Actor Charles Grodin probably knew Sean Hannity would never fulfill his promise to be waterboarded “for the troops’ families” but Grodin’s passing today has made Hannity’s fecklessness and cowardice official.
Grodin was most known for his acting career, of course. From The Washington Post:
Charles Grodin, a versatile actor with a talent for wry humor and deadpan comedy who appeared on Broadway, starred in such films as “The Heartbreak Kid,” “Midnight Run” and the “Beethoven” comedies and was known for his cheeky appearances on TV talk shows, including his own, died May 18 at his home in Wilton, Conn. He was 86.
The cause was bone marrow cancer, said his son, Nicholas Grodin.
Mr. Grodin made his mark in both comedy and drama, on stage and on screen and as a writer and director. He often adopted a quirky style that could be simultaneously self-effacing and self-important. He was a master of the cringeworthy moment, when it wasn’t clear if he was being funny, naive or insulting — or a little of all three.
For purposes of this blog, Grodin will always be known for his April 22, 2009 interview on the Hannity show. From my post commemorating the 10-year anniversary of that appearance:
GRODIN: Would you consent to be waterboarded? We can waterboard you?
HANNITY: Sure.
GRODIN: Are you busy on Sunday?
HANNITY: I’ll do it for charity. I’ll let you do it. I’ll do it for the troops’ families.
Crooks and Liars caught Keith Olbermann offering $1,000 for every second Hannity lasted during the procedure. "We'll see if he's anything but a gasbag," Olbermann said.
Well, after all these years, I think we can definitively call Hannity a gasbag.
Among all the other reasons to fondly remember Grodin, he knew waterboarding was torture and he had the guts to challenge Hannity about that and several other subjects on Fox.
I think we can also definitively say now that Hannity has implicitly acknowledged that Grodin was right.
You can watch Hannity be a gasbag below, from the April 22, 2009 Hannity show. Underneath is Olbermann’s dare on MSNBC.
