Longtime ABC journalist Cokie Roberts on Sunday harshly criticized fugitive director Roman Polanski, going so far as to joke, "As far as I’m concerned, just take him out and shoot him." Appearing on the internet-only segment of This Week, she bluntly stated, "But, Roman Polanski is a criminal. You know, he raped and drugged and raped and sodomized a child. And then was a fugitive from justice." She followed up with her "shoot him" quip.
Roberts’ comments were in stark contrast to the cautious remarks coming from many other journalists. On Monday’s Good Morning America, host Diane Sawyer referred to the director's arrest for the 1977 rape of a 13-year old as an "international incident." On Tuesday, Sawyer described the capture of Polanski in Switzerland as the culmination of "a 31 year-old prosecutorial obsession."
The weekly conversation, which is an extension of the program’s roundtable segment, also featured conservative columnist George Will. Summing up Hollywood’s defense of the filmmaker, he explained: "The Hollywood view is Chinatown is a good movie. Therefore, the fact that he used a Quaalude and Champagne to drug and rape a 13-year-old is...a so-called crime."
A transcript of the online, October 9 Green Room segment can be found below:
UNIDENTIFIED PRODUCER: We have a little bit of time left. There were two issues slated to talk about on the roundtable. Two sordid issues. Roman Polanski and David Letterman. Talk a little bit about those two. And why do people care?
COKIE ROBERTS: Well, they’re very different from each other. I mean, I think that the David Letterman situation is not a good situation. You know, there’s an inherent power imbalance in a boss versus his employees. But, Roman Polanski is a criminal. You know, he raped and drugged and raped and sodomized a child. And then was a fugitive from justice. As far as I’m concerned, just take him out and shoot him.
[Laughter]
KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL: Oh, no. Cokie. Now, we’re both mothers of daughters and I think, Roman Polanski, there should be no dual system of justice in this country. He should not be privileged because he’s a famous director or even because he was a victim of the Holocaust. But, I think one needs to see the documentary which was made that I thought was very powerful in showing judicial and prosecutorial misconduct. That doesn’t mean that he should have fled the country. I think he needs to come back, not fight extradition. But find an appropriate way of serving time and doing justice at this stage. But, I think to say shoot him is obviously not a polite response in a Sunday morning-
MATTHEW DOWD: To me- To me, this is reflective of- To me, the whole Roman Polanski thing is reflective of a huge segment of Hollywood that somehow thinks because you’re part of their clique and you’re successful in their clique, you stand outside the law. And they wouldn’t have that view of anyone outside this country. Someone from rural Alabama or from rural Mississippi that did something, they would be like, "Go after them. Go after them. Go after them." In this case, it’s a commentary on Hollywood that they would allow him to not be held accountable, think it’s okay after the heinous crimes he committed for him not to be held accountable for it.
GEORGE WILL: Yes. The Hollywood view is Chinatown is a good movie. Therefore, the fact that he used a Quaalude and Champagne to drug and rape a 13-year-old is, in the words of Harvey Weinstein, a representative of Hollywood’s monochrome culture, it is a so-called crime. Now, if Chinatown had not been a good movie, we might have to rethink this.
—Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center.




















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Comments Policy
50 brownie points for Cokie...
October 5, 2009 - 15:45 ET by PrairieSkyIt's nice to finally hear that some in the lefty media aren't falling all over themsleves to defend Polanski, but are actually daring to criticize him for being the despicable slime that he is.
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
Polanski should just go on
October 6, 2009 - 01:06 ET by gmaniac1Polanski should just go on David Leterman's show and get a heart felt affirmation for his conduct. That seems to fly there considering his latest allegations and abhorrent behavior towards Palin's underage child.
When the people fear the government it's called tyranny, when the government fears the people it's called liberty!
Wow..I finally agree with
October 5, 2009 - 15:49 ET by bigtimerWow..I finally agree with something Cokie had to say.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Boy, that is the case. I
October 6, 2009 - 08:28 ET by BDBoy, that is the case. I never imagined I would agree with the Cokester on anything....
... I am now checking the weather in hell to see if a cold front has moved through.
If Cokie keeps this up
October 5, 2009 - 16:16 ET by olddog3006she's going to loose her job and end up working for Fox News as they'll be the only ones will to hire this "loose cannon"!
Amen, brother, finally ...
October 5, 2009 - 16:16 ET by SentryDanAmen, brother, finally something I can agree with also.
But is the purpose of the comment to get on the good side of conservatives? Is she supporting ACORN?
Remember folks, Freedom isn't Free. It was bought with the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who are serving and who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know.
Also remember folks, that the way to SUPPORT THE TROOPS is to support their mission. Anyone who says that they support the troops but don't support their mission is lying about supporting the troops. And if you want to know, yes I do have a dog in the fight, he is a United States Marine.
