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08/22/2003 Archived Entry: "I missed Conason on MSNBC last night..."
I missed Conason on MSNBC last night... But from the transcript, he seems to have really have put the hurt on the stand-in for Joe Scarborough (R-Dead Intern In Office). Malzberg's head must still be throbbing. MALZBERG: Joe, I thank you for the compliment, and you seem to be very fair and balanced there. I say it in your approach here. But, in your book you take specific issue with conservative pundits calling Rush a ridiculous snob. Once more, not only do you mention conservative pundit, Ann Coulter, no fewer than 43 times in only your 200 pages, but you attack her personally, calling her, quote, “perennially single and career obsessed.” Now, you are not portraying yourself as that here on TV. But, if you read your book, that is what you are saying.
CONASON: Well, you took four words out of context there, Steve. There’s a reason why that comes up in the book, you know. The book-there’s a part of the book that is about conservative hypocrisy on moral issues, and whether conservatives lived the kind of life that they prescribe for other people, or they criticize Democrats and liberals for supposedly not living on moral issues. You know as well as I do. I mean, Ann, look, I can understand why you bring up Ann. Ann ducked out of a debate here with me last night on this network.
MALZBERG: Oh, well. Ann is not here...
(CROSSTALK)
CONASON: On CNBC...
MALZBERG: ... to say whether she ducked out...
CONASON: Oh, she did.
MALZBERG: ... on a debate...
CONASON: Well-Ask...
MALZBERG: Ann’s been all over the media...
CONASON: Ask the CNBC producer.
MALZBERG: All right.
CONASON: She ducked-we changed the night that we were doing it so she would come, and then she didn’t show up.
MALZBERG: But again, this isn’t CNBC. You have your networks mixed up a little bit, and...
CONASON: Well...
MALZBERG: ... for someone as savvy as you claim to be, you should get them straight.
CONASON: It is the same Company, Steve, you know. She ducked out.
She didn’t show up...
MALZBERG: But that is...
CONASON: And why was that...
MALZBERG: ... you attacked her in the book. You attacked her in your book before she ever, quote/unquote ducked out of this interview.
CONASON: Well, I mean, what does that mean, attack her? She attacks people in her books too. We criticize each other. That is part of the interchange. What’s the problem?
MALZBERG: You insinuate she is sleeping around. You insinuate she...
CONASON: I did not say that at all.
MALZBERG: ... cares more about her career than about getting married...
CONASON: I quoted-no, no.
MALZBERG: You criticize her for being single.
CONASON: I did not insinuate that she is sleeping around.
MALZBERG: Well, that’s how I interpreted it.
CONASON: Well, read the passage, Steve.
MALZBERG: I did read that passage.
CONASON: Read it out loud.
MALZBERG: I don’t have the passage handy, sir...
CONASON: Read it to the viewers...
MALZBERG: ... to read it out loud...
CONASON: Well, you are misrepresenting it, which is...
MALZBERG: Well, that is how I interrupted it. I am not misrepresenting my interpretation. Now, to be fair, you also...
CONASON: You won’t read it. You just...
MALZBERG: I don’t have it in front of me...
CONASON: ... you put portions on the screen just now.
[...]MALZBERG: All right. You also had harsh words for leaders that you called chicken hawks or conservatives you say who haven’t earned their stripes in military service, including...
CONASON: I did-that is not a phrase that I used. I didn’t say anyone earned their stripes.
MALZBERG: Did I quote you? Did I quote you? I...
CONASON: You said, you say.
MALZBERG: I am-but I am not quoting you, Joe.
(CROSSTALK)
CONASON: You are not quoting me when you say, you say...
MALZBERG: ... including Attorney General John Ashcroft, Dick Cheney, former Senate Majority Leader, Trent Lott, former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, Majority Whip, Tom DeLay and House Speaker, Dennis Hastert.
And here is what you had to say about Attorney General John Ashcroft. I will quote. “Ashcroft has provided ample and disturbing evidence that he understands little about the constitution and feels no need to consult anyone with a different opinion about its meaning.”
How come, Joe, every time, or almost every time, that there’s been a court challenge, to the patriot act or the way the administration is handling of locking up illegal immigrants or suspects, the court ruled for the administration?
CONASON: Well, every-lots of courts do things that you don’t like, Steve. Courts make decisions all the time, and whether they are right or wrong is in the eye of the beholder. We all live under the rule of law, but I am sure lots of courts have made decisions that you thought were wrong. I think those decisions are wrong. Now...
MALZBERG: Now, you criticize-you criticize...
CONASON: So what I mean, that doesn’t really mean anything.
MALZBERG: Well, what the court decides is law. We have to live by laws, and you are saying that Ashcroft doesn’t know anything about the constitution and the courts are saying that his policies hold the muster.
CONASON: Well, you know, the problem I had with Ashcroft began when he was a Senator and he decided he had seven constitutional amendments that he proposed. Now, that is quite a lot. That is more constitutional amendments than we had over a period of about 100 years, so he really thinks he knows how to improve the constitution by amending it seven different times.
MALZBERG: And you talk also about the leaders like...
(CROSSTALK)
CONASON: I think that doesn’t show a lot of respect for the constitution.
MALZBERG: You also-well, you know what? It’s part of the political process, and....
CONASON: No , it was a lot of demagoguery.
MALZBERG: All right. Let’s talk about our leaders, like George Bush and others-you name a bunch of people that didn’t serve, Dick Cheney...
CONASON: George Bush did serve...
MALZBERG: ... and you questioned that they sent people off to war and you insinuate that they are not qualified to do so by virtue of the fact that they did not serve themselves. Does that mean; A, that the wars that we’re fighting now that we have been put in by George Bush...
CONASON: Steve, you admitted that you didn’t read my book and you don’t know what you are talking about, unfortunately.
MALZBERG: All right. Then tell me about your criticism of the people who haven’t served in the military and are making decisions that send our troops overseas?
CONASON: My criticism-it doesn’t-my book doesn’t say anything about that. My book talks about whether conservatives who did not serve in the military should use terms like treason and giving aid and comfort to the enemy to describe their liberal adversaries who did serve. That’s what I’m talking about in the book. It has nothing to do whether people who served or didn’t serve are qualified to send people to war. In fact, I explicitly say that is not the argument I am making. So next time, Steve, read the book and then let’s discuss it.
In the immortal words of Sammy Davis, Jr. - 'ouch, man.'
Replies: 5 people speak up
Truth is nothing. Image is everything. Whose words will be most remembered?
Posted by capnmike @ 08/22/2003 04:15 PM NY
too bad scarborough himself wasnt there for that humiliation
Posted by justin @ 08/22/2003 04:57 PM NY
Justin, It could be said that 'Puffy Chandler' 'pulled a Coulter' when he learned that Conason was going to be on. That's my guess, anyway.
Posted by editor @ 08/22/2003 05:02 PM NY
i think that scarborough would have had a little bit more controll of his own show, i dont think it would have gotten that far if he had been on. conservatives have a habit of cutting peoples microphones when they are out-talking them
Posted by justin @ 08/22/2003 05:11 PM NY
That is one holy mess of a dialogue. Few things irritate me more than when people talk over each other. Just proves my belief that the cable stations (CNN, MSNBC, Fox, et. al. in all their myriad iterations) have value only as entertainment assets. Want news? Watch PBS, the BBC, the CBC, listen to NPR. Hell, just read the papers. Happy, little lemmings.
Posted by Metropolitan99 @ 08/22/2003 08:02 PM NY
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