Slammer!

Two, in fact.

1) The first via Information Clearinghouse, citing a July 25 report on the rightwing outlet Newsmax, which is where the excerpt comes from.

While being interview by WABC talkshow host Steve Malzberg, George McGovern called The Big Dick Cheney "the worst vice president in American history and a great menace to the security and well-being of this country," also accusing him of "trying to use his inside influence as the longtime head of Halliburton to get war contracts in Iraq."

When Malzberg tried to point out that even the Clinton administration used Halliburton to rebuild war-torn Kosovo, McGovern interrupted:

"Let me tell you something, young man. You're going to defend this administration no matter what they do. You're a right-wing reactionary - and that's perfectly clear from your remarks with me today."

"We're supposed to be talking about my book," McGovern added, "not about your mistaken ideological views."

2) For this one I have to thank Atrios. It seems Howard Dean was on Sean Hannity's show Monday night and at one point Dean had this to say:

[Y]ou should watch "Outfoxed." It's a great movie that says why people like you say things like that on this television station.

It is so much fun to see how the wingnuts react when they get back even a fraction of what they dish out. Newsmax called McGovern "spitting mad" and "seething." A commenter at Atrios' site who saw the Dean exchange said Hannity looked like he was going to cry.

(There is supposed to be a video of Dean here but on four separate attempts, the download stalled a little short of halfway through three times and then wouldn't play on the fourth. Maybe you'll have better luck.)

What strikes me about those reactions is that the reactionaries come on all tough and macho, with loins girded for battle - but in fact they're typical bullies, just looking for someone weaker to pick on, but who will squeal like stuck pigs when someone hits back, instantly turning into whining crybabies, mewling in their beer (and microphones) how "unfair" those mean old "liberals" are. Cowards without even the guts to stand by the meaning of their own words, they'll make all kinds of outrageous statements - but when challenged on them, will parse, slip, spin, and argue about tenses and semicolons in order to deny having said them even as they repeat them in ever-so-slightly different language.

On the whole, contemptible human beings.