Hannity Demonstrates How FOX News Likes America: By Attacking Former Vice President Gore On The Day He Is Awarded The Nobel Peace Prize
Reported by Ellen - October 13, 2007 -
Poor Sean Hannity. After all that work he did smearing Al Gore over his private jet travel, not only did it have no apparent ill effect on Gore, he just won the Nobel Peace Prize! So, in his typical bullyboy way, Hannity dealt with it by smearing the prize, jeering at his guest, interrupting his co-host and, of course, more attacks on Gore. For good measure, Hannity threw in a jab at MoveOn, too. Just another example of the ways in which FOX News, as chief Roger Ailes says, “We like America.” With video.
You just know that if a Republican had won, the graphic behind Hannity during last night's (10/12/07) Hannity & Colmes discussion about Gore's prize would have read “Winner!” instead of the faintly praising, “Gore’s Big Day.”
Hannity didn’t waste any time attacking Gore. In his introduction to the two-part discussion, Hannity posed this “Cavuto mark” of a question: “So does the man who we have shown you right there in that picture who doesn’t exactly follow or adhere to his own environmental preachings – that’s him getting off his own Gulfstream private jet – does he deserve to win the Nobel Prize?”
A few moments later, Hannity promised to run the video of Gore getting off a private jet again “so our audience can be reminded.” Hannity added self-importantly, “And I have been told in the last 48 hours, and I’d like Al Gore to answer this question, that Al Gore has been traveling AGAIN on private jets.”
Congressman Jim Cooper once again proved that a smart Democratic guest can do well on FOX News, so long as you don’t try to pander and have at least some inkling of Hannity's tactics. “Sean, give the man a break,” Cooper said. “He just won the Nobel Peace Prize. Mother Teresa has won this prize. It’s one of the highest honors anybody can win.”
That’s when Hannity turned to smearing the prize. “So did Yasser Arafat and so did Mikhail Gorbachev.”
Cooper said that part of Gore’s message was that we could address global warming without giving up modern-day technology. “Sean, did you want him to bicycle across America? Then you would say he’s a nut.” (So true!)
“No, I want him to take a commercial flight like the rest of us,” Hannity said. Oh, really? Like the time Hannity cancelled his appearance at Washington University in St. Louis because because the students sponsoring him could not come up with a private jet that satisfied him and the first-class ticket they offered instead wasn't good enough either? By the way, according to Washington University's student newspaper, Hannity's agent asked the students to lie about the reason he cancelled but the students refused.
Or was Hannity like the rest of us when he volunteered to speak at Utah Valley State College then submitted a bill for almost $50,000 in expenses, mostly related to his private jet? As the BYU NewsNet reported,
Most of the expense came from his private jet said Joe Vogel, UVSC vice president of academic affairs. Hannity flew from New York to Utah and then to Arizona, where he broadcasted his show during the presidential debate Wednesday night. The travel cost also includes Hannity's trip back to New York from Arizona, even though Hannity would've made the trip to Arizona anyway."We have hired private jets in the past," said Derek Hall, director of college relations at UVSC. "We had Larry King from California. Here and back cost $15,000."
But “Great American” and regular guy Hannity wasn’t done attacking the former vice president. He played a clip of Gore passionately criticizing the Bush administration (but not making threats or talking of going to war) at a MoveOn gathering and asked, “Does this sound like a man of peace to you?”
Republican Congressman Vito Fossella at least had the good manners to congratulate Gore. But in a more delicate way, he also criticized Gore and the prize. “What calls to me is this notion of, I think, diluting what the Nobel Peace Prize is.” Fossella reiterated Hannity’s complaint that Gorbachev and Arafat had won and then named what he thought were obviously better candidates. “I would think people like the United States Air Force or the Marine Corps that brings about peace in this world or Ronald Reagan who was denied it. I think it dilutes what it all means and it calls into question what it’s all about. Are there legitimate issues that the vice president has raised over time? Yes, but I do think the American people deserve more truth.”
Alan Colmes said, “It is really ungracious to start knocking the vice president.”
“Let’s not be so grudging about it,” Cooper chimed in.
As Fossella complained that the US deserves a debate “not rooted, perhaps, in one movie,” Colmes pointed out that Gore’s work was much more than one movie. First, Colmes adroitly brought up that Gore had been against the Iraq war and said it would be a quagmire a year before we invaded. Colmes also noted that addressing climate change problems is a preventive for warfare over resources in the future.
Colmes jokingly rebutted Hannity’s attacks by saying, “They want to blame the messenger because they don’t like the message and hence the attacks on Al Gore. ‘Oh my heavens, he actually takes planes when he has to get someplace where a bicycle won’t do. Oh, my heavens, he uses electricity in his house.'”
That was too much for the undoubtedly traumatized Hannity. He grumbled some kind of rejoinder about Gore using “20 times the amount.”
Cooper replied, “That’s a lot like blaming Paul Revere because he might have exaggerated the number of British troops. What matters is that Paul Revere warned us that the British were coming. He’s a legitimate American hero. Al Gore’s a legitimate American hero.”
“Oh, come on,” Hannity rudely griped.
Cooper continued, ignoring Hannity’s childish outburst. “Al Gore has been a true visionary. There are very few leaders like that. Vito Fassella, to my knowledge, is not one of them. Al Gore is, and we should be very proud of (unintelligible).”
