Stephen Crockett reminds us of something I think is getting a little lost in all the back and forth blather about what Joe Wilson said and when he said it. Namely, what an unbelievable badass this guy was during the First Gulf War:

Wilson had served as an Ambassador to Iraq. He had faced down Saddam Hussein on behalf of the American government. Wilson understood both the power and limits of Iraq’s threat to peace under Saddam Hussein. He was certainly no friend or supporter of the Iraqi dictator.

The freepi and their “grown up” minders aren’t just smearing any old political opponent. They’re taking on a genuine American hero of the kind they’d be lionizing if he hadn’t uncovered a truth that was inconvenient to their worldview. From one of my favorite books, Live From Baghdad:

“Jesus, this place is surreal. This morning Wilson turned up at the briefing wearing a noose around his neck. I told him he was the best dressed man in Baghdad.” What prompted Joe to go off the deep end was a note delivered to Western embassies by the Iraqi government reminding diplomats that anyone sheltering foreigners was subject to hanging. Baghdad had also asked for the names of nondiplomats who had sought refuge in the [ambassador’s] residence.

There’s a reason this has gone as far as it has. Joe Wilson’s faced down Saddam Hussein. Compared to THAT, what are the 101st Fighting Keyboarders?

A.