The Daily Caller

The Daily Caller
Politics

Bill Kristol in rare MSNBC appearance defends challenging Beck on caliphate claims

11:54 AM 02/08/2011
Jeff Poor
Media Reporter

Neoconservative Bill Kristol meets the cast of “Morning Joe” live on MSNBC — what could possibly go wrong?

On “Morning Joe” Tuesday, the Weekly Standard editor appeared to promote “The Neoconservative Persuasion,” a collection of essays written by his father, Irving Kristol. During that appearance, New York magazine’s John Heilemann asked Kristol why Republicans were reluctant to challenge Fox News host Glenn Beck, a regular target of MSNBC’s personalities, as Kristol did in a column for the Feb. 14 issue of the Weekly Standard for his claim Islamists and liberal forces were collaborating to orchestrate a caliphate.

Kristol explained MSNBC wasn’t the place for such a “debate” and cited a 2010 Weekly Standard article that praised Beck in some regards for his role in the Tea Party movement, explaining the commentary on Beck goes both ways.

“Well, I’m not going to get into a debate with Glenn Beck here on MSNBC,” Kristol said. “I’ll debate him on Fox where we’re fair and balanced where we have these debates among ourselves. No, I don’t think that’s fair at all. Matt Continetti had a long piece a year ago on — partly on Glenn Beck, on the tea parties, what was healthy and not so admirable in certain strains of thoughts among people like Glenn Beck. So I don’t think it’s fair to say, ‘Oh, you guys should be calling him out and monitoring everyone on your side.’ That’s not — we publish what we believe in the Weekly Standard. I’m happy to defend to defend the Weekly Standard and what I say on Fox News Sunday.”

Watch:

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As far as the reluctance of elected offices to challenge Beck as Heilemann suggested, Kristol explained that wasn’t their role.

“Elected Republicans don’t go around you know, parsing the words of every person on talk radio or on TV any more than elected Democrats do,” he said.

Tags: Bill Kristol, Glenn Beck, msnbc, The Weekly Standard
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  • AtomicAsphalt

    Is it just me or does anybody else think Bill Kristol has one of the worst cases of “Bitch Face” on TV today? I’d put his mug right up there against Chicago’s Jay Cutler and Nascar’s Kyle Busch any day of the week. Kristol’s just a little ankle-biter, always has been an always will be.

  • talibangelical

    If Bill keeps this up, he won’t be invited to Roy Cohn CPAC Breitbart Homocon put on by right wing hero, Breitbart. Good old fashioned American conservative, family values on display there!

    I love this stuff!

  • Joe Astroturf

    Is Bill Kristol a liberal in sheeps clothing. Check out his meeting with Obama below. I wonder if this is like a CBO( Doug Elmendorf) meeting moment below. Afterwards Elmendorf started making up better numbers. I remembered reading it somewhere before. googled and found guess who’s reported on it below. Please pass around .

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/13/obamas-dinner-with-conser_n_157701.html
    Barack Obama took the next big step in his Republican charm offensive on Tuesday night, when he dined with several of the nation’s most prominent conservative pundits.
    The president-elect arrived at the Chevy Chase, Md., home of syndicated columnist George Will shortly after 6:30 p.m., according to a press pool report. Greeting him at the residence were other luminaries of the conservative commentariat, including the Weekly Standard’s William Kristol, New York Times columnist David Brooks, and Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post

    Please Check out song called teapartiers I can’t hear you at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJfboOindCo

    Here’s a verse

    Doctors are retiring earlier but we’re getting 17000 new IRS
    This is how Obama creates health care jobs I guess
    For 234 years this country’s been God’s blessing.
    Now he’s following Cloward and Piven’s to bankrupt the country I’m guessing
    If Obamacare gives Grandma and Grandpa a scare
    Think how when their rationed and die earlier we’ll save on healthcare

    Hey guys if you fought at Iwo or the Chosen
    when they stop giving your wife her meds and her last breath comes over her face
    you’ll find comfort knowing Nancy’d gladly take her place.

  • truebearing

    Kristol didn’t challenge Beck. He criticized him while providing absolutely nothing of substance. That hardly qualifies as a challenge. in fact, that is the kind of dishonest bullcrap we expect from the left. To hell with Kristol.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-B-Simmons/1281020225 David B. Simmons

      “Some in Islam want a caliphate” – true. “A caliphate is coming to America” – check into a mental hospital. Beck is hurting the brand. I’m guessing there are many conservatives ready to go public about their disgust with Beck. Knowing Beck, he’ll use it to divide the party even further so he can sell yet another book.

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