Southwest Washington Congressman Brian Baird just doesn't get it.

After finally apologizing for outrageous remarks he made last week about opponents of ObamaCare, and agreeing to schedule town halls to hear from constituents, Baird reverted to the rhetorical equivalence of inserting both feet into his mouth.

At a lunch meeting of the Vancouver Rotary, several sources confirm that Baird cracked: "If there's a Ryder truck parked outside, it's probably for me."  That's obviously a thinly veiled reference to domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh, to whom Baird infamously compared constituents that disagree with him last week.

One might say the Congressman's timing was impeccable.  Just today The Columbian was cooed back into his corner, playing the role of Baird apologist.

The editorial seemed to laud Baird's "courage" for apologizing for his outlandish comments (a strange conflict, considering the self-inflicted nature of Baird's wounds), and then proceeded to outline a road to recovery for the Congressman. It looks like Baird, however, still wants to take detours.

Further, the editorial tried to legitimize Baird's brash reaction last week, by citing a "death threat" in the form of a menacing fax Baird received. Right, because receiving a fax is a good excuse for a U.S. Congressman to lash out like a crazy man at his critics.  This "death threat" sounds like the same one Baird's office was quick to apparently leak to The Hill and Washington Post, before sending to the authorities...but I digress.

Death threats are reprehensible. So too, though, is the ugly over-heated rhetoric Baird has employed in this debate. It should be noted as well that thousands have now voiced their opposition to him in a civil manner at town halls. So much for those "mobs" he was so concerned about.

In sum, The Columbian's "making amends" editorial has quickly been proven null. With his latest "Ryder truck" comments, Baird shows he's just turned onto a new low road.  In fact, for many of us in his district, it reveals perfectly how drunk on the new found power of the Democratic supermajority Baird has become, and what a liberal partisan creature he has evolved into these past six months.

This new "say anything" approach, however, is a sure fire way to ensure the only moving truck Baird needs to be concerned about is the one he'll be renting to vacate his office after the 2010 elections.

cross-posted on NWDigest.com