For many people, Dr. Suess’ “The Lorax” is a timeless children’s classic. Environmental themes aside, the story is a wonderful soliloquy of two people on opposite ends of a discussion refusing to budge until both of them end up with nothing. But leave it to certain people not only to miss the point, but pull stunts like putting it on the banned books list for the “crime” of being an environmentalist's allegory, or creating propaganda such as Truax to counter it (?) on behalf of the poor industrialists. Now that a movie is coming out, it appears that Fox Business Network is picking up where the old campaigns left off - with Lou Dobbs sounding the charge. He put together a panel of three other like-minded pundits on Tuesday (2/21/12) and laughed heartily when one of them suggested "fighting back" by leaving as much litter on the movie theater floor as possible.

Consider the following hypothetical. In the cause of his activism on behalf of an Islamic cause, a Muslim activist did the following: blockaded buildings; got arrested 40 times for various activities connected to the activism; disrupted Town Hall meetings; described himself as an extremist; palled around with a future assassin; and paid for TV ads featuring grisly photos of dead bodies. This person then runs for political office. A noted liberal pundit does a fund raiser for him. How do you think Fox guest Ann Coulter would respond?  For starters, I suspect that she would bray about treason and domestic terrorism. But if you make this hypothetical person a real life Christian anti-abortion radical, you have Democratic presidential candidate Randall Terry for whom - wait for it - Ann Coulter is doing a March 3rd fund raiser at an Oklahoma Baptist church which includes, as one of its members, birther State Rep. Mike Ritze.

Over the years a pattern has developed on Fox “News,” and more specifically Fox and Friends, that’s worth examining in detail.  News Hounds has often noted that F&F is the morning agit-prop table-setter for the entire Fox “News” day.  However, within that pattern lies another pattern worth deep exploration.  The First Ten™ minutes of Fox and Friends is the most important part of the channel’s entire day.  A number of stories are covered on The First Ten, but the underlying thread is usually that they all make President Obama or the government look bad.  Under the guise of bubbly happy talk, this heavily scripted segment—with just enough tomfoolery to make it sound ad libbed—is NEVER posted on Fox’s web site.  That’s a shame because The First Ten™ is where Fox “News” launch a lot of its trial balloons.  Some manage to float airily throughout the Fox schedule, trailing Right Wing memes.  Others sink without a trace after one airing.  This very subtle attack on President Obama using B.B. King and chyrons is a perfect example of the latter.   Video after the jump.

While Presidents’ Day may have been two days ago, Fox “News” can’t let an opportunity to trash Democratic president go by.  That’s why those Foxy Friends on Fox and Friends hosted John Fund this morning to expound on his Fox “News” dot com article.  The Fox segment was called “Did presidential scandals put nation at risk?”  As I listened to the segment I thought it curious that it only touched on the sex scandals of Presidents John Kennedy and William Clinton.  My spidey sense told me that something was being left out.  I was wrong.  John Fund’s article was only about those two presidents: a reach-back to the ‘60s and a modern president.  I’ll see Fund’s reach-back and modern president and raise him a Republican icon: The triumvirate of Presidents Nixon, George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan respectively, all of whom [allegedly] committed crimes worse than mere sexual indiscretions or lying about them under oath.  Video after the jump.

It has been two years and 10 months - or 1036 days- since Sean Hannity offered to be waterboarded for charity on April 22, 2009. Has "tough guy" Hannity chickened out? Just reneged on his promise? 

Tucker Carlson appeared on Red Eye last night and announced that the 74 million or so people in Iran deserve “to be annihilated.” This from a guy who fashions himself as “pro life.” UPDATED - Carlson says he didn't mean it the way it sounded and he's actually not in favor of attacking Iran.

This contraceptive controversy just keeps on giving, gentle reader - generally giving you things you’d rather throw on the garbage pile. The latest gift appears to be a re-ignited Glenn Beck. The former Fox News host, whom the network threw on the garbage pile last year, appears to have jumped on the controversy as an opportunity to ride back from oblivion; and last night Bill O’Reilly gave him a chance to promote his new world vision.

Along with being a conduit for the politics of the United States Council of Catholic Bishops, Fox & Friends appears to be a public relations arm for NY Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan who is also head of the bishop's group. Over the week-end, Fox & Friends ran several segments, live from Rome, during which Fox professional Catholic (and Dolan litigator) Peter Johnson Jr. and Fox house priest (only Fox official clergy) Father Jonathan Morris talked about the might and majesty of Timothy Dolan who, wink, wink, could be the next pope. (Irish Paddy Power odds are 80/1). The Dolan lovefest continued, this morning, on Fox & Friends.

Earlier this week Fox “News” pitbull Eric Bolling, substituting for Gretchen Carlson on Fox and Friends, was forced to apologize for a crack he made about Rep. Maxine Waters smoking crack like the dearly departed Whitney Houston.  Last night on The Daily Show, while Lewis Black delivered a stinging commentary on the media hoopla surrounding Houston’s death, he singled out Bolling’s racist remark.  Video below.

Fox News’ dodgy pollster, Frank Luntz, has shocked us before with his blatant partisanship dressed up as impartial moderating of focus groups. But this bit of video - in which Luntz jokes he wants to put a “Run, Barack Run” bumper sticker on the front of his car – takes the cake. I’m not sure which was worse, Luntz’ joke or the crowd's laughter.