"View" co-host Rosie O’Donnell displayed her disdain for opposing "views" when she shut off the show’s only non-liberal, Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Rory Kennedy appeared on the March 20 edition to promote her film for HBO, "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib."
Hasselbeck gently asked what our government should do to extract vital information from captured terrorists. Rosie jumped in and asserted "before you answer that" then proceeded to ask an unrelated question regarding a general’s transfer from Guantanamo Bay to Abu Ghraib. Elisabeth responded by noting that detainees at Guantanamo are allowed to pray five times a day, and are well fed.
At that point the "Queen of Nice" cut her off, stating that Elisabeth "can’t just blather on" her "opinion" and she needed to ask a question. Obviously offended, Elisabeth stated that she did ask a question when Rosie interrupted with her own question. Rosie said it was because Hasselbeck dared to imply that Abu Ghraib was a result of a few bad apples and not condoned by the government. Those beliefs are not allowed in Rosie’s world. The transcript of the exchange is below.
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ELISABETH HASSELBECK: I saw the documentary. I know that children were held. But I think in the case of those held in cell blocks 1A and B that were, you know, high level terrorists with information. I mean, what do you do when you have a terrorists who has a ton of information? You know, like KSM, who just confessed. What do you do with him? Do you not use extreme measures?
ROSIE O’DONNELL: Okay, before you answer that, is it true that the person who was sent from Guant – Gitmo Bay, Guantanamo Bay over to Abu Ghraib –
RORY KENNEDY: General Miller
O’DONNELL: General Miller he was brought there because Donald Rumsfeld was not happy with the amount of information he was getting as a result of the torture techniques that they were doing there. So he went from the very successful torture place in Guantanamo Bay over to Abu Ghraib. Is that true?
KENNEDY: That is correct.
O’DONNELL: That’s true
HASSELBECK: Guantanamo Bay, also, so you know, as a whole, these were extreme methods that were horrific but I think to paint the entire Army's way of getting information really for our benefit to be safe is not accurate. I think at Guantanamo Bay they are allowed to have their prayer time five times a day, they’re served meals, and what do you-
O’DONNELL: Okay Elisabeth, you have to stop. You have to stop. You can ask a question, but you can't just blather on your opinion. She’s here to talk about that. Ask her a question.
HASSELBECK: I asked the question that you said before you answer I --
O’DONNELL: Because you're trying to say that what happened was just based on these few bad apples and what her whole entire film showed is that it was orchestrated by our own government and condoned by them and you saw it twice. [applause]
HASSELBECK: I saw it twice.
O’DONNELL: Yes, so if you have a question, ask her.
HASSELBECK: I asked her the question.
O’DONNELL: What's the question?
HASSELBECK: I asked her the question.
O’DONNELL: Should we torture people? She said no.
