Joe Scarborough Rips Liberal MSNBC Colleagues Schultz and Olbermann On-Air

Scarborough's second question began thus: "If you're a liberal radio and TV talk show host, and your goal is to keep calm and carry on, do you say of a Republican politician who's just had a life-threatening heart attack, quote, 'We ought to rip his heart out, and kick it around, and stuff it back in his chest'?"

That question referred to Ed Schultz's nasty rant [1] from this past February, where he derided conservatives for complaining that Dick Cheney's recovery from his heart attack was being used as a political football for health care. "You're damn right Dick Cheney's heart is a political football," Schultz ranted. "We ought to rip it out and kick it around and stuff it back in him. I'm glad he didn't tip over. He is the new poster child for health care in this country."

Two questions later, Scarborough again used an MSNBC colleague's words as an example of hate-speech. "If you're a liberal cable host, and you want to keep calm and carry on, do you accuse the President of the United States, who happens to be a Republican, of being a fascist, and a liar, who urinates on the Constitution?" he asked columnist Mike Barnacle.

That question referred back to Olbermann's August, 2008 smear [2] of President Bush's administration as "urinating on the Constitution."

It seems quite fascinating that out of all the hate speech from liberal talk show hosts on radio and television, Scarborough chose to feature barbs from two of his colleagues. Then again, MSNBC isn't exactly a harbor of calm and collected debate.

A partial transcript of the segment, which aired on September 21 at 6:43 a.m. EDT, is as follows:

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Calling out the "Professional Left" and the far-Right, a campaign of ours to kind of calm everybody down, because we find - and we found out in New Hampshire this past weekend, we've seen it everywhere from Maine down to South Alabama, to Florida, to Alabama, to West - Americans are tired of all the screaming and shouting, so we're trying to encourage sort of the chattering classes - to keep calm, and carry on. A noble gesture, is it not?

JON MEACHAM: Absolutely. I would expect nothing less.

(...)

SCARBOROUGH: Question: If you're a liberal radio and TV talk show host, and your goal is to keep calm and carry on, do you say of a Republican politician who's just had a life-threatening heart attack, quote, "We ought to rip his heart out, and kick it around, and stuff it back in his chest."

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: That's a no-brainer, Willie.

WILLIE GEIST: Life-threatening, or did it cost him his life?

SCARBOROUGH: Life-threatening. He's still alive - these guys aren't very good at this.

BRZEZINSKI: It's a new game.

GEIST: Yes.

SCARBOROUGH: No.

GEIST: You said "threatening."

SCARBOROUGH: "Life-threatening." No, I'm sorry.

(...)

SCARBOROUGH: Question: For the t-shirt. If you're a liberal cable host, and you want to keep calm and carry on, do you accuse the President of the United States, who happens to be a Republican, of being a fascist, and a liar, who urinates on the Constitution? Now Mike, I would suggest that "urinates on the Constitution," as well as "liar" and "fascist," would be a clue for you.

MIKE BARNACLE: It is, it is, and I don't need a lifeline for this one. Yes. (Pause) C'mon, give me the t-shirt. That was the right answer, wasn't it? It happens all the time!

SCARBOROUGH: It does happen all the time. We have, actually, some re-educating to do.

BRZEZINSKI: We do.