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Biden: Joe Wilson 'Embarrassed An Institution I Love'

Versha Sharma | September 10, 2009, 9:54AM

Barack Obama, Health care, Joe Biden, Joe Wilson

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Vice President Biden admonished Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) for his outburst at President Obama's speech last night and said he "embarrassed an institution I love." Speaking on The Today Show with Meredith Viera, he also said Wilson realized what he did and apologized, and "we accept the apology." Watch the video below.

Biden also said "the real message" to come out of the incident was the reaction of others: "John McCain and the Republican leadership - what did they do? They immediately stepped away from Joe's outburst. I think what you saw last night was the exception to the rule....I saw unity in the Congress in terms of the response to Joe Wilson's demeaning comment, not only to the President, but to an institution I love."

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7 comments

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714Day

September 10, 2009 10:56 AM

If Joe's apology is published nationwide, with a correction of his horse manure falsehood, counter posed by the accurate material, that might work for me. But I'm not sure.

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nedbalzer

September 10, 2009 10:58 AM

"John McCain and the Republican leadership - what did they do? They immediately stepped away from Joe's outburst. I think what you saw last night was the exception to the rule....I saw unity in the Congress in terms of the response to Joe Wilson's demeaning comment ..."

If so, let the Republican leadership expand their response by acknowledging their own role in ramping up the anti-Obamacare rhetoric.

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Snarky

September 10, 2009 12:22 PM

I'm pretty cynical when it comes to so-called "conservatives". I frankly do not believe Joe Wilson. He merely gave voice to what these nay-sayers have been yelling about all along. If he hadn't made a fool of himself in such a public venue, nothing would have been said, and no apology demanded. Look at that senator who said, channeling the Great God Rush, that he wanted Obama to fail. They don't want what's best for us at all.

I'll tell you what's got them in such a turmoil: They do NOT want to see a black man's presidency succeed (nope, you lose, I'm white) I believe he will go down as one of the better presidents (Bush being the absolute worst) and republicans fear this above all else.

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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve

September 10, 2009 2:44 PM in reply to Snarky

It's a little more subtle than that. They simply cannot accept that he is, in fact, President. They so can't wrap their minds around the concept that conduct totally inappropriate to the office, like this, keeps popping out.

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serge

September 10, 2009 5:13 PM in reply to Snarky

I wish it were otherwise, but I have to agree with you. He'll suffer not one whit here in SC. Rather, he'll be elevated, after a brief cooling-off period, to greatness in the SC pantheon of Republican thugs and scoundrels.

He sure told that uppity-Negro-agitating-community-organizer pretending to be the duly elected President of the United States a thing or two!

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