Mark Levin vs. Morning Joe: Arianna Allowed to Slash Petraeus

On his Thursday night radio show, Mark Levin laid into MSNBC's Joe Scarborough over a Thursday morning interview with Arianna Huffington. (He calls the host "the Morning Schmo.") Scarborough had no answer for Huffington when she stoutly defended the MoveOn.org ad bashing Gen. David Petraeus. She added: "And again and again, despite the administration's best efforts to present him as this figure beyond reproach, we see that he's playing politics. He's playing politics with soldiers' lives in Iraq."

Levin found it disgusting that Huffington can sit in her luxury home and sip Chardonnay while Gen. Petraeus and his troops have their boots on the ground on the front lines every day sacrificing for the country. Here's the exchange from MSNBC:

Joe Scarborough: “Finally, talk about this General Betray Us ad. Republicans are talking about it an awful lot. Do you think MoveOn.org made a mistake by putting that ad in the New York Times and going after a general who is not an unpopular figure?”

Arianna Huffington: “No, I don't think so at all, because it's completely backed up by facts. I mean, this is a general who, in 2004, told us things were going well. This is a general who keeps going around now giving a glass-half-full version of what's happening in Iraq. And this is not an objective view of what is happening. And again and again, despite the administration's best efforts to present him as this figure beyond reproach, we see that he's playing politics. He's playing politics with soldiers' lives in Iraq. And that doesn't mean that he hasn't had, also, a distinguished military record but right now he's playing politics. And when he's playing politics, MoveOn or anyone else has the right to say, as Hillary Clinton said, that his version of events is straining credulity.”

Scarborough: “All right. Arianna Huffington. Thank you so much. The first online-only candidate mash-up going on on your website, a great website, Huffington Post. If you want to see what Democrats are thinking and, also, some Republicans, once in a while, get on there and write.”

Huffington: “Like you, Joe. We need you back.”

Scarborough: “Like me. Your favorite Republican."

PS: Mark also had the definite takedown on George Will's snotty Thursday column suggesting Fred Thompson's presidential campaign should be retired early like "New Coke." See it on The Corner.