Wilson hires professional Tweeter

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) has hired a new-media strategist to help with a vigorous defense he launched after heckling the president.

David All, who bills his firm as the first conservative Web 2.0 agency, was retained Thursday afternoon amid the media storm surrounding Wilson’s “You lie!” outburst. Since then, All has been busy writing Twitter updates and reaching out to conservative blogs on Wilson's behalf.

This is part of a broader defense strategy that Wilson is undertaking after facing strong criticism despite apologizing to President Barack Obama for interrupting his speech.

Democrats on Friday announced that they would bring forward a “resolution of disapproval” if Wilson does not apologize to his colleagues on the House floor.

The South Carolina Republican’s defense is focused on social media, including a taped YouTube video message to supporters, a flurry of Twitter messages, numerous interviews with bloggers and an ad on the Drudge Report.

In the ad, Wilson said that he is defending himself against liberals who are seeking to capitalize on his misstep. Already, his Democratic opponent has raised more than half a million dollars in the hours since his comments went viral.

Enter All, a former communications director for Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) and a self-described fan of the late Lee Atwater, the famed strategist who ran President George H.W. Bush’s campaign.

“I got the call at 2 o’clock yesterday,” All said in an interview with The Hill. “He already knew he wanted to respond, it’s just a matter of having someone help quarterback and toss the ball when needed.”

Two hours later, Wilson’s Twitter feed went into overdrive. Over the next five hours, Wilson posted 15 tweets, four shy of his total count for the entire month of August.

Among the tweets, Wilson describes granting interviews to Erick Erickson of RedState.com, Jillian Bandes of Townhall.com and John Hawkins of RightWingNews. He also made a plea for conservative assistance.

“Stand with me against liberal attacks: Today I need your help more than ever before,” he Tweeted.

All acknowledged that Wilson is not personally writing each of his tweets. “He is certainly aware of all of the Tweets and understands the substance of all of the Tweets and what’s happening,” All said. “He is not exactly pressing send.”

Wilson is also directing traffic to his website through his ad featured on the Drudge Report.

"Joe Wilson is under attack," the teaser of the ad reads. "You can help."

Visitors who click on the link are shown the following printed statement:

"Today, I need your help more than ever before. I've been under attack by the liberals for months and they’ve done everything they can to quiet my very vocal opposition to more government interference in Americans' lives. Now it's gotten even worse, but I will not stop fighting against their policies that will only lead to more government interference, more spending and higher deficits.

“I should not have disrespected the president during his speech. But I am not sorry for fighting back against the dangerous policies of liberal Democrats. I will not back down.

“Will you stand with me today and help me fight back against liberal attacks by making a donation to my campaign?"

Below the statement on Wilson’s website is a video that Wilson recorded for YouTube on Thursday afternoon, soliciting campaign donations to defend himself.

Repeated calls to Wilson's congressional office were met with busy signals.