Here’s what we know so far: 1). Brad Stine is a hypocrite who wears his religion on his sleeve, yet has no problem attacking President Obama for “faking” his religion, in contravention of that whole “lest ye be judged” Bible thingamagig in Matthew; 2). For the Foxy friends at Fox and Friends there is no low where Stine can’t go, unlike Hank Wilson, Jr., another celebrity out of his depths.  From wherever the (still to be determined) Fox “News” Producer produced ex-carny Stine, it’s obvious he is still championed (you don’t really think Kilmeade, Carlson or Doocy book the guests, do you?).  I thought we’d never see him again after last week’s train wreck, when he bet President Obama $1000 that he would not declare Jesus Christ as his Savior on tee vee and then decided the president was “faking” his religion.  Whatever producer, booking Stine as a regular pundit was a Machiavellian masterstroke.  The Foxy Friends are able to outsource all those Right Wing Talking Points to Stine, who rants like a street-corner crazy, while their hands remain clean.  What’s more: it’s done in that aw-shucks, good, clean, morning fun happy talk, which disguises the fact that they are table-setting the Fox “News” Talking Points for the day.  However, this week Steve Doocy forgot to leave all the agit-prop to Stine (or was simply reading off his teleprompter like a good little Foxbot) because of the 169 seconds in this segment Doocy used 56 (28 to introduce Stine and another 28 seconds spouting Right Wing Talking Points).  This left Stine with a scant of 1:13 to push the meme du jour: Hollywood leans left.  Stop the presses.

It seems that Rick Santorum wants to be taken more seriously as a force for economic freedom, not just an aspiring-between-the-knees religious extremist. As an example, gentle reader, I offer you Santorum’s “economic freedom agenda” op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (Here’s the executive summary: he’s going to be BOLD. Romney will cut taxes and entitlement spending a little; Santorum will cut them a lot – except for defense spending of course.) Coincidentally, today, on Happening Now, host Jon Scott brought Alan Colmes, as well as Jim Pinkerton of American Conservative, on the show to cast a shadow on Santorum’s treatment by the media

Fox "News" does love culture war wedge issues which they can spin into "controversies" and "outrages" that are used to further divide the world into their dualistic world view of good vs. evil. Fox has designated the management of the Empire State Building as part of the evil forces (could it be Satan?) that are continuously fighting against the forces of good. The "outrage" is their refusal to light up their building to honor NY's Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Head of the Catholic League, Bill Donohue, whose claim to speak for Catholics is dubious, says Catholics are angry. Never wanting to waste an opportunity to pander to victimized Christians,  Fox News (Dolan's personal network) is running with the outrage meme. Last Friday, Megyn Kelly and Donahue got a tad apopletic over this issue. And on Saturday's news block, this topic was part of Heather Childers' women's panel. But when Childers tossed to Greg Jarrett, all semblance of journalistic objectivity flew out the window with an amazingly idiotic quote from Jarrett.

As I monitored Fox and Friends this morning my ears perked up every time the Three Stooges mentioned the train derailment in Ontario, Canada, because that’s only about 15 miles from my last Canadian address, before I moved back to the States 7 years ago.    All morning long they’ve been locating the train tragedy, in which 3 are confirmed dead so far and dozens injured, as in Ontario, Canada “just north of Niagara Falls.”  The Three Stooges, who complain about the president using a teleprompter, will read anything on their teleprompter, no matter how inaccurate it may be.  However, this is sloppy tee vee “news” writing, and I say that as a 10-year veteran of tee vee news writing.  Take a look at the map and then I’ll break down the 4 simple words “just north of Niagara Falls” like I were Tosh.0:

In the happy interregnum between Sarah Palin losing the vice-presidency and ignominiously quitting as Alaska governor—and before she was hired as a super-duper, special Fox “News” contributor—grabbing an interview with the notoriously press-shy Palin [see: Katie Couric and other fun stuff] was the Big Talk Show Get.   Therefore, it was actual news when it was announced that Governor Palin would be on the very first Glenn Beck Program on January 19, 2009 on Fox “News” Channel.  Now, according to newly released (Freedom of Information Act) emails, Governor Palin required her questions from Beck in advance and the crack “journalist” readily complied.  Palin then asked a staffer to come up with answers to “these softball questions,” as described by karoli at Crooks and Liars, who delved into the latest avalanche of Palin emails for Fox “News” Channel connections, so I didn’t have to.  karoli seems bemused:

Although Fox News obsesses about (Democratic) voter fraud, the subject somehow never arose during Chris Wallace’s lengthy interview yesterday with Indiana Republican Governor Mitch Daniels. Even though Indiana’s Republican Secretary of State, Charlie White – the man in charge of voting integrity – had just been convicted of multiple counts of felony voter fraud. Even though Daniels had considered re-appointing White if the charges were reduced to a misdemeanor (they weren’t). And even though allegations have recently surfaced that Indiana’s Republican Senator Dick Lugar’s voter registration lists him at an address he moved from in 1977. And if all that wasn’t enough to pique Wallace’s voter-fraud curiosity, you’d think that White’s recent accusation that Daniels’ own voter registration doesn’t match his domicile would. But no.

Fox News correspondent Douglas Kennedy has been arrested after a scuffle with nurses in the maternity ward of the hospital where his wife recently gave birth. Apparently, Kennedy insisted on taking his newborn son “for a walk” despite being told the infant could not leave the ward. Kennedy has been charged with harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. Sworn testimony from one of the nurses says Kennedy kicked her in the pelvis and knocked her to the floor when she attempted to stop the baby's head from shaking during the confrontation - presumably because of the unsafe way in which Kennedy was holding the child. Although surveillance video does not show Kennedy kicking the nurse, she can be seen falling backward in a motion that seems to support her claim. So how is Fox News dealing with this? By referring to Kennedy in a FoxNews.com article merely as “Robert F. Kennedy’s son” in one instance. In another, Fox News chief Roger Ailes called Kennedy “the definition of a great father.”

Another Fox News Sunday, another show without any Democratic guests. Last week's roster was Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Today's guest list consisted of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and potential GOP savior Mitch Daniels. Oh, sure, Democrat Evan Bayh was part of the panel discussion but he was one of four panelists that also included Juan Williams, Bill Kristol and Ed Gillespie.

It doesn't take much to get Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League, pissed off. He is annoyed by gays, Hollywood Jews, and all those nasty young men who lure saintly, celibate priests down the road to perdition and then have the unmitigated audacity to complain about sexual molestation which, according to blowhard Bill, is all part of the gay agenda. But nothing gets his Irish up more that the "little preppy boys" in the executive suite of the Empire State Building who had the unmitigated audacity to refuse to light up the Empire State Building in honor of Mother Teresa's birthday. Fox provided a pulpit for Bill to preach about that outrage. But despite his Fox promoted petition and street theater outside Satan's headquarters, Ma Teresa didn't get her colors. It gets worse. Now, the same folks are refusing to light up their building for NY Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Donohue and Dolan's personal network, Fox News, share in the "outrage" as evidenced by alleged straight "news" anchor and divorced Catholic Megyn Kelly who provided some warm Catholic fellowship for Donahue's latest in a long litany of rants.

RNC chairman Reince Priebus visited On The Record last night for a discussion in which he predictably attacked President Obama over gas prices. What was a surprise was how host Greta Van Susteren ended the segment - by urging her viewers to go to her blog to view a “cute” photograph of Priebus’ son winning some kind of derby. All in the Fox News family!