The First Ever News Hounds Bar of Soap Award Goes to Brian Kilmeade
Reported by Marie Therese - January 12, 2007 -
This morning on FOX & Friends Brian Kilmeade was delivering the news report. At one point he said this: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates goes back to Capitol Hill to face more questions about the new Iraq strategy but they kiss his butt. Iraq - Gates says the military should know within months if the President's new plan is working." Naughty, naughty, Brian!
Kilmeade's co-hosts, Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy, picked up and expanded on his comment. Kilmeade did not apologize, instead defending what he said.
STEVE DOOCY: You know, you can tell that the FOX & Friends show is a little different than a traditional morning news show.
KILMEADE: In what way? What?
DOOCY: Well, I don't know, during the news cut-ins, if the guy would normally say somebody up on Capitol Hill was kissin' their butt.
GRETCHEN CARLSON: Yeah!
KILMEADE: But it's true!
CARLSON: That knocked me right out of my seat!
KILMEADE: Yeah, but you know why - and I don't normally do that to you, Gretchen.
CARLSON (grinning broadly): I know. That's very nice.
KILMEADE: Especially in your brand new chair. Because I watched them. They just hated Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, couldn't have been more mean. You'd think she was doin' 25 yards for mass - uh - 25 years for mass murder. But every time they said - before they went to Gates they said "Thank goodness you're here. Thank God you're here," Ike Shelton said.
DOOCY: Yeah. That's exactly right, he, a Democrat from Missouri.
COMMENT
So, Kilmeade's remark was deliberate - and rude.
In my humble opinion, his mother should have taught him better manners.
Were it Matt Lauer or Anderson Cooper who engaged in this type of below-the-belt commentary, you can bet that FOX News would have been accusing them of revolting, disgusting behavior.
UPDATE: Post expanded to include transcript and commentary, 1-12-07 8:09 PM EST
