The money shot begins around 1:39 into the video... and it's a great one! For those of you who may be bandwidth-challenged... here it is in print:
“Michelle Obama, you know, she's got this Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going," said Juan Williams on Fox News. "If she starts talking, as Mary Katharine [Ham, a conservative blogger] is suggesting, her instinct is to start with this blame America, you know, I'm the victim. If that stuff starts coming out, people will go bananas and she'll go from being the new Jackie O to being something of an albatross”Heh. NPR listeners were NOT pleased.
Bec said:
ReplyDeleteMy, it's interesting to read some of those comments on NPR. The article attempts to be fair, and many of the comments are reasonable, I think, but it's painful to read the slander in a couple of them. Although I sometimes disagree with him, I admire Juan Williams and I respect him for having stood up for Clarence Thomas at a time when it must have been hell to do so.
As it happens, I am in the middle of reading Thomas' autobiography. Very interesting story. What a childhood he had! Amazing how quickly and how far he advanced - all on his own intellectual ability and hard work, too.
What a contrast to a certain person in the WH.
I hear ya, Bec. I spent some time with the comments over at NPR, too. I also noticed that the great majority of the highly critical comments seemed to take much more offense at the fact Mr. Williams is employed by Fox News, rather than by what he said. Or perhaps an equal amount... but I'm sure you get my drift.
ReplyDeleteWilliams pisses me off from time to time, most especially during the campaign when he seemed to be as "in the tank" for Obama as any other journalist. But... that said, I DO respect the man, both for standing up for Justice Thomas and for his "Eye on the Prize." The man has done GREAT work, and seems "fair and balanced" to me.
We share an admiration for Justice Thomas, btw. But you probably knew that. ;-)
You don't have to buy into the "new Jackie O" hype to find this sort of remark contemptible. I hold no brief for the Obamas, Barack or Michelle, but this is just a pitiful excuse for informed commentary.
ReplyDeleteClearly, Mr. Williams realized very quickly that he had overreached here, as he took some pains to apologize for his tone, and to try to "place it in context" well after the fact.
Juan Williams has said interesting and thoughtful things in the past, and in his role as a TV pundit he of course gets his living by being provocative.
Also, everybody has an off day.
But if this is the best he can do as a cultural critic, we can safely write him off.
I am not up on O'Rielly or Williams, but is seems he used the "if" word. "If She starts talking..." Not much of a slam as it is a warning.
ReplyDeleteBarry: I agree with Lou, to begin with. I obviously don't know a whole helluva lot about Mrs. Obama and I assume Williams knows a LOT more than I do... it's his job. I further believe there's a grain of truth in what he said, based upon the widely publicized MO quote "the first time I've been proud of my country" (words to that effect), further reinforced by Williams' quotes from other sources (at the NPR link).
ReplyDeleteSo... contemptible? I think not. I'm not so sure I'd even go so far as to call what he said "in bad taste." I've MOST definitely heard worse from various Talking Heads about Sarah Palin, just for starters.
I found it quite bizarre that someone in the NPR comments immediately said he was calling her an angry black nationalist (or something like that).
ReplyDeleteDoesn't sound to me like he used racial terms at all.
I too agree with Lou - he said "if". Then again, I don't disagree with what he said about Mrs. Obama. She's a wild card/loose cannon.
re: the "angry black nationalist" angle... That's the natural and correctly assumed implication of the Stokely Carmichael analogy, if one is "of a certain age." I'm not sure you're old enough to appreciate that, Kris, given you were a teenager during the Carter years. Carmichael came along way before then...
ReplyDeleteFunny how it was perfectly acceptable for the left to skewer Sarah Palin ad nauseum, but how dare anyone say something remotely negative about Mrs. "The One".
ReplyDeleteAs I said yesterday, I long ago had my fill of Mrs. Obama. I don't think that Mr. Williams is too far off the mark. She will marginalize herself in good time.
While the left is currently lost in adoration, I don't think it will be too long before they turn on one another, since they don't have any conservatives to sacrifice at the alter. I plan to just sit back with my popcorn and enjoy the show.
For what it's worth, I'm one of those who considered Sarah Palin distinctly unqualified for VP, but I thought the ad hominem attacks against her were *completely* out of line.
ReplyDelete