Ted Nugent is back! Does Mitt Romney wish he'd zip it?
Ted Nugent is back, and he鈥檚 still talking like that, if you know what we mean. On a 鈥淐BS This Morning鈥� appearance Friday, the "Motor City Madman" took umbrage at the suggestion that he isn鈥檛 a moderate, yelled that he is 鈥渁 perfect human being ... who stumbles perfectly,鈥� and bemoaned the fact that 鈥減olitical correctness has somehow metastasized into the decisionmakers of the military.鈥�
We also think he called for a Secret Service investigation into top White House officials. But we鈥檙e not entirely sure.
OK, let鈥檚 back up a second, shall we? A few weeks ago, Nugent was in trouble for calling top Obama officials 鈥渃riminals鈥� and for saying that if President Obama wins reelection 鈥淚 will either be dead or in jail this time next year.鈥�
This resulted in a visit from the Secret Service. It鈥檚 illegal to threaten the life of the US president, and, as we鈥檝e written before, the agency devotes considerable resources to following up public comments that could be construed as calling for presidential harm. Call it the first line of defense.
Mitt Romney got dragged into this, as some Democrats called on him to denounce a guy they called a 鈥淩omney surrogate.鈥� Yes, Nugent publicly endorsed Mr. Romney earlier this year. But 鈥渟urrogate鈥�? This is a guy who once labeled an album 鈥淭ooth, Fang, and Claw.鈥� We鈥檙e pretty sure he鈥檚 not interested in representing anyone鈥檚 opinions but his own.
This doesn鈥檛 mean he鈥檚 not causing Romney problems. A guy who wears camouflage everything and calls liberals 鈥渂rain dead,鈥� as he did on CBS Friday, is not winning over independent female voters. At this point, the Romney people probably would prefer that Nugent stick to promoting his new .
Which, come to think of it, may be just what he鈥檚 doing.
Anyway, back to Friday鈥檚 appearance. Nugent told CBS interviewer Jeff Glor that his visit on April 19 with the Secret Service was 鈥渁dorable.鈥�
The agents were professional and calm, he said. He said he told them he appreciated their service 鈥渆ven though you are responding to complete idiots who you probably should be investigating.鈥�
See, doesn鈥檛 that imply Nugent believes there鈥檚 a criminal conspiracy at the top levels of the US? Of course, he has pretty much said that directly, so we shouldn鈥檛 be surprised.
鈥淭hey asked me if I ever threatened anyone, and I said never, couldn鈥檛, wouldn鈥檛,鈥� said Nugent on CBS Friday. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 waste a breath threatening.鈥�
(Is that last sentence innocuous ... or slightly ominous? Hmmm.)
Nugent said the Romney folks had contacted him after this uproar started, and offered their support. 鈥淔reedom of speech is a beautiful thing,鈥� he said they said.
Asked by CBS about this, the Romney campaign reissued a statement that 鈥渄ivisive language is offensive and inappropriate, no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from.鈥�
Nugent also bemoaned the fact that the US Army had canceled his upcoming concert at Fort Knox, due to the controversy he鈥檚 lately engendered.
But the best part of Friday鈥檚 appearance came when he launched a tirade about how nobody is 鈥渕ore moderate鈥� than he is because he takes more seriously ill children on fishing trips than anyone.
Then Nugent swerved a bit. 鈥淚鈥檓 an extremely loving, passionate man," he said, "and people who investigate me honestly without the baggage of political correctness ascertain the conclusion that I鈥檓 a [expletive] nice guy!鈥�
After the interview, Nugent was rushed to the hospital to have a kidney stone removed. Perhaps he was in a dyspeptic mood due to discomfort. Perhaps he just talks like that all the time.
