Alan Colmes On A Roll
Reported by Ellen - January 8, 2005
Alan Colmes ended the week last night by continuing his outspoken and on-target criticism of the Bush Administration and by effectively ridiculing a hate-filled pastor. All that before Amy Goodman made her two-hour appearance.
Colmes has been especially sharp about the Bush Administration spin and distortions all week. Last night, during what is becoming an everyday visit, reporter Megyn Kendall dropped by with the latest RNC talking points about Bush's "assessment team" going to Iraq.
"That is the biggest bunch of spin I've ever heard in my life," Colmes said, before delivering a funny imitation of Bush saying that the team is going because "there's an election coming up."
Moving on to the subject of increasing the numbers of troops in Iraq, Colmes said sarcastically, "I'm amazed recruitment isn't up."
Not surprisingly, Kendall right away said that the soldiers she has met say they are happy and honored to serve in Iraq, not outraged.
"Some are outraged," Colmes countered. Just then, a caller named John, on leave from duty in Iraq, came on. He did not paint the usual Happy Iraq scenario heard on FOX. He called Iraq "wild," said that his unit is under attack every day, that they can't keep the vehicles up and that he wished Donald Rumsfeld would have driven one of the canvas-topped Humvees himself when he visited Iraq not long ago. Kendall didn't seem to have any talking points for that.
After Kendall left, Alan's guest was Pastor Fred Phelps who has a website called godhatesfags.com. Pastor Phelps thinks the tsunami victims got what they deserved, that it was a direct and immediate act of God Almighty. Same thing with the 9/11 victims. It wasn't clear to me why. Phelps was too busy insulting Colmes, calling him "a blithering hypocrite" and "a sick Jew."
I have heard Colmes completely lose his temper over lesser insults but tonight he mostly laughed with good humor. Asked why he had invited Phelps to come on the show, Colmes answered, "Because you're much safer under the scrutiny of the media than swept under the rug." Then he gave out the phone number for listeners to call in, "866-sick Jew." It cracked me up.
