How did FOX News Ever Let this Guy In?

President Bush attended a town hall meeting and defended the government's eavesdropping program on April 6th.

Now, as you know, President Bush often holds "town hall" events where he takes questions from a hand picked crowd of "real people" who lob softball questions at him to make him look good. And at this event the president got plenty of easy ones. One woman requested a picture with him and another asked about how young people can get involved to help. One questioner simply told the president people are praying for him and another said he has a friend from Iraq who is grateful that he has made the country safer.

On April 6th, however, one of the people was a real guy - not a hand-picked Bush supporter. Harry Taylor is a small business owner and a leader of his local "Operation Democracy" team, which is MoveOn.org's network of members who organize events to ensure that Congress and the media pay attention to what local folks have to say without the Republican spin — but Harry took it to the next level.

And the one above that.

In a hostile room, with the attention of the national media focused on him, here's what Harry Taylor stood up and said to the President of the United States:

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.

Bush's reply?

He defended the National Security Administration's surveillance program, saying he authorized the program to protect the country.

"You said would I apologize for that?" Bush told him. "The answer is absolutely not."

Of course not.

I don't know Harry Taylor personally, but I'd like to shake his hand.