On Tuesday (3/20/12), Sean Hannity lamented the fact that President Obama will never likely agree to an interview on Hannity. "I'd be respectful," Hannity insisted. Somehow, he and his two guests kept a straight face when he said that. 

It was inevitable that Fox News was going to find a way to play the race card against Trayvon Martin and now, thanks to Geraldo Rivera, they figured out a way to do it: Have the (half ) Latino guy blame Martin’s hoodie. On this morning’s Fox & Friends, Rivera said, “I'm not suggesting that Trayvon Martin had any kind of weapon or anything, but he wore an outfit that allowed someone to respond in this irrational, overzealous way and if he had been dressed more appropriately, I think unless it's raining out, or you're at a track meet, leave the hoodie home.” For extra Fox race-baiting points, Rivera likened the situation to Juan Williams saying he gets nervous when he sees Muslims in Muslim garb on a plane. Of course, Williams got fired from NPR after that remark. Rivera, in all likelihood, will get a Fox News pat on the back via lots of air time. (H/T reader Alan)

On Wednesday’s (3/21/12) Your World, Rep. Xavier Becerra and Neil Cavuto spoke about speculators, energy, and gas prices. The last two minutes of the discussion, focusing on the right approach to energy, became quite heated. The next day, Cavuto read some of his mail about the segment. Most of it was negative toward him.

We recently posted that Neil Cavuto's critical comments about Rep. Paul Ryan's budget were not a good sign about Republican support for the plan. I'd say the same holds true for the emotional support other Fox hosts gave it in repeatedly praising Ryan's courage - while refraining from cheerleading the passage of the actual bill. But none matched the effusive praise from Bill Hemmer, who said about the plan, "I think what happened yesterday is going to go down as the single most important event in government history in our lifetimes, and that is when Paul Ryan came out with his budget plan." But even Hemmer quickly suggested he didn't think the bill would pass.

We've been critical of Fox News' coverage of the Trayvon Martin case - or lack thereof - but to give credit where it's due, yesterday's discussion on America Live was reasonable and yes, fair and balanced, in my view. 

Newt Gingrich appeared on On The Record last night where he pointedly said it’s time for an “American” energy plan. Later, Greta Van Susteren asked him about a National Journal article headlined, Gingrich Ignores Comment on Obama Being Muslim. “I take it you don’t think President Obama’s a Muslim,” Van Susteren said, and asked why Gingrich did not correct the person who said it.

During yet ANOTHER Hannity segment on liberal hypocrisy about personal attacks, Sean Hannity teamed up with Ann Coulter last night – an expert on personal attacks if ever there was one – to use the topic as little more than another excuse for a round of attacks on liberals. The thinking seemed to be: liberals are awful so we’re cleared for being as awful as possible to them. But Coulter outdid herself by suggesting that it would be liberals’ just desserts if conservatives “go after the Obama children.”

Neil Cavuto hosted Michele Bachmann yesterday to discuss Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget. Although Bachmann predictably praised it unequivocally, Cavuto made lots of digs. Fox News host taking shots at a major Republican initiative? Not a good sign for said initiative.

It's bad enough that Fox News occasionally interviews the far right and unhinged Catholic League head Bill Donohue, given Donohue's anti-Semitic comment about how Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity and who like anal sex. But they now employ, as a contributor, Sandy Rios who is also employed by the American Family Association, an SPLC designated hate group, whose founder, Don Wildmon, has said that obscene content on television is due to the media being controlled by Jews. Rios is now hosting her own show on American Family radio where she said some things that could be construed as anti-Semitic. It's interesting - the liberals on Fox are not exactly far left Code Pink types. But Sandy Rios is about as far right as you can get. I suspect that any liberal, who said that the Jews are "enemies of America," would not earn a spot as a Fox contributor!

Sean Hannity once again feigned innocence last night as he insisted that no Fox News hosts had ever said Barack Obama is Muslim. But, as I posted last week when Hannity made a similar claim, suggestions that Obama is Muslim have been made on Hannity's own show. Last night, Hannity made the same suggestion - right after he insisted no host ever said so. It was as if Hannity were saying, "We never called him a Muslim but you can't blame us if we did."