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Fox News Hires Allen West – And Points To His Disgraced Military Career As One Reason

Posted by Ellen -7835.60pc on May 17, 2013 · Flag

It’s not a huge surprise that Fox News hired Allen West as a contributor. Any regular Fox watcher could see that West has been angling for the job since he lost his seat in Congress (and finally acknowledged it with what has to be one of the least gracious concessions ever). But what is surprising, even for an outfit as maliciously divisive as Fox News, is that they would cite West’s disgraced military career as one of his selling points.

The Washington Post reports:

“Representative West’s congressional and military experience along with his fearless approach to voicing key issues will provide a valuable point of view to the FOX News lineup,” Fox News Vice President Bill Shine said in a statement. West served in the army before running for Congress in 2010.

You have to wonder which part of West’s military experience Fox thinks will prove so valuable. His mistreatment of an Iraqi prisoner that nearly got him court martialed? From CNN:

The case stems from an incident August 20 at a military base in Taji, just north of Baghdad, when West was interrogating an Iraqi policeman, who was believed to have information about a plot to assassinate West with an ambush on a U.S. convoy.

In testimony at an Article 32 hearing—the military’s version of a grand jury or preliminary hearing—West said the policeman, Yahya Jhrodi Hamoody, was not cooperating with interrogators, so he watched four of his soldiers from the 220th Field Artillery Battalion beat the detainee on the head and body.

West said he also threatened to kill Hamoody. Military prosecutors say West followed up on that threat by taking the suspect outside, put him on the ground near a weapons clearing barrel and fired his 9 mm pistol into the barrel.

The Nation reported that no evidence was ever found implicating Hamoody.

Or does Fox admire how West was fined $5,000 and avoided court martial by retiring?

As for what Fox calls West’s “fearless approach to voicing key issues,” others might call it hate-mongering a la Glenn Beck. West is the guy who, as Politico reported, “channeled Joe McCarthy in a town hall event in Florida (by saying) that he’s ‘heard’ that up to 80 House Democrats are Communist Party members, the Palm Beach Post reports.” Or, as Mother Jones wrote:

He has suggested that Democratic leaders—whom he calls “chicken men”—“get the hell out of the United States of America”; considers drivers with Obama bumper stickers “a threat to the gene pool”; and says black Democrats are trying to keep his fellow African Americans “on the plantation”—and he’s the “modern-day Harriet Tubman” helping them to escape.

Whatever the appeal, there’s every reason West will be a good fit at Fox despite the fact that he has all the personality and charm of a Dick Cheney. If nothing else, as Eric Hananoki, at Media Matters wrote in a great column listing eight reasons why West is the perfect Fox News contributor. he’s a former Republican official. That, by the way, was Reason Number One on Hananoki's list.

So I’m looking forward to a long, happy marriage between West and Fox. Just so long as he doesn't think any of his Fox colleagues are plotting against him.

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Desautels Anne commented 2015-03-08 11:19:46 -0400 · Flag
Fox News Hires Allen West – And Points To His Disgraced Military Career As One Reason – NewsHounds http://bit.ly/1E3O3N3 via @po_st
Ray Michaels commented 2013-05-20 17:43:30 -0400 · Flag
h another paid lackey remark from the BS REGRESSIVE RIGHT!
Sandman2 commented 2013-05-19 11:25:12 -0400 · Flag
Given his number of years in the Military(Gubbinmnt job) I’ll bet there is a “psych evaluation” on record somewhere.
Perhaps some journalist will ask about that being released so we can see just what the Military thought of him.
Dave Ables commented 2013-05-18 12:35:06 -0400 · Flag
That dude is unstable.
Richard Santalone commented 2013-05-18 12:25:04 -0400 · Flag
@ Jan Hall Naturally Jan. Bully O’Lielly KNOWS DAMN WELL that Jabba the Ailes is the one who butters his bread daily — and the minute O’Lielly steps out of line, Ailes will SHOW HIM THE DOOR IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS!

’Nuff said.
Lakeview Greg commented 2013-05-18 12:13:29 -0400 · Flag
Sticking guns into people’s heads and screaming wildly about stupid stuff. Yup, he is well qualified to be a Fauxian.
Anne-claire Souza commented 2013-05-18 10:51:43 -0400 · Flag
The trash can starts to overflow at the Fox Circus.
Jan Hall commented 2013-05-18 09:20:10 -0400 · Flag
Even Bellowing Billo will like this addition to Fox. Though Mr, West is, in Junior’s words a “Non-Traditional American,” I’m sure he will toe the line, and be as good an Ailes Toady as the rest. Right Junior?
truman commented 2013-05-18 08:42:05 -0400 · Flag
Wacko West: Just another turd for the Fux Noise cesspool of hate.
mlp ! commented 2013-05-18 08:00:54 -0400 · Flag
Fox is just doing their best to reach out to the minorities.
Their ‘best’ just isn’t very good.
Ray Michaels commented 2013-05-18 06:32:07 -0400 · Flag
YUP when it comes to news commentators they certainly scrape the bottom of the barrel! Most networks want the best on the air to represent them. Not FOX they sing , " CALL IN THE CLOWNS !"
Antoinette commented 2013-05-18 03:57:27 -0400 · Flag
Once again, The Shine Man brings on people who are nutcases, just like the rest of the senior producers and producers.

Most of Fox “News” on-air personalities are idiots. To add diversity to the mix, they hire this token military misfit to the list.

Funny, the Fox “News” low-level employees are more diverse than the on-air clowns.

This will be interesting.

NOTE TO THE SHINE MAN

Fox “News” does need a token once in a while.
Antoinette commented 2013-05-18 03:57:27 -0400 · Flag
Once again, The Shine Man brings on people who are nutcases, just like the rest of the senior producers and producers.

Most of Fox “News” on-air personalities are idiots. To add diversity to the mix, they hire this token military misfit to the list.

Funny, the Fox “News” low-level employees are more diverse than the on-air clowns.

This will be interesting.

NOTE TO THE SHINE MAN

Fox “News” does need a token once in a while.
NewsHounds posted about Fox News Hires Allen West – And Points To His Disgraced Military Career As One Reason on NewsHounds' Facebook page 2013-05-18 00:09:33 -0400
There's every reason to think West will be a good fit at Fox - even if he does have the personality and charm of Dick Cheney - so long as he doesn't suspect any of his colleagues are plotting against him.








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