ABC’s Cokie Roberts Urges ‘Cut the Knees Out from Under’ Norquist: ‘Emperor Has No Clothes’

In a colorful demonstration of the Washington press corps’ disdain for Grover Norquist and his anti-tax pledge, on Sunday’s This Week, a flustered ABC News/NPR veteran Cokie Roberts blurted out: “It’s...politically smart to cut the knees out from under Grover Norquist. I mean this guy is, you know, who is he? He’s an unelected lobbyist.”

She soon urged that “a certain amount of saying ‘the emperor has no clothes’” about Norquist is helpful. “To say that, I think is very useful.”

Audio: MP3 clip

Roberts took her shot at Norquist after agreeing with Republican Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma, a fellow panelist, that it would be “really politically smart” to pass a tax rate hike on the top two percent so you can lock in the Bush rates for 98 percent.

Dan Senor rejected her premise, contending Norquist “has become a straw man” and pointed out he “represents something that’s real.”

(A few months ago, another ABC vet, retired former anchor Charles Gibson, also lashed out, at least indirectly, at Norquist: “Ex-ABC Anchor Gibson Asserts Romney Forced ‘Far To the Right’ and Calls Anti-Tax Pledge ‘Absurd’”)