Instead Of Defending President Bush, FOX News Smears His Critic, Neil Young
Reported by Ellen - April 26, 2006
After airing all the defense arguments of the Duke lacrosse team and “more Cynthia McKinney fallout,” there was still time on Hannity & Colmes last night (4/25/06) for a little bashing of rocker Neil Young over his new anti-war CD. The album, “Living With War,” contains a song called “Let’s Impeach The President” which includes a choir chanting “flip-flop, flip-flop.” FOX News contributors Mike Gallagher (subbing for Sean Hannity) and Sandy Rios gleefully thought up innovative ways to smear Young but News Hounds top dog Ellis Henican and Alan Colmes easily made them look ridiculous.
Referring to Young as a “geriatric rocker,” Gallagher kept complaining about the fact that the Canadian-born Young never became an American citizen. “Wouldn’t his words carry a little more clout if he bothered to become a citizen of the country that made him rich and famous?” Gallagher accused Young of “biting the hand that feeds him.”
Henican immediately questioned why Gallagher would want to silence Young. “The schmaltzy country and western singers, they can have opinions but the people who don’t like the president can’t? Is that how it works? …This guy loves his country because he’s trying to stop it from doing something stupid. He’s where a lot of Americans are. He was for this initially and he’s lost faith in this war and this president.”
Channeling Hannity, Gallagher tried to argue that Young was being insensitive to the troops’ families. Gallagher claimed that Young, like “a lot of lefties” was “attacking” the president, the country and the military.
“And a lot of conservatives (are) coming over to our side on this thing,” Henican said, as Gallagher moaned in disagreement. Hennican needled Gallagher. “It must be LONELY right now. VERY LONELY. VERY LONELY.”
Henican noted that musicians have often “been ahead of the politicians” on many social issues and that protest rock has a very important role in our culture.
”So does heroin,” Gallagher replied inanely.
When it was Alan Colmes’ turn, he pointed out, “You’re not trashing the country if you have an opinion different than the president of the United States.” Colmes added that when Young did his song, “Let’s Roll,” there was “not a peep out of conservatives.”
Sandy Rios couldn’t get enough slurs about Young into the conversation. She called him a druggie, predicted the album would be a flop and said he should be sued for plagiarism because his lyrics are “the soundbites of the left.” For good measure, she added, “I think he took ‘em out of the Kerry campaign.”
Of course, no self-respecting liberal-bash session would be complete without a swipe at Clinton. Gallagher wound up the discussion by saying “It’s probably safe to say though, whatever the debate, (Young) definitely did inhale.” Rios cracked up.
Comment: If President Bush is so great, why are there so few Hannity & Colmes segments about him and his policies?
