Rick Santelli: “Bring it On … If Not Now, When?”

Rick Santelli, who is largely credited with starting the tea part back in the old days before the tea party had lost its teeth, is something of a hero.

Here’s his unforgettable — and inarguable — salvo against Barack Obama’s explicit call to “fundamentally change America”:

Now he has this:

RICK SANTELLI: You don’t compromise on principles.

STEVE LIESMAN: So, Rick — you’re ready to see the United States —

Santelli: — Bring it on! Bring it on! Bring it on! Our fearless leader [GE CEO Jeff] Immelt, was on talking about what he perceived as an impediment to creating better jobs and he talked about regulation. Is he against Dodd-Frank?

Liesman: I’m talking about paying our bills, Rick.

Santelli: You know what, we should pay our bills. We should pay our bills. But the other amount, the 42-cents of every dollar we don’t have let Congress figure out they made the obligations.

Liesman: The trouble is, there is a time and a place for this conversation and debate.

Santelli: Now is the time!

Liesman: It’s not when the credit card bill is due.

Santelli: This is the place. We’re here. If not now, when?! If not now, when? If not now, when?!

Video here.