From my new story on Time.com:
“You lie!”
Those words cut in politics. When directed at the President of the United States, during a prime time address to the nation no less, they cut deep.
So when Rep. Joe Wilson, a little known Republican and Army reserve veteran from South Carolina shouted them at the nation’s commander-in-chief on the night of Sept. 9, heads snapped. The House Chamber took a collective gasp. Nancy Pelosi, sitting behind Obama, tensed and scowled as if she had just witnessed a crime, her disgust unhidden.
Read the rest here.
[A Note: Because of my mistake, a version of this story was posted in Swampland, and then taken down, after some comments had been posted. My apologies. I hope those commenters–Stuart, Dee, and Textee, among them–repost.]