In Fox's latest ridiculous effort to pretend Donald Trump is a serious pundit, Greta Van Susteren hosted him last night (1/18/12) for a double session in which she treated Trump – whose only real business experience is in real estate – as an expert on the Keystone pipeline, the related environmental issues, the 2012 presidential election, Snooki and - my personal favorite – Iran. 

Trump's credibility problem isn’t only a lack of expertise in these areas. The record he does have is seriously tainted. There are the debunked and discredited birther accusations; his inadvertent admissions of racism; that big investigation in Hawaii into President Obama’s birth certificate Trump boasted about and suddenly clammed up about just around the time Obama released his long-form birth certificate. Plus, there was his disingenuous insistence on The O’Reilly Factor that he was hosting a Republican candidates’ debate – one night before he announced otherwise. And now there’s another make-believe possibility that this time he really will run for president.

Trump opined first on President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone pipeline. “We certainly should have approved it…It is not an environmental problem at all - in any way, shape or form… We don’t even need Canadian oil if we do it right.” he said. Since when did Trump become an expert on energy? Or the environment?

Van Susteren challenged several of his assertions throughout their lengthy discussion but she never gave the viewers any of the many, many reasons they should take everything this guy says with several grains of salt.

After dispatching the pipeline issue, Van Susteren next elevated Trump to the level of foreign affairs expert and asked what he thought of the United States possibly engaging in talks with Iran. That’s a good thing, he opined. “That doesn’t show weakness. That shows in a way, strength. We should have talks with Iran.”

We ought to do everything possible to avoid another war, Trump offered. Then, having gone a few minutes without a boast, he added gratuitously, “Nobody’s more into the military than Donald Trump.” Well, maybe except for those who – unlike Trump – have actually served in it

As if all that were not enough undeserved cred, Van Susteren went on to ask, “What would you be saying to Ahmadinejad if you were president, having those talks?” As if that would EVER happen!

Who needs a State Department when you’ve got a guy like Trump on hand? Iran is a piece of cake for him! “I’m sure that if they have the right negotiator, which I’m sure they don’t have, we can make an unbelievable deal.” Trump assured Van Susteren that the talks would not have to take so long that they would serve as a stalling tactic for Iran to complete a nuclear weapon. “You can know at the end of a day whether or not they’re going to work. When I go into a deal, I know almost immediately if a deal is going to happen,” he said.

In Part 2, Trump offered his insights into the presidential race. “They’re giving each other the campaign slogans for the Obama administration.” But fear not, Fox viewers. Obama is “doing so badly,” the Republicans “have plenty on him.”

And Snooki! She “looks terrific.”

The South Carolina primary “is going to be very close,” the oracle of birtherism revealed. Romney has been hurt by the attacks on him “but he’ll come back.”

What would Trump advise Romney about releasing his tax returns? Release them, Trump said. I'm sure campaign staffers rushed right out to Kinko's the moment the words were uttered from Trump's lips.