MSNBC's Joe Scarborough contacted NewsBusters a few moments ago with the relevant transcript from his June 1 "Morning Joe" program, lamenting in an e-mail that our "follow up blog on Newsbusters... actually omits fact that there was a long discussion started by female athlete re pole exercising. Transcript shows whole thing taken wildly out of context."
Here's the transcript, as forwarded by Scarborough to us after receiving same from Christopher Licht, executive producer of "Scarborough Country":
June 1, 6:25 a.m.
Scarborough: "Hey Tracy"
Tracy Burgess: "Yes, Mr. Scarborough."
Scarborough: "What did you say before we came back on? That you work the what?"
Burgess: "I am taking vertical pole. I am studying vertical pole."
Scarborough: "Vertical pole?"
Burgess: "Right."
Scarborough: "What is that?"
Burgess: "It's a pole and you exercise on it."
McCord: "It's pole dancing, Joe."
Scarborough: "Okay, that's what I wanted to know."
McCord: "Tracy is becoming a pole dancer."
Scarborough: "I am just a cave-man lawyer, I don't know your strange ways up here in New York City. So you are one of these people.."
Burgess: "One of these people..."
Scarborough: "Who exercises and stays fit by working the pole."
Burgess: "Yes, yes, I do. Cause you are lifting your entire body weight and so, you're inverting yourself and you are putting yourself in moves that require all sorts of muscles that you usually don't work and it's good."
McCord: "Actually, Ms. Burgess is a fine athlete. - a tri-athlete who competes all the time in these various events and she has simply added to her repertoire."
Burgess: "Thank you, Mr. McCord"
Scarborough: "So pole dancing, what you're basically telling me, builds your core."
Burgess: "It does. It builds your core, it builds your arms, your legs, your thighs."
McCord: "Look it [burgess flexes biceps]."
Scarborough: "Oh my god, look at those arms."
McCord: "Oh, she's got guns, come on. Good lord, she's fit."
Scarborough: "I'm impressed."
Burgess: "And, I learned how to do a 'reverse superman.'"
Scarborough: "You want to show us that right now?"
Burgess: "Um, no. If you had a pole, I would."
Scarborough: "Well, thank you so much Tracy. I'm not gonna take a bite on that."
McCord: "Course, we're not pole driven."
Scarborough: "Some of us are. Craig Crawford"
Crawford: "Hey, I saw that on Oprah."
Scarborough: "Did you really?"
Crawford: "Yeah, they had pole dancing as exercise. That Teri, what's her name from Desperate Housewives is into that."
McCord: "It's become a big deal, actually."
Crawford: "And she did a whole exhibition of it - it was quite something."
Scarborough: "Housewives across America taking to the pole... for health and fitness. Hey, have you seen Fred Thompson's wife?"
Crawford: "Oh yeah..."
Scarborough: "You think she works the pole?"
Crawford: laughter "That what Hollywood careers will do for you, I guess."
Scarborough: "What do you mean?"
Crawford: "You get wives like that."
Scarborough: "I mean, look at that guy...god bless him, I love his voice and I mean, he ain't Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
Crawford: "I'd like to see him get back in politics because I think he's a lousy actor. I always thought he was a better politician than actor, but that was true of Reagan"
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters



















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Comments Policy
"Grossly out of context&
June 6, 2007 - 11:48 ET by SouthJersey1953"Grossly out of context" or not, it still reeks of slandering Fred's wife.
No RINOs in '08 - Thompson/Hunter would be a good ticket; Thompson/Steele would be a great ticket
what's not out of context, an
June 6, 2007 - 12:11 ET by mawendtwhat's not out of context, and is uniformly apparent, is that Scarborough and his crew have been, as they say, 'working the liberal pole' for quite some time. maw
OK, there it was, "in
June 6, 2007 - 13:41 ET by motherbeltOK, there it was, "in context" , and it was still a crack that, if asked about a co-worker in the workplace, would be considered sexual harassment. A man simply doesn't discuss a woman's physical attributes.
And if you saw the video, the smirk on Joe's face when he said it, in my opinion, indicated there was a double entendre.
Come on people, when we're wr
June 6, 2007 - 14:09 ET by TruthMongerCome on people, when we're wrong we say we were wrong...
Looking forward to it someday.
Where's Fred???!!!
June 6, 2007 - 18:51 ET by markg8Why hasn't Thompson flogged this impudent media creature Scarborough? He besmirched his wife's honor! I say dueling pistols at dawn is the only response an honorable Southern gentleman of Ol Fred's stature should consider. If Dubya had put a bullet between the eyes of the first reporter who suggested Laura exercises in a less than chaste manner his approval ratings would be at least as high as Rudy Guiliani's!
Rumor has it that Rudy, yankee though he is, once had a man taken out back and soundly thrashed by a number of his aides for ogling his wife's breasts like Wolfowitz did at that fundraiser with Thompson's Jeri. Now that's manly stuff! You'll never catch Bill Clinton having his aides stand up for a lady like Rudy.
