The students attempt to diffuse the situation, but to no avail. The congressman grabs at the head of the student whose hand he is still holding, eventually getting a good hold, he than pulls the student in close and appears to be attempting to give him a hug. What? There were multiple cameras taking footage and the video can be seen from a couple of different angles. The congressman is visibly agitated, although it is unclear how a student asking a simple question could have gotten him so upset.
There is, as expected, statements from the left attempting to defend the congressman's actions, and accusations that the whole thing was a setup. Mediaite offers this bit of insight in an attempt to defend Congressman Etheridge's insane actions.
Now, Etheridge's actions are only partially defensible. He need not have gotten physical with the students who asked him the provocative question regarding his support of the "Obama Agenda" (honestly, that sort of opening question is straight from the Jason Mattera school of inflammatory interview techniques.)
But little is known about these "students." The YouTube video is published under an account titled TonyManization, and even more damning is that the faces of the individuals asking the Congressman questions are blurred out. Hmmm...nothing like the courage of the anonymous protester.
Which brings us back to Etheridge's response. Yeah - he comes off as a jerk, but...when in Rome. It will be interesting to follow how this story plays out in the news media. Will it be a big story? Probably not, but apparently being prepared for ambush interviews from eager college kids is the next phase of media training for many on Capitol Hill.
This is of course, a pathetic and completely par for the course from the agents of evil on the left. Regardless of the actions of the Democrat involved, there is always something shady, or suspicious about the person on the other end of the controversy. We all remember how James O'Keefe and his female companion Hannah Giles were at first ignored completely, than vilified by the press when they exposed the vile underbelly of ACORN.
Mediaite tries to cast doubt on the authenticity of the 'students' involved by asking the question, why are their faces blurred out, and no official source given. Well, perhaps they aren't glory hounds. maybe they want to graduate college, and not have to deal with any of the fallout from the school project that got them assaulted by an elected official.
The loony comments from the left don't stop there.
DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse addressed the video in a statement Monday:
"Motives matter, and I think you can see who was behind this," Woodhouse said. "This was a Republican party tracking operation. If it wasn't a party tracker or intern, why is the face blurred and why is the source hidden? You know if it had been a right wing blog, they'd identify themselves and they'd be booking this person on TV all day. Republicans know if they admit their involvement in this game of gotcha it will undermine their credibility. One minute this guy is interviewing a member of Congress on camera and the next a video is released with his face blurred out? If that doesn't tell you this is a Republican Party hatchet job nothing will."
Republican Party hatchet job? The same way the Tea Party protesters and their cheap signs made with magic markers and poster board are really a well funded 'astro-turf' fake movement controlled by big corporations and the Republicans? Let's put this in to a clear and concise perspective. regardless of the intent of the student(s) in question, they made no statement, or committed any action that should have caused Congressman Bob Etheridge to assault them. Yet he did assault them. He refused to accept their explanation as to the how's and why's of their being where they were, and why they decided to ask him a question. Regardless as to what angle you view this video from, on thing is clear. Etheridge is dead wrong on this, and he should be arrested and charged with assault.
Congressman Etheridge has since apologized for his actions.
UPDATE: Etheridge held a press conference today to once again apologize, calling his actions "unacceptable."
"No matter how partisan and no matter how difficult things get sometimes, that's no excuse for my response," he said. "I came today to say I'm sorry."
Etheridge said the confrontation happened after he came out of a meeting in Washington, D.C.
"The truth is, I had a long day, it was the end of the day -- but that's not the issue," he said. "I've been through a lot of tough situations... I've been spat at, pushed on and threatened before, and that's no excuse for... not walking on by."
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