Martin Bashir: 'Meryl Streep Would Probably Make a More Authentic President' Than Romney or Gingrich

After praising Meryl Streep for her recent performance as Margaret Thatcher, MSNBC's Martin Bashir Tuesday bashed Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich claiming the Oscar-winning actress "would probably make a more authentic president' than either of them (video follows with transcript and commentary):

MARTIN BASHIR: It's time now to clear the air. And one of America’s finest actresses Meryl Streep has just delivered a bravura performance as Margaret Thatcher, the daughter of a shopkeeper who grew up to become Britain’s first female prime minister. Ms. Streep's performance has been roundly praised. It’s already being mentioned as Oscar-worthy and is a remarkable achievement of impersonation. But the problem facing some of the Republican candidates is that they are not very good actors. In fact, some of their performances have been absolutely terrible. Take Newt Gingrich, who spent weeks trying to play the role of a non-lobbyist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH: I have never done any lobbying. Every contract was written during the period when I was out of the office, specifically said that I would do no lobbying, and I offered advice. And my advice as a historian…

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Forget about the Oscars. Newt wouldn't win a Golden Turkey for that performance, especially since we now know that he banked millions of dollars for advising pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare providers, in addition to taking 1.6 million from Freddie Mac for his work as an “historian.”

But if Mr. Gingrich is only a mediocre actor, Romney is absolutely catastrophic. He cannot find any authenticity whatsoever, no matter how he hard he tries. Take for example his performance yesterday as he tried to sympathize with local constituents in New Hampshire on the issue of unemployment and job insecurity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY: There were a couple times I wondered whether I was going to get a pink slip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Do you believe him? No. I didn’t think so. And this from a man who has been rehearsing for the role since the mid-1990s. But therein is the trouble. Both Gingrich and Romney are trying to be what they are not. They want to play the lead on the greatest stage in the world, but after eight months of performances, the people, well, they remain unconvinced. In fact, compared to them, Meryl Streep would probably make a more authentic president.

Although I highly doubt Streep would make a more authentic president than Romney or Gingrich, there's no question she'd do a far better job than Bashir of impersonating a journalist.