Jackass of the Week

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Former President Bill "Put Some Ice on That" Clinton.

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It's been over nine years since the 42nd POTUS left office in the wake of Pardongate, with he and the Mrs. helping themselves to the White House silverware on the way out. And he still refuses to relinquish the spotlight, like a dumbfounded American Idol contestant who can't believe her magnificent version of "Dancing Queen" is not rewarded with a trip to the next round. William Jefferson Blythe Clinton (D - Playboy Mansion) has never shied from giving his opinion in the public arena.

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Now he's chosen to relive the "glory days" of the wake of the 1995 OK City bombing, the point in which he bit his lower lip and thereby regained his mojo in time to right his reelection ship. As covered in New York Times (the one "Old Gray Lady" that really needs to go before a Death Panel):

With the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing approaching, former President Bill Clinton on Thursday drew parallels between the antigovernment tone that preceded that devastating attack and the political tumult of today, saying government critics must be mindful that angry words can stir violent actions.

“There can be real consequences when what you say animates people who do things you would never do.”

“Because of the Internet, there is this vast echo chamber and our advocacy reaches into corners that never would have been possible before,” said Mr. Clinton, who said political messages are now able to reach those who are both “serious and seriously disturbed.”

Mr. Clinton said his intent was not to stifle debate or muzzle critics of the government but to encourage them to consider what repercussions could follow. He acknowledged that drawing the line between acceptable discourse and that which goes too far is difficult but that lawmakers and other officials should try.

“Have at it,” he said. “You can attack the politics. Criticize their policies. Don’t demonize them, and don’t say things that will encourage violent opposition.”.

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Those remarks, just a portion of related comments Slick Willie made before The Center for American Progress think tank, drew a blistering response from talk radio king Rush Limbaugh, who officially laid down the gauntlet:

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"Why do you think the tea party people are so reviled? Why is it that we can sit there and accuse nonviolent tea party people of committing terrorist acts? I mean that's what Clinton's doing. He's predicting that tea party people are going to blow up a federal building again, and in the process.... I'm going to state right now: If there is a future incident such as Oklahoma City, the blame is squarely Clinton's on the shoulders of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who I'm sure is coordinating Clinton's appearance on this."
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.Can someone please, in the name of even-handed media coverage, remind AZDB of when The New York Times, Bill Clinton, or anyone else apparently outraged by the brewing (imaginary) violence of the tea parties and its legions of supporters ever had a critical word to say about the "peace activists" and their behavior from 2002-08? Any calls to cool down the "Bush lied, people died" rhetoric, or any critical words about signs making W to look like A Hitler? I didn't think so either. In fact, we were told that protests against the (then) president were the sincerest, most laudable form of patriotism by none other than Bill Clinton's wife, now current SOS:.

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Sorry, I keep forgetting: free speech & protesters are only tolerated (and even encouraged) when the object of scorn is a Republican president. Damn, those double standards!

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- AZDB