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The GOP's New Hero

Just when town-hall mania was fading, an obscure congressman from South Carolina hijacked Obama’s big week. Will Joe Wilson’s outburst help the GOP or turn them into a party of cranks?

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Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo

By The Daily Beast
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Just when town-hall mania was fading, an obscure congressman from South Carolina hijacked Obama’s big week. Will Joe Wilson’s outburst help the GOP or turn them into a party of cranks? Love him or hate him, The Daily Beast’s columnists weigh in on the repercussions of the heckle heard round the world.

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In Praise of Joe Wilsonby Alex Massie

In Britain, boorish behavior like Rep. Joe Wilson’s is a cherished part of the political culture. Why American politicians are a bunch of wimps. MORE >>

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Send Him Homeby Mark McKinnon

Former Bush and McCain strategist Mark McKinnon wants the congressman who shouted at Obama out of office and out of his party—and he's donating $1,000 to his opponent. MORE >>

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The Congressman’s Strange Friendsby Max BlumenthalJoe Wilson has been a member of Sons of Confederate Veterans. Max Blumenthal, author of the just-published Republican Gomorrah, asks: Did he remain so even after it became a hate group? MORE >>

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White House Done With Wilsonby Richard WolffeThe White House hits the road for health care reform, proclaims the town-hall meetings didn’t matter, and brands the Wilson flap “a pimple on the ass of progress” MORE >>

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Meet the ‘You Lie’ Guyby Samuel P. JacobsWilson’s outburst embarrassed the GOP on the president’s big night. But it wasn’t out of character—and it could make him a star. MORE >>

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Seven Outrageous Political Outburstsby The Daily Beast VideoFrom a political brawl in South Korea to Margaret Thatcher doing verbal combat in the House of Commons, here are six videos that make Joe Wilson look polite. MORE >>

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18 Outrageous Conservative Quotesby Max BlumenthalRepublican Congressman Joe Wilson made a name for himself by shouting “You lie!” during President Obama’s health-care speech to Congress, but he’s hardly the first conservative to spark controversy with a crazy statement. MORE >>

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