Senatorial Discourtesy: Landrieu Threatens to Assault President Bush

"If one person criticizes [our sheriffs], or says one more thing, including the president of the United States, he will hear from me - one more word about it after this show airs and I - I might likely have to punch him - literally," Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu declared while on a helicopter flight viewing the New Orleans devastation on ABC's This Week.

This is politics at its worst. If President Bush defends his administration by exercising his freedom of speech (and his constitutional duty to speak on matters of public concern as the Chief Executive) by placing some of the blame where it might properly lie-- with local governmental authorities, well then Senator Landrieu promises to literally assault him. Issuing vague threats to harm individuals who disagree with one's position, coming from a public official, smacks of fascism.

Former President Clinton committed as much the same offense by remarking that he might have hurt Congressman Dennis Hastert-- who is incidentally third in the line of succession behind the Vice President --if they had been in the same room. (See my previous posting on this story.)

The strategy of at least some Democrat is to place all of the blame on George W. Bush. And if anyone (that means you, too) suggests that the locals might share some responsibility, Landrieu "might likely" have to punch said individual. Does anyone see some comparisons to Pat Robertson here?