberger noted that under regular rules, House lawmakers wouldn't be allowed to stand and cheer as they frequently do at presidential speeches before Congress.

House Parliamentarian John Sullivan agreed that the House's rules on debate probably don't apply to the incident. But he and others said the House has wide latitude in interpreting its general code of conduct that says "a lawmaker shall conduct himself at all times in a manner which shall reflect creditably on the House of Representatives."

By GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - Former President Jimmy Carter says Congressman Joe Wilson's outburst to President Barack Obama last week was an act "based on racism." Carter says Wilson's comment was part of an "inherent feeling" of some in this country who feel that a black man should not be president.

Carter called Wilson's comment "dastardly" and said the president should be treated with respect.

The South Carolina Republican lawmaker was formally rebuked Tuesday in a House vote divided by party lines. Wilson shouted "You lie!" during Obama's speech to Congress last Wednesday.

Carter was responding to a question submitted Tuesday night at a town hall held at his presidential center in Atlanta.

Wilson's spokesman was not immediately available for comment, but his eldest son defended his father.

"There is not a racist bone in my dad's body," said Alan Wilson, an Iraq veteran who is running for state attorney general. "He doesn't even laugh at distasteful jokes. I won't comment on former President Carter, because I don't know President Carter. But I know my dad, and it's just not in him."

"It's unfortunate people make that jump. People can disagree " and appropriately disagree " on issues of substance, but when they make the jump to race it's absolutely ludicrous. My brothers and I were raised by our parents to respect everyone regardless of background or race."

South Carolina's former Democratic Party chairman said that he doesn't believe Wilson was motivated by racism, but said the outburst encouraged racist views.

"I think Joe's conduct was asinine, but I think it would be asinine no matter what the color of the president," said Dick Harpootlian, who has known Wilson for decades. "I don't think Joe's outburst was caused by President Obama being African-American. I think it was caused by no filter being between his brain and his mouth."

The resolution was actively promoted by African-American lawmakers, some of whom argued that Wilson would not have shown such disrespect if Obama were white.

Wilson was widely described as a little-known but sometimes aggressive backbencher. His outburst was triggered by his opposition to allowing illegal immigrants to obtain public help for health care.

"When this broke, most people didn't really know about Congressman Wilson. But the Indian-American community knows him pretty well," said Sanjay Puri, chairman of the US Indian Political Action Committee.

Wilson, who recounts positive experiences with South Asians as a child, was formerly co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans.

He co-sponsored a bill -- approved in 2007 in a far quieter vote than Tuesday's reprimand against him -- that recognized the religious significance of the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali.

Wilson was also a strong advocate for a landmark accord spearheaded by former president George W. Bush that gave India access to civilian nuclear technology despite its refusal to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Puri, the Indian-American activist, said that the white 62-year-old Southerner was a fixture at South Asia-related events in Washington.

"I've met him many, many times and he's always been very positive and very outgoing and high-energy," he said.

"I've never seen anything like this," Puri said of Wilson's outburst. "I was very surprised."

Jimmy Carter cites racism as anti-Obama factor. Instant reaction: Kiss of Death. Gift to the GOPs. Remember the Carter era of smug moralizing? Anyone want to go back to that? ... P.S.: A good example of how, if the MSM wants to tilt against the Republicans, it's often too wedded to its own conventions--e.g., the desire to 'make news' with an ex-Pres.--to be effective. ... No sophisticated campaign propagandist would say, "OK, let's throw Jimmy Carter at them. They'll be reeling!" ....6:42 P.M.

The High Ground Feels a Little Lonely



Last week, Rep. Joe Wilson was in disgrace for shouting "You lie!" at President Obama on the House floor. But on Tuesday evening, the South Carolina Republican was back on the floor in a new role: martyr

Are ya'll done with your round of White Male Outrage (tm), yet?

Everything. As each and every one of you know in your heart. But you just don't have the balls to be upfront about it. I guess that was the whole point of the sheets and hood, huh?