Cokie is going to get thrown off the lib cocktail circuit
October 5, 2009 - 16:20 ET by R D Helm-Dave
The election of 2010 will be our last chance to save our republic. -Neal Boortz
I know, I finally agree
October 5, 2009 - 16:22 ET by liberal_bug_zapperI know, I finally agree with something that Cokie has to say... I'm the father of a little girl only 10 years younger than the girl Roman raped and I can tell you that as a father... he should be glad that a real man never caught him... or he never would have made any movies after that.
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"I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." ~ Ayn Rand
I don't want him dead
October 5, 2009 - 16:28 ET by katainkentThere are likely few people on this planet that ever existed that I'd wish dead. No, I want him to go to jail and feel what its like to be helpless.
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The Emperor, he has no clothes
That's what I say
October 5, 2009 - 16:59 ET by Kat Outta the BagLet him to go prison and be someone's special French beeyotch.
Yeah
October 5, 2009 - 23:48 ET by DoktorFrankenAnd sans the qualude and bubbly.
THE ROMAN SPEAR...
October 6, 2009 - 00:25 ET by danybhoykatainkent,
I agree with Roberts on Polanski, he should be put down. Anyone who drugs a 13 year old & then rapes them, should be put down. I see no real recovery of someone who could do such a thing.
As far as I'm concerned, Polanski's supporters should be viewed in the same way as someone who consums child-porn. They may not actually be producing it, but buy consuming it, they support the act. Polanski & many other sexual criminals should be put down, but since he won't be, he must register as a sex offender when he is released. I hope he dies in prison & is subject to the very acts he commited. He is a dirtbag, PERIOD.
"...How blind can you be, don't you see...
...that the gambler lost all he does not have..."
Nightwish
Gee Cokie....
October 5, 2009 - 16:38 ET by Willis_Leon_JohnsonWhen clintoon was in office it was "A personal matter.", and "Everybody does it.".
Why the change of heart sweetie?
http://gjresult.com
While in no way am I letting
October 5, 2009 - 17:01 ET by Kat Outta the BagWhile in no way am I letting Clinton off the hook for his behavior, in his case Lewinksy was a willing partner. Polansky's victim was not.
My comment was about
October 5, 2009 - 17:15 ET by Willis_Leon_JohnsonCokies attitude then, when it wuz her hero bill catching flack, and her defense of him.
And her attitude now.
http://gjresult.com
Sorry, Willis...Roberts was
October 5, 2009 - 20:26 ET by JerSorry, Willis...Roberts was highly critical of Clinton's conduct. So, you're wrong again. But what else is new.
Jer
Rewriting history AGAIN jer?
October 6, 2009 - 09:38 ET by Willis_Leon_JohnsonI'm beginning to think you have a problem with me personally.
Take it to your closet and deal with it and leave the rest of us out of it.
http://gjresult.com
KAtB
October 5, 2009 - 23:54 ET by DoktorFrankenWhat about the women Clinton accosted that weren't willing? Whatshername, Juanita Broaddrick or the one where he flashed Little Willie, Paula Jones??
Those two just came to mind.
Cokie
October 5, 2009 - 17:04 ET by UnsaneSometimes - though rarely - Mrs. Roberts gets it. This is something I can agree with, along with her views on term limits ("we have them already and they are called elections", or something to that effect).
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Unsane
October 5, 2009 - 23:45 ET by DoktorFrankenHow fortuitous. What I was thinking when I read this was ''Wow, someone at ABC 'gets it' - and it's Cokie Roberts!'' Well, I guess it's not so fluky. I've not seen anyone really supporting that rapist slime here. But my memory is going bad lately so don't take that for a fact. The 'supporting' thing not my 'memory' thing.
Still, after listening to the insanity surrounding this particular news item (Pulanski), it's certainly refreshing to hear someone on the State Run Media (I like that and I'm going to use it often) expound the sane view regarding this POS. Shooting him is an entirely viable option - IMHO.
Cokie got this one right,
October 5, 2009 - 17:11 ET by celatorCokie got this one right, and good for her.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
I think the left has
October 5, 2009 - 19:16 ET by Radical1979I think the left has realized that no matter how they try to sell Polanski, the public isn't buying it. Once in awhile the American public draws a line in the sand between good and evil, this is one of those times.
Damn, go Cokie! I said
October 5, 2009 - 20:17 ET by Cthulhu2012Damn, go Cokie!
I said the same thing about Chris Matthews last week when I saw him tear into a democratic congresswoman for being too quick to support a resolution calling for war but not supporting the war itself (this was in reference to Iraq during an interview on Iran-probably the only time I actually enjoyed watching Hardball).
Why choose the lesser of two evils?
Can I finish?!
October 5, 2009 - 20:39 ET by Barker"As far as I’m concerned, just take him out and shoot him."
I'm sure poor old Cokie meant to add "up with heroin" but was rudely interrupted.
