Barbara Walters: Sarah Palin 'Had A Glorious Ride with the Media'

What media outlets are the ladies of "The View" watching? After Joy Behar the previous day spoke of an alleged media love affair with Sarah Palin, Barbara Walters echoed Joy’s charge on the September 11 edition. Responding to Joy Behar’s statement that a "Bush operative" wrote Palin’s speech, Elisabeth Hasselbeck noted the media’s double standard that they never inquired as to who wrote Obama’s speech. Barbara Walters then jumped in and exclaimed that Governor Palin has "had a glorious ride with the media."

As reported yesterday, Sarah Palin’s ride with the media has been anything but glorious. MRC’s Rich Noyes reported on the media’s rough, often unfair treatment of the Alaska governor. ABC, "The View’s" own network, ran a hit piece on Mrs. Palin. Elisabeth Hasselbeck swiftly responded "it was glorious when they attacked her daughter too."

Barbara Walters dismissed such charges of anti-Palin bias stating "the easiest thing to do is to blame the media." Curiously, Joy Behar, after essentially accusing Palin of being a Bush mouthpiece, joined Elisabeth Hasselbeck in charging sexism in the media. Behar humorously ended the segment declaring "I want to be open minded." That certainly would be a first for Joy.

At the end of the first segment, after recounting where all of the co-hosts were on September 11, 2001, Barbara Walters, to an applauding audience, credited the Bush administration for keeping America safe for seven years now. Joy Behar passively replied "okay, we’ll give him credit."

Relevant portions of the transcript follow.

BARBARA WALTERS: And one more thing because we’re very critical, all of us, of different candidates. And the country is very critical of George Bush. And we keep hearing that we’re not prepared yet for terrorism. But whatever it is and however it happened, we’ve been, have not been attacked for seven years. So I think, I think maybe [applause] this is a day to give George Bush a little credit.

JOY BEHAR: Okay, we’ll give him credit.

[...]

BEHAR: Her speech at the Republican Convention was written by a George Bush operative.

ELISABETH HASSELBECK: And who was Barack Obama’s speech written by?

BEHAR: I think it was written by him. We all know he’s a great speech writer.

HASSELBECK: No, no. Everyone who makes a speech at the convention has someone-

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So you’re saying a George Bush operative wrote Barack Obama’s speech too?

BEHAR: No, no, no. All I’m saying is that- let me just finish my point. I’m just saying that so far we’ve heard her with points that have been basically written by other people. I want to see how she is in an ex temperanious mode.

HASSELBECK: You’re going to be blown away. Mark my words there. But I will say that in terms of people’s speech writing, it is interesting that people have come after her as a woman having someone write her speech when there have been men and men and men, and layers of men who-

WALTERS: Nobody is coming after her as a woman. Nobody is coming after her as a woman.

GOLDBERG: This is not about that woman.

HASSELBECK: They did it right after her speech.

GOLDBERG: Not at this table. That’s not what we’re doing at this table.

HASSELBECK: No, no. I’m saying that the media went after her right after the speech, one of the first things they said was-

WALTERS: The media! This woman has had such a glorious ride with the media.

HASSELBECK: It was glorious when they attacked her daughter too.

SHERRI SHEPHERD: They went after Hillary too.

[...]

WALTERS: It’s so easy, and maybe I feel this having done interviews with so many candidates. The easiest thing to do is to blame the media. It’s sexist, it’s that. You know, the woman had, the woman has captured the attention of this country and she does have a magnetic one to fill.

BEHAR: Yeah, but Barbara-

WALTERS: But, but, but, but what I’m saying is when you say the media and it’s sexist. I’m so tired of everything being sexist. You know what? It really isn’t.

[applause]

HASSELBECK: Wait a minute.

BEHAR: Wait, wait, wait.

HASSELBECK: We were all over the media and we were on Hillary Clinton-

BEHAR: Let me say it. Everybody said it was sexist against Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton got the, got the wrap and Sarah Palin is in the position now to get a pass because some of the things they are saying are sexist. Give her the- give it to her. Give her the pass because she is a woman. She is a hockey mom. She does hunt. She does a lot of stuff that I don’t relate to.

WALTERS: She’s being praised.

BEHAR: Fine, some people like that Barbara.

WALTERS: I just don’t want to give labels, it’s the fault of the media, or it’s sexism.

BEHAR: But we did it to Hillary. We can do it for Sarah.

WALTERS: That’s true and I’m not sure it was sexist with Hillary.

BEHAR: A lot of it was, a lot of it. A lot of it was. And maybe some of this is too. We have to be opened minded. I really want to be open minded.