...or were we a little hasty in letting all of the Southern States back in the Union?

Pardon my indelicate phraseology but, WTF is wrong with South Carolina? For a state whose primary contribution to society is South of the Border and a few pretty good golf courses, South Carolina has been nothing but trouble. Hell, even the coach of the university's football team is a jerk.

In the debates at the Continental Congress it was South Carolina's Edward Rutledge, then the youngest delegate, who insisted on removing the clause from the Declaration of Independence that condemned slavery. Throughout the first fifty years of the Republic, Congressmen and Senators from the Palmetto State did all they could to disrupt the Federal Government. Most notable among the troublemakers was John C. Calhoun. As a senator and twice vice president, Calhoun forced his brand of states' rights, including every man's right to own other men, on a country conflicted. SC has been a carbuncle on the behind of the body politic since 1861 when it was the first state to secede from the Union. We should have let it go.

To judge by the conduct of South Carolina politicians since 1865, you might be confused as to who finished second in the War Between the States. SC has sent a bellicose if unremarkable succession of nullifiers and obstructionists to both Houses of Congress. Most recently we had Strom Thurman, a man so determined to deny civil rights to African Americans that he changed parties rather than support Johnson's Civil Rights Act of 1964. Thurmond was quoted in 1948 saying "There's not enough troops in the army to force the Southern people to break down segregation and admit the nigra race into our theaters..." Naturally, the people of South Carolina continued to send Senator Thurmond back to Congress every six years in spite of his failing mental health. I guess it was hard to tell.

Now we have Jim DeMint and Joe Wilson. DeMint has been in the Senate since 2005 and although still in his first term, has managed to piss on every good-government campfire since he arrived. DeMint carries a full bag of Rightwing Conservative claptrap. He's opposed to abortion, hates gays, blah blah blah. He was one of only two Senators to oppose Hillary Clinton's appointment to be Secretary of State. (The other was David "I have all my hookers on speed dial" Vetter.)

Then we come to the primary reason for this screed, Joe Wilson. Wilson earned his white sheet while working as an aide to Strom Thurmond in the early 60's. His unremarkable rise to pseudo prominence in South Carolina politics has been...unremarkable. The only impression he is likely to leave on the legislative process is the stain he left last night. Achieving a new high in low, Rep. Wilson proved that there is a species in South Carolina even farther down the food chain than Mark Sanford. By interrupting the President of The United States with the cat-call "you lie", Wilson proved that the Republican response to the President's leadership on healthcare is nothing more than bad manners. FYI, the President's assertion that the healthcare bill makes no provision for illegals has been fully vetted by factcheck.org. One can only be reminded of the quote by Joseph Welsh during the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, "Have you no sense of decency sir?"

Happily, no one thus far has rushed to defend Joe Wilson. (No doubt Fox News will find a silver lining.) John McCain called the outburst "totally disrespectful". Wilson has apologized but it's too early to know how sorry he may actually be. He won his district in 2008 by the slimmest margin so far and last night's performance has already fattened the war-chest of his opponent in 2010.

Tragically, Wilson although despicable, is more a symptom than a disease. The visceral reaction of southerners to a black liberal in the White House is leaking all over American politics. It seems that any breech of etiquette, any secession of civility, any deplorable conduct is to be understood because "that guy" is in the White House. Barack Obama is far from sainthood (although he can see it from where he's standing) but he is The President. Regardless of the damage done to the office by the Bush/Cheney cabal, we still expect our elected leaders to shut up and let the man talk.

Anyway one can't help feeling sorry for South Carolina. When all anyone remembers about a visit to your state is the cheese grits in Charleston, or the 12th hole at Tradition Golf Club, we can feel your pain. However let this be a warning: we of the other 49 will only tolerate your boorishness for so long. Shape up! Toss out your unzipped governor and start electing people who don't eat with their fingers. If you don't fix yourselves, we might just trade you back to Great Britain for Monserrat and an island to be named later. You'll have no one but Joe Wilson to blame.