MSNBC Sees Condoleezza-Gaddafi 'Pillow Talk' in Libya

On Friday's Countdown show, liberal Air America host Rachel Maddow, substitute hosting for Keith Olbermann, characterized Condoleezza Rice's talks with Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi as a scandal during the Countdown show's regular "Bushed!" segment which purports to update viewers on Bush administration scandals. Presumably seeking to portray the Bush administration as hypocritical for holding talks with Gaddafi while criticizing Barack Obama's promise to meet personally with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Maddow missed the point that Gaddafi has already made concessions to the U.S., the MSNBC host dubbed the talks as "Pillow Talk with Terrorists-Gate." She then sought to embarrass Rice by quoting overly affectionate comments made by the Libyan dictator in which he called Rice "Leezza" and "my darling African woman," and gushed that "I love her very much."

Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Friday, September 5, Countdown show on MSNBC:

RACHEL MADDOW: But first, the headlines breaking in the administration's 50 running scandals: "Bushed."
...

And number one: "Pillow Talk with Terrorists-Gate." Who's holding talks in Libya today? The highest-ranking U.S. official to do so since 1953? That would be Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In fact, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi calls her "Leezza." Quoting him, for real, "I support my darling black African woman. I admire and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to Arab leaders. She beckons to the Arab foreign ministers, and they come to her, either in groups or individually. Leezza, Leezza, Leezza, I love her very much," end quote. Um, no comment? [LAUGHS]