Worst Person in the World (It's back!)

This is a segment that has been shamelessly ripped off from Keith Olbermann’s Countdown on MSNBC. I will document the week’s dirtiest, scummiest, creepiest – in short, worst – people in the news. Use the comment thread to post some nominations of your own.

On a side note, I'd like to apologize for the long break I've taken from posting. But I've got some extra tidbits today and I'm posting a day early to make up for it. There, not you can't get angry at me. And now, without further ado…

Worst Person in the World!

This week's runner up (aka, "Worse" person in the world), is William Roderick of Reedsport, Oregon. Roderick has been charged with assault, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of methamphetamine and marijuana after shooting a snorkeler in the face. The snorkeler, John William Cheesman, is doing well after 8 hours of surgery. Why, you might ask, would somebody shoot a random snorkeler in the face? Good question. According to the AP: "Roderick told deputies he thought Cheesman was a nutria swimming in the Smith River near Reedsport, about 90 miles southwest of Eugene, and shot him with a .22-caliber rifle."

A nutria? Apparently, Roderick mistook the unfortunate snorkeler for one of these:


Okay, well, now we understand where those drug charges came from...

But moving now to international affairs,

This week’s winner is Australian Prime Minister John Howard! On Sunday, the conservative PM said in a television interview that he disagreed with Illinois Senator and Presidential candidate Barack Obama's plan for Iraq. In typical conservative fashion, Howard was understated and reasonable:

"I think that will just encourage those who want to completely destabilize and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and a victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for an Obama victory...If I were running al Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory, not only for Obama but also for the Democrats."

Classy.

Obama's campaign pulled no punches in their response, describing Howard's comments as a mischaracterization of Obama's Iraq plan. They added,

"If Prime Minister Howard truly believes what he says, perhaps his country should find its way to contribute more than just 1,400 troops so some American troops can come home. It's easy to talk tough when it's not your country or your troops making the sacrifices."

Nicely done, Obama camp.

Disclaimer: Although this post contains praise of Barack Obama, I am not currently in the employ of his campaign or any youth-based, Obama-focused organization. As many posters on this blog post about their "choice" (read: employer) for 2008, I felt that perhaps the unaffiliateds should instead be posting disclaimers. That way, at least someone is. :)

Well, that's it for now. See you next week, when we once again find the Worst Person in the World!

In the meantime, everybody, keep peaceful.

And whatever you do, take care of your shoes.