The Answer Is Ignorant

Yesterday I wondered if Don Young was either stupid or ignorant when he read a quote on the House floor attributed to Abraham Lincoln that was completely fabricated. I have my answer.

This morning, Young’s spokeswoman Meredith Kenny told ThinkProgress repeatedly that Young does not plan to take any action to correct the record or clarify his House statement.

Kenny said that Young had learned of the quote from Tuesday’s Washington Times op-ed by Frank Gaffney, and noted that the Times has not yet issued a correction or retraction. Kenny said she “couldn’t confirm or deny” that Young would correct his statement even if the Times published a correction.

Kenny added that Young didn’t literally mean that those supporting the Iraq resolution should be “hanged,” merely that they should not be “undermining the morale of our military.”

Ignorant, and worse yet, willfully ignorant, knowing full well that the quote is fake but choosing not to fix it until the source where he read it does the same.

The postscript, where Young benevolently suggests that he isn't actually calling for the hanging of 250 US Congressmen, is charming. Nice to know that my represenative in Congress will be allowed to live for one more day as long as he watches his step.