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Samuel Wurzelbacher, known as Joe the plumber, left, shaking hands in Sderot on Sunday.
Last update - 05:55 12/01/2009
Joe the Plumber trades his wrench for a reporter's notepad in Sderot
By The Associated Press
Tags: Gaza, Joe the Plumber, Hamas 

Joe the Plumber has set aside his wrenches to become a rookie war correspondent, covering Israel's side of its two-week-old military offensive in Gaza.

The Ohio man, who rocketed to fame during the U.S. presidential campaign for challenging Barack Obama on his tax plan, was in Sderot Sunday to tell readers of the conservative pjtv.com Web site about the rockets that rain down there from the neighboring Gaza Strip.


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"The people of Sderot "can't do normal things day to day," like get soap in their eyes in the shower, for fear a rocket might come in, said Joe the Plumber, so dubbed by Republican Sen. John McCain's campaign, but whose real name is Samuel Wurzelbacher.

"I'm sure they're taking quick showers," he said. "I know I would."
Joe's rookie reporter status was evident when, standing in front of a pile of spent rockets, he said, "I have thousands of questions but I can't think of the right one."

What he could summon up quickly was contempt for Israel's critics, who are outraged by the more than 870 Palestinians killed in Israel's bruising air and ground onslaught against Gaza's Islamic militant Hamas rulers. Thirteen Israelis have also died since the operation began, including four killed by the rocket fire that touched off the war in the first place.

"Why hasn't Israel acted sooner?" Wurzelbacher asked. "I know if I were a citizen here, I'd be damned upset. He described himself as a peaceloving man, but added, "when someone hits me, I'm going to unload on the boy. And if the rest of the world doesn't understand that, then I'm sorry."

Wurzelbacher, who underwent intense media scrutiny during his 15 minutes of campaign fame, said pjtv enlisted him to cover Israel because he's an expert on media bias.

"I was on the short end of the stick, like Israel is now," he said.

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      1.   Need to correct what I said about Joe! 04:00  |  Jamal 12/01/09
      2.   Joe the Plumber...You`re Serious? 04:02  |  Bobak 12/01/09
      3.   Bobak... You`re Serious? 05:39  |  Father Emanuel 12/01/09
      4.   A simple Guy-What Haaretz is not telling you about Joe Plumber 05:52  |  Genuine Tosefta 12/01/09
      5.   The problem the critics of Joe have 06:54  |  Sam C 12/01/09
      6.   please give him israeli citizenship 07:46  |  wally 12/01/09
      7.   i think israel should learn from him! 08:20  |  victor 12/01/09
      8.   Oh Joe...he makes it all sound so trivial... 09:06  |  Esther 12/01/09
      9.   hey joe go forth with power, we love you 09:30  |  reuven 12/01/09
      10.   Joe the Plumber 09:53  |  AA 12/01/09
      11.   When you think it cannot get any lower... 11:53  |  Gila 12/01/09
      12.   wally 13:17  |  JonathanInTelAviv 12/01/09
      13.   Would you like Sarah Palin, too? 14:40  |  Aphemia 12/01/09
      14.   To All You Elistist Snobs 17:53  |  Howard 12/01/09
      15.   Elitism? 06:05  |  zack 13/01/09
      16.   Joe The Plumber 08:18  |  Jerry 13/01/09
      17.   Joe Joe Joe 17:28  |  Jeanne 13/01/09
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