November 11, 2009 03:11 AM UTC

Sounding the bottom with Dave Schultheis

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• by: Alan

(Bumped into Wednesday by popular demand – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Tweeted by the Senator a few hours ago–

This doesn’t mean what I’m reading it to mean, does it? Really, I’m looking for a second opinion, for some reason I still have trouble with the idea that anyone could be this vile.

Then again, this is the same guy who said it was his “hope” that “that person may have AIDS,” so maybe that’s just my naivete.

WEDNESDAY POLS UPDATE: Regrettably, Talking Points Memo gives our well-worn local embarrassment some national play:

Colorado State Sen. Dave Schultheis (R-Colorado Springs) posted a tweet yesterday that called for a derailing of President Obama’s agenda in a rather bold way.

“Don’t for a second, think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying the U.S. Plane right into the ground at full speed. Let’s Roll,” the tweet reads.

“Let’s roll” were the final words of Todd Beamer, a passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93, one of the four flights hijacked on September 11 and the only one to crash before reaching its intended target. The flight was diverted to Washington, D.C. after it was hijacked, but crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers tried to thwart the hijackers.

This isn’t the first time Sen. Schultheis has had his brash way with words…

POLS UPDATE #2: The Denver Post reports:

State Sen. David Schultheis said he didn’t intend a recent Twitter post – which accuses the President Barack Obama of “flying the U.S. plane right into the ground at full speed” and ends with “Let’s roll” – as a reference to Flight 93.

“Let’s roll,” were reportedly the final words of passenger Todd Beamer before his hijacked plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Passengers aboard the flight tried to regain control of the plane and crashed before reaching the hijacker’s intended target…

“‘Let’s roll.’ It’s a comment people use all the time any more. ‘Let’s get going. Let’s move on. Let’s make major changes,'” Schultheis said. “I can see it now. But, you’re busy doing jillions of things during the day. You sometimes don’t analyze every single word.”

…State Senate President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, today demanded Schultheis retract his statement calling it “appalling.”

Schultheis wrote, “Don’t for a second think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying the U.S. plane right into the ground at full speed. Let’s roll.”

Ed Kowalski, a director for the New York-based 9/11 Families for a Secure America, said Schultheis was “clearly” referring to Flight 93. And while Kowalski himself disagrees with many of Obama’s policies – his group takes a strong stance against illegal immigration, for example – that’s no reason to evoke Sept. 11 imagery.

“Let’s not cheapen what happened on Sept. 11 by making random and or ill-fated comparisons to current policy,” Kowalski said.