In your world, Cokie, we couldn't shoot Polanski
October 5, 2009 - 23:39 ET by jefflebowskiYou and your liberal ilk would have taken our guns long ago. Oh! You mean the government should shoot him!
Angry White Dude
www.angrywhitedude.c...
Sounds Like Cokie's Been Sniffing A Little Too Much "Coke"...
October 6, 2009 - 00:10 ET by The7SticksIf it involves using my money as a taxpayer on a waste of my time and money, then no thanks. I'd like to ration the bullets for the police to use on any out-of-hand G-20 summit anarchist or TEA party participant. If I didn't know any better, I would have imagined Cokie Roberts and George Stephenopolous pulling out a few razor blades and a bag of white powder and quickly stashing it for this Green Room nonsense. It would explain the scatterbrains ranting around the round table, liberal or conservative. Actually, I was just trying to come up with a funny Family Guy cutaway scene. Kind of weak, to say the least. And F.Y.I., reports of Roman Polanski being Hollywood's favorite "prevert" are greatly exaggerated. Everybody knows it's Quagmire. Who else but Quagmire? -"He's Quagmire, Quagmire, you never really know what he's gonna do next;"He's Quagmire, Quagmire, "Giggety-Giggety-Goo!"
Move to China
October 10, 2009 - 21:59 ET by UnsaneI'd like to ration the bullets for the police to use on any out-of-hand G-20 summit anarchist or TEA party participant. 7Sticks, I suggest you pack you bags, learn some Mandarin, and emigrate to China. Sounds like your kind of place.
If some out-of-control maggot-infested G20 protestor is out breaking things and provoking fights with the Power Trippers, we need to break out the popcorn and watch as the idiots collide (one group of idiots identifiable by their uniforms). But the suggesting that the Power Trippers mow down law-abiding Tea Partiers only tells me that you hate the First Amendment and are revolted by the fact that the United States is a democracy.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
I am sorry (7sticks)...
October 6, 2009 - 02:21 ET by beauxdogbut you don't make a lot of sense.
Beauxdog
"See me... feel me... touch me... heal me..." Tommy - The Who (or is is BHO?)
"Listening to you, I get the music. Gazing at you, I get the heat. Following you, I climb the mountains. I get excitement at your feet." Tommy - The Who (or is it the MSM?)
Pedophile Polanski Punishment
October 6, 2009 - 10:11 ET by teeaa01C'mon, whats all the hubub Cokie, it's not like it was RAPE rape!
Oh, what a world, what a world.......
Polanski will most probably not see significant jail time
October 6, 2009 - 12:08 ET by gopcongressJust to let everyone know the reality of the Polanski case. Rather than read the case histories, I called the LA District Attorney's office myself and got the scoop directly from Sandi Gibbons, the office media liason.
Polanski had already submitted a plea, and in fact that plea is still active. The guidelines that the judge has to consider is the punishement that was set on the date in 1978, not the current stringent guidelines (though the judge may use a sentencing matrix). The fugitive status of Polanski is not a factor, according to law, and is dealt with on a separate manner.
History: Polanski was accused of plying the underage girl with champagne and
part of a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977, and raping
her. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by
use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy.
He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual
intercourse. In exchange, the judge agreed to drop the remaining
charges and sentence him to prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation.
However, he was released after 42 days by an evaluator who deemed him mentally sound and unlikely to offend again.
The judge responded by saying he was going to send Polanski back to
jail for the remainder of the 90 days and that afterward he would ask
Polanski to agree to a "voluntary deportation." Polanski then fled the
country, on Feb. 1, 1978, the day he was scheduled to be sentenced to
the additional time.
To that end, the original sentence still stands, and he CANNOT be retried on the original charge, unless he voluntarily drops the plea.
I hope this helps clear things up: Polanski is a drug administering, physically-abusive ebophile, and if this were a new crime, he would easily qualify for the new minimums from the violent offense guidelines. At 13, the victim does not trigger the Jessica's Law 25 to life minimum sentencing window (trigger age 12 and under), but would be looking at least as a 15 year minimum for the forceful sodomy along with another 15 year minimum for using drugs, along for whatever sentence the judge would impose for conventional statutory rape charges.
Now, the big if: fugitive status charges can actually be the only discretion the judge has to enhancing the sentencing option, but historically such charges had always been minimal. If anyone has any additional legal information please post, but this information is directely unfiltered through the DA's office.
______________________
Moderate... Democrat... Liberal... Progressive... Socialist... Communist—The progression is clear as day.
48 days with Bubba will seem
October 6, 2009 - 12:15 ET by NL20748 days with Bubba will seem like a lifetime ....
Cokie Roberts
October 7, 2009 - 00:07 ET by ObamaSuxWell finally this boob tube whore says something that i can agree with. Maybe we can get that fat ass Michael Moore in the line up and make it death by firing squad!
OSux...
October 7, 2009 - 01:20 ET by JerI take it you weren't tuning in when she was ripping Clinton a new one ten years ago.
Jer