A truly astounding thing happened on HBO’s “Real Time” Friday evening: a panel comprised of four liberal media members actually voiced unanimous displeasure with Democrats.

I bet you’re looking out your window to see some airborne swine right about now.

As shocking and unlikely as such a public display might seem, when host Bill Maher moved the discussion to the recent cancellation of a presidential debate to be hosted by Fox News, he and his guests all felt the Democrats made a mistake.

Defying the currently in vogue theory of anthropogenic global warming, hell hath begun freezing over.

Present and accounted for were former CBS anchor Dan Rather, ABC’s Martha Raddatz, and comedian Jason Alexander. What follows is a partial transcript of this shocking event (video available here courtesy of our friend Ms Underestimated):

BILL MAHER: Now, we have two really esteemed journalists here. Let me ask a little bit about journalism so we can get into that. Uh, first of all, the Democratic candidates pulled out of a debate that was being sponsored by Fox News. In August, they were going to debate in Nevada. And, um, they said, “You know what, Fox News is really just an arm of the Republican Party. Why should we participate?” I think they’re wrong. I don’t think you do that. I think you go into their house, and you win an away game. What do you think?

DAN RATHER: Well, first of all, it’s their decision. It’s their Party. They get to decide, and if this is their decision, and I think we’ve got anything to argue about. However, one wants to note that when Bill Clinton went on Fox, he helped himself, he helped his Party by number one saying, “I’m not afraid to go in there.” Number two, through kind of mental and verbal jujitsu, he turned the tables on his Fox interviewer.

MAHER: Jujitsu? He kicked ass. He did. He kicked Chris Wallace’s ass around that studio. You know, I mean, it makes me, when they do something like this, it makes Ann Coulter look right.

MARTHA RADDATZ: And what do you do next? Do Republican candidates start saying, “I’m not going to go on other networks.” I mean, it just starts a whole thing, I, I, I don’t quite get it to tell you the truth.

JASON ALEXANDER: The only caveat with it though I think was, and I don’t think they’ve gotten to this point about the format, but if, as long as it was not possible for the, you know, Fox wonk in the chair, the moderator to dial down their microphones so he could interject. If it was really an open forum that they were talking about, then I think you’re absolutely right, it’s foolish to pull out. You know, if you go into the lion’s den, in this case to bring over some disenfranchised lions, and you don’t have to be Siegfried and Roy to know it’s a little risky, but you go.

MAHER: The public’s problem with the Democrats is that they think they’re pussies. And this just feeds into that.

Nice. So, for those keeping score, that’s Fox News four, Democrats zero, with all liberal referees.

I’m verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves.

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.