Fox News pundits predictably attacked President Obama for not saying “Islamic terrorism” in his State of the Union address. But when Republican Senator Joni Ernst made the same omission in her State of the Union response, Fox didn’t mind an itsy bitsy. In fact, Fox pundits were full of praise for her.
Media Matters caught several examples of Fox News' double standard on the subject. However, the most blatant was Fox & Friends’ co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
In a post-SOTU interview with White House advisor Valerie Jarrett yesterday, Hasselbeck said, “I think the American people deserve accurate terminology here. Why won’t the president say ‘Islamic extremism’ or ‘radical Islam’ …Does the president find it more offensive that radical Islam exists, or the term ‘radical Islam’? Which is more offensive to the president?”
But on the same show, Hasselbeck didn’t seem to have even noticed that Ernst never described terrorism as “Islamic” in her remarks on the subject. Instead, Hasselbeck had nothing but praise for Ernst’s response:
HASSELBECK: She, I thought, gave a perfect picture of an American out there who didn’t always have it easy. She talked about walking on the bus with bags on her feet. …She really just painted a picture of Americans out there in a really kind way. …(Ernst’s SOTU) camo shoes might have been my highlight of the night.
Co-host Brian Kilmeade said Ernst delivered her speech “perfectly.”
Co-host Steve Doocy didn’t utter a peep of concern about Ernst’s omission, either.
Rather than force Republicans to recite the term “Islamic terrorism” and pretend that it’s a magic charm that will keep us safe, can we just stop the make-believe that semantics equal national security policy? Or is it just too much to ask of Fox "News" to discuss our actual policies?
Watch the two faces of Elisabeth Hasselbeck below, from yesterday’s Fox & Friends.
“There can be nobody more offensive than the three of those braindead shills, unless it’s Hannity, but he deserves special status all to himself for being asshole of the universe.”
Ergo scooter, you’re implying that KKKlannity is the “black hole” of the universe, are you not?
;^)