Yeah!

Bush has been talking to real audiences lately (not hand-picked cheerleaders), and today a man in one of those audiences in Charlotte, North Carolina, took Bush to the woodshed. The man, who identified himself as Harry Taylor, told Bush that he's never felt more ashamed of the leadership of his country since Bush has been tapping phones without a warrant, arresting people and holding them without charges, and revoking a woman's right to an abortion, among other things. "I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration,'' Taylor said, "and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself."

[Yeah! You go, Mr. Taylor! If that's even your real name...if you aren't just another hand-picked shill, designed to make Bush detractors feel like they finally have a voice...after all, the article from which this info was lifted was written by right-wing apologist Nedra Pickler, whose face can be seen in this sign someone recently held up during American Idol...]

Anyway, Bush's reply: "You said would I apologize for that? The answer is absolutely not."

Was the man even LISTENING to Mr. Taylor?

Do we ever tire of asking RHETORICAL QUESTIONS?

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0001/20060406/1304020422.htm

UPDATE: MoveOn.org just sent us the entire text of Taylor's remarks to Bush:

HARRY TAYLOR: You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you'd like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf. You are -

PRESIDENT BUSH: I'm not your favorite guy. Go ahead. (Laughter and applause.) Go on, what's your question?

HARRY TAYLOR: Okay, I don't have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that I - in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and -

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Booo!

PRESIDENT BUSH: No, wait a sec - let him speak.

HARRY TAYLOR: And I would hope - I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I'm saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about.

Can you even believe that the crowd BOOED this courageous and righteous man? Well, okay, it WAS in Charlotte...