State Senator Kevin Bryant Posts Osama-Obama Photo

South Carolina State Senator Kevin Bryant has removed a classy photo from his website showing Osama Bin Laden next to Barack
Obama with text claiming the difference between them is "just a little B.S."

Update: Interview with Bryant added below.

The photo was highlighted by Wonkette and The Hill, among other sites, and when I tried to access the blog post in question at 3PM ET, it had been removed from Bryant's website.

Wonkette captured a screen shot:

Bryant appears to have been a longtime McCain supporter, having posted a Draft McCain press release all the way back in August 2006.

UPDATE: The blog post now appears to be available again.

UPDATE II: I just got ahold of State Senator Bryant over the phone, and asked him whether he thought the image was appropriate.

"It was meant tongue in cheek," he said, adding, "I've got some questions about Senator Obama's ties to -- such as his comment that we should negotiate with Iran. Iran's a country that would like to destroy Israel, that bothers me. But is this picture appropriate? I don't know." He let out a loud laugh. "It's gotten a lot more attention than I would have expected."

Does he think Obama is actually has terrorist ties? "I don't think he's tied to terrorists, no. I do think he's probably more sympathetic to nations that allow terrorism than I would prefer. And that's why I posted it. Am I saying that him and Osama work together? No, I'm not saying that at all."

And what religion does Bryant think Obama practices? "That's a good question. I don't know."

Bryant says he's supporting John McCain for president, and that he is trying to figure out how to remove the Osama-Obama image from his website. "I may put it back up, I may not," he said. "I just thought I'd take it down and think about it."

He added: "You know, blogs are for satire and whatnot and, um, that's why it's up. It's similar to the New Yorker picture. Maybe that's why this has gotten so much attention, because of that thing that came out a couple days ago."

UPDATE III: South Carolina's Senate Democrats just sent out a release hammering Bryant:

Senate Democrats Call Bryant's Actions Classless

Columbia, SC - The South Carolina Senate Democratic Caucus today called state Senator Kevin Bryant's posting of a photo of Osama Bin Laden next to presidential candidate Barack Obama classless. The photo, with a caption claiming the difference between them is "just a little B.S.", has been removed from Bryant's official website.

Senate Democratic Caucus Political Director Phil Bailey issued the following statement:

"Senator Bryant's posting of this offensive photo is classless and it has no place in politics. Bryant should be more concerned about serving his constituents, who pay his salary, than posting garbage like this on his website. The voters of Anderson County deserve a state Senator with better judgment."

Comments

[jbs902]

01:33 PM on 07/25/2008

Only thing missing from this cement headed picture is one of this yokel Bryant wearing his Klan robe.

[mscriblerus]

02:46 PM on 07/24/2008

Honestly, if you want to really understand why he put this picture up, just read the posts his "constituents" left in response. They arrive at a level of vitriol and support that should give you an idea of the enduring antediluvian echo chamber that is S.C. politics.

Disturbing stuff and ,as a native, I can tell you, par for the course.

[Forester]

12:53 PM on 07/24/2008

I guessed TX or SC, I win! god bless them Gomers down there, they are so quaint, especially when Otis checks himself into the jail cell when he's had one too many.

[Liberoservative]

12:24 AM on 07/24/2008

I just have two words for Kevin Bryant...

YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gaither83]

03:30 PM on 07/23/2008

Wahhh! Wahhh!
I love how the liberal bloggers are pretending that this is in some way going to benefit Obama in the long run. The justification being that this is so shameful to the Republican party that America is going to break through and see the light.
Get a clue.
This is a funny-as-hell political jab. The only thing funnier is reading every crybaby post from these pretentious liberal children.

[wdw101]

10:27 PM on 07/23/2008

no we teach our children about liberalism!!!!!!!!!!

