Rep. Joe Wilson is not going to apologize for his "You Lie!" outburst.
In case you’ve been sleeping, Rep. Joe Wilson, Republican from South Carolina interrupted Pres. Obama‘s speech on health care with a defiant "You lie!" shout-out from inside the House chamber.
The next day his website for campaign contributions crashed due to heavy volume from frantic new supporters.
Wilson says he’s apologized to Obama once but won’t do so again.
"’I am not going to apologize again,’ Wilson said on FoxNews Sunday. "I believe the American people know I’m a civil person. I respect the institution of the House. I have apologized to the president. I believe that should be enough."
But then he kept going, issuing a hard-hitting statement afterward.
"’The American people are fed up with the political games in Washington," Wilson stated. ‘I refuse to participate in an effort to divert our attention away from the task at hand of reforming health insurance and creating new jobs. Having apologized on Wednesday to the White House, we agreed that we must move forward in a civil manner to do the work the American people have sent us here to do.’"
Meanwhile President Obama then appeared on 60 Minutes, blaming the "coarsening" of the political discourse for Wilson’s outburst. He was asked if the House should rebuke Wilson for his inflammatory charge.
"But see, this is part of what happens," Obama chuckled. "I mean, it becomes a big circus instead of us focusing on health care."
But now WHO’s the ringmaster?
