Carter concludes South Carolina Congressman's outburst "based on racism"

As the fallout over South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson's heckling of the president continues to unfold, former President Jimmy Carter told attendees of an Atlanta town hall meeting last night he feels the Republican lawmaker's outburst was "based on racism."

Carter's assessment sparked an almost immediate response from the Republican National Committee. It posted an item on its Web site titled "Consider the Source" that stressed "former President Jimmy Carter claims everyday Americans who object to Obama's health care plan are racist." And RNC chair Michael Steele, who is black, echoed this message in a press release.

"President Carter is flat out wrong," he said. "This isn't about race. It is about policy."

Steele went on to stress he feels this controversy is "a pathetic distraction by Democrats to shift attention away from the president's wildly unpopular government-run health care plan that the American people simply oppose."

This latest controversy erupted the same day the House formally rebuked Wilson for his outburst, but the story continues to grow far larger than one lawmaker's unfortunate decision to heckle the president in the middle of his speech. Bloggers on the Huffington Post and other progressive Web sites have repeatedly pointed out his Sons of Confederate Veterans membership to further their assertion he is a racist. Conservatives, on the other hand, have applauded Wilson for what they contend was his decision to challenge the president. It is arguably never wise to draw a conclusion based on one affiliation or vote or even action, but Carter's comments mandate a more in-depth analysis.

It remains an arguable very sad commentary the majority of Americans and especially their elected officials remain woefully unwilling to engage in a constructive debate on race. The president is the first commander-in-chief of color. The country has certainly made significant strides towards racial justice over the last decades, but Carter's comments and the brouhaha they ignited simply underscore the fact actual or perceived racism remains an all too taboo subject in the United States.

South Carolina Congressman heckles president during health care speech

As pundits and other interested parties dissect President Barack Obama's health care speech on Capitol Hill last night, a South Carolina Congressman's decision to heckle the commander-in-chief as a liar continues to garner attention on both sides of the aisle.

The New York Times described Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst as "a rare breach of protocol." Fox News categorized it as "an extraordinary breach of Congressional decorum." And Dana Milbank of the Washington Post concluded Wilson's outburst brought "the nation's rapidly deteriorating discourse hit yet another low."

Wilson was quick to apologize after U.S. Sen. John McCain [R-Ariz.,] and a chorus of other lawmakers blasted the outburst as inappropriate, disrespectful and even shameful. The unscripted moment, however, is the latest in a series of incidents--former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's continued assertion the federal government would implement so-called death panels, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank's now famous "On what planet do you spend most of your time? sound bite at a town hall meeting last month and the man who carried a gun outside an Obama rally in Arizona--to underscore the contentious health care debate in which the country continues to find itself. And Wilson's unfortunate outburst simply brought this reality into the House chamber for millions of Americans to see for themselves.