But I digress. The longer he delays demanding satisfaction from Scarborough with at least a glove across the face the longer Thompson runs the risk of forever being branded as a liberul Hollywood pantywaist unable to protect his woman from the verbal taunts of the media. Is that what we want in a president? After 7 years of the press snickering behind Bush's back about his wife and daughters I'm ready for a change.
A little known fact - because the msm never let's you know about it - is in warmups for press conferences the press is always allowed to ask some unimportant questions just to get the ball rolling. Well ever since that day back in late 2004 when Dubya didn't retaliate against David Gregory for his insinuation about Laura's daily workout it's been one question after another about squat thrusts this and pull ups that! I kid you not! No wonder he always looks so cranky on the TV these days! And that's also just about the time Dubya's poll numbers went into freefall. Coincidence? I think not!
Joe has lost it if he thinks
June 6, 2007 - 21:47 ET by Cape ConservativeJoe has lost it if he thinks this clears things up. It only confirms that he did, indeed, take a pot shot at both Fred and his wife. Since when are looks or age of spouse the determining factors of a good marriage? Or a good president?? Fred Thompson projects a very positive image and I think he and his wife will do quite nicely in the White House :-) And most important of all, our country will be the better if he is elected the next president!!!
It is stuff like this that makes his decision to sit things out a while longer good sense - why give the nitwits more time to say despicable things for no good reason!
SJ1953 - like both your tickets! I'll take either one!
Nice try Joe. You still sai
June 6, 2007 - 12:02 ET by charlietexasNice try Joe. You still said it, it didn't make it better or change what you meant. You owe Mrs Thompson apology. You are always looking over the fence at Foxnews and point out that they show alot of women doing stupid things. Girls gone wild, or the bunnyranch. And making comments like "look what Foxnews is doing"!! Look at your own show and MSNBC. You have turned into a mean spirited sexist. and a hypocrite. I used to watch your show. But theres nothing different between you and Keith Obboringman.
Charlie's wife!!!!!!!!!!!!
It seems pretty clear that
June 6, 2007 - 12:04 ET by balboaIt seems pretty clear that Joe was referring to the exercise fad they were just discussing, how some attractive stars do it, and since Fred's wife is HOT, wondering if she was part of the same fad.
Non-story.
Fred Thompson's wife is hot
June 6, 2007 - 12:13 ET by florida_chadBalboa - I think you and I have a different definition of HOT.
Well, hot in a politician's
June 6, 2007 - 12:22 ET by balboaWell, hot in a politician's wife kind of way. Not a Jessica Alba hot. :-)
Aside from Radley's states'
June 6, 2007 - 12:24 ET by sarcasmoAside from Radley's states' rights question from Reason that I've already discussed, I'm interested in a few things about Fred Thompson. First, it's rumored wife#1 will campaign for him, and I'm interested in any and all of her thoughts on him and their divorce. Second, I'm interested in ANY interactions he ever had during the Watergate period with opposing counsel Hillary Clinton (from either one's point of view, as well as colleagues from either side who were there). Lawyers often go drinking with the other side, and I'm interested in how my politicians act & what they say with a few belts in 'em. And third, please, more wearing of that awesome low-cleavage dress from wife#2!! :^)
JMR
Yes, but his comment about F
June 6, 2007 - 12:28 ET by Hero SquadYes, but his comment about Fred Thompson's wife still seems to come from out of nowhere and is totally irrelevant to what they were discussing up until that moment, and there is clearly a sexual innuendo to the inclusion, intended or not.
Add to that the insult as to why she would marry Thompson because he's not Robert Redford... as if the only thing that attracts a woman is good looks on the outside, even if there's a hollow core on the inside.
I wouldn't crucify Scarborough for his comment, but it seems an apology to the Thompson's would be an appropriate gesture.
*****
"Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine no possessions?'" - Elvis Costello
dear hero squad
June 6, 2007 - 12:55 ET by tumblerMe & Old Fred are just out of luck. There is no recourse anymore, if our wives are used as cannon-fodder by a silly basdaerd. He gets the cheap laugh, we get to stew for a week without hopes or consolation whatsoever. Fred's pretty wife is for all intent and purposes now history; she is a pole-dancing bimbo. What's he gonna do ? Get Scarborough fired from his well-paid post ?
What am I going to do ? After filing an official grievance a week ago, when one SWINE said my wife worked for him in a whorehouse; -- I waited; waited. Nothing came of my unhappy letter to our editors. -- PLAIN NOTHING. I guess they couldn't locate the @sswhole. He slid off the face of the earth ?
These are hard days that have come upon American society. Nothing is sacred. Nobody cares about decency or fair play.
Ahh, I'm so not disappointed balboa
June 6, 2007 - 13:33 ET by SportPoliticsAhh, I'm so not disappointed balboa. Imagine you claiming another newsbusters lead in isn't correct. Gosh what are the chances...
Frankly what I heard was a question about the condition of their sex life, and it seems the pun was integrated with a new liberizing ideation that some hottie flinging around on a strip tease dancer's stage prop is merely the new fitness routine for well endowed hipsters.