[BoshSpong]

02:02 AM on 07/24/2008

Yeah, yeah, yeah, suure... You right wing ditto heads are a joyful bunch! Oh my! General Clark said that being a prisoner of war does not qualify one for the presidency! oh the SHOCK! how unpatriotic!! wahh!! and when the comment about "General Betray-us" was made by Moveon, your reaction was: OH! OH! UNPATRIOTIC!! Now you compare Americas biggest enemy to an American opposition candidate and it is: he he he, oh you silly Dems cant take a little joke he he he. You, gaither (or is it GAYther) are not funny, you are a simple minded ditto head. I wonder whether you will begin to see how ridiculous you appear now or by and by.

[djk37]

03:15 PM on 07/23/2008

The Republicans are not the better party at FIGHTING terrorism, but rather they are the better party at EXPLOITING terrorism for political gain.

[djk37]

03:10 PM on 07/23/2008

The Republicans are not the better party at FIGHTING terrorism, but rather they are the better party at EXPLOITING it for political gain.

[wdw101]

10:26 PM on 07/23/2008

cool ......... we win then

[BoshSpong]

02:04 AM on 07/24/2008

yeah cool, you win and America loses, cool yeah... duh..

[MonicaL]

02:17 PM on 07/23/2008

What's worse is a lot of people are receiving e-mails that say Osama and Obama are cousins. There is a family tree that proves the two are related, and shows that Obama has a plan to bring his ALL of his cousins to the inauguration. He then will appoint Osama as Secretary of Defense, and the Pelosi-Reid congress will give its consent. The e-mail is quite disgusting.

How can such a thing be done?

[wdw101]

10:27 PM on 07/23/2008

push send.....that is how

[mairs]

12:43 PM on 07/23/2008

Well there you go. "It's similar to The New Yorker picture". That certainly makes it ok. So he's in effect saying, if a magazine can call O a terrorist, certainly I can. THAT is how Republicans take the New Yorker cover, NOT that they themselves were lampooned. That's how the cover failed.

[PuffDragon]

11:07 AM on 07/23/2008

Oh, Hello??? The Bush family has been doing actual, documented business with the bin Laden family for decades. Before that, the president's grandfather, Prescott Bush, built their family fortune by supplying the Nazis.

For undisclosed reasons, president Bush redacted some 20 pages on Saudi Arabia (where most of the 9/11 highjackers originated), and his policy on Iraq has spawned an entirely new generation of terrorists.

Bush and McSame's policies are a clear and present threat to our national security.

[TheBlackCat]

10:20 AM on 07/23/2008

Oh, whatever. This man is TOTALLY irrelevant. He has zero notable accomplishments, either before or after he joined the Senate. If you wikipedia or Google his name, the ONLY thing listed about him is that he put this poster on his website! He probably only pulled this stunt so people would know he even exists! Kind of like when Kim Jong Ill has his little temper tantrums every few years, so people will pay SOME attention to the silly little man who can't REALLY do anything.

[ICanHasDemocracy]

08:50 AM on 07/23/2008

The difference between being re-elected and being retarded is what he's going to figure out next.

[PhDiva]

01:47 AM on 07/23/2008

This is almost exactly like the New Yorker cover. Hmm. How satire fails.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

12:04 AM on 07/23/2008

This from an"HONORABLE" Senator.This is what we have running our country?What happened to his hood?If he has any kids he should be ashamed of what they learn from him.This is how racism and bigotry pass from generation to generation.

[Azmom]

10:29 PM on 07/22/2008

Good, now we can win yet another Senate seat. Smooth move, fool. Place yourself with the slow of thought, bigots. Thank you, your dem succesor will appreciate it.

[LeftistGuerrilla]

11:18 PM on 07/22/2008

this is a state senator, not a us senator. But really the fact that Obama's name is close to Osama bin Laden's name in spelling is not a reason to believe that the two are the same. If you would believe something so insignificant you are lower than a moron.

[HamletsMill]

12:01 AM on 07/24/2008

Might work in South Carolina though. Spell'in just ain't a state strength.