A Motto for Rep. William Delahunt: "Res Ipsa Loquitur"

* Update, 6/30, below)

They are some people who know better. But for the sake of some small, momentary advantage, they willfully deliver a low blow that is so far beneath the line of decency, that thereafter they are viewed with revulsion.

That is because they have revealed an inexcusable darkness in their soul. Jane Fonda is such a person. William Ayres is such a person. And now William Delahunt may have joined that team.

When a United States Congressman openly express glee that a top American official is exposed on television, so that al-Qaeda can thereby get a good look at him, he is certainly to be condemned, especially where the government official has had considerable involvement in the War on Terror.

Representative William Delahunt (D - MA) is that Congressman. Click on the video and just listen to what he says to David Addington, Chief of Staff to the Vice President, and formerly a counsel to the CIA. And, notice the vicious look of contempt on Delahunt's face when he says it!

Not only is it patently obvious to anyone what Delahunt meant, but he thereafter publicly lied about it, and, of course, now refuses to truly apologize.

The man couldn't even cook up a believable lie about it! That makes it doubly insulting to the intelligence of anyone who hears it, and compounds the inexcusable offensiveness of his original comment.





It seems to me that the people in his district in Massachusetts have a job to do, and that is to vote this man out of office.

What are others saying about this incident? Well, for starters:

Powerline: Here, here, here, here, and here. John Hinderaker's comments are especially strong on this issue. In his latest post, John destroys Delahunt's preposterous "claim" that he was saying that he was glad to see Mr. Addington.

As John put it:

It is sad that we have vicious haters like Bill Delahunt in Congress, but it is good that when the mask slips for a moment, and viewers can see how they really think, haters like Delahunt have no recourse but to lie.

HotAir: Here, and here. In the first post, Allahpundit links to the CBS coverage, via Politico.

In the second post, Ed Morrissey posts a link to a portion of the Mark Levin radio show. Delahunt had called in to "explain" his comments. He gamely tried to repeat the rubbish about being the one who was glad to see Addington, rather than al-Qaeda.

Unfortunately, Mark Levin surprisingly let the guy off the hook by asking him, "did you misspeak?" Delahunt quickly said he had, and further that there was no malice intended. Levin thereupon told Delahunt that he took him at his word.

But when you look at the incontrovertible evidence -- the video clip -- you can see that there is simply no truth at all to what he now says. He got caught and is now trying to lie his way out of it.

Ed Morrissey didn't buy it either, saying the Congressman deserves censure, as is being called for by and, further, Ed opined that "Delahunt is a first-class jerk and, after listening to this clip, a bit of a weasel as well, but let’s not make him into Adam Gadahn and sound hysterical."

Somehow, I don't believe there is any danger of that, but this clip should get as much circulation to as many decent folks as possible. The thing speaks for itself.

When the New York Times recently published the name of the interrogator who broke the captured 9/11 terrorist planner, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (and pointed out that the man was married and a father, as well as naming the company he now works for), the thought occurred to me that some congressional committee would try to compound the crime by finding a way to trot him out in front of television cameras.

Rep. Delahunt apparently decided to save the honors for David Addington, by sitting in on a hearing of a subcommittee he is not even a member of, and questioning witnesses until he got what he thought was a clear shot.


* Update, 6/30). Powerline has another post up, this one a video clip appeal from a former counter terrorism expert, Major Eric Egland, who has served in all theaters of operation where we are fighting terrorism, and who urges people to contact their Congressman to put pressure on Rep. Delahunt to apologize from the floor of Congress for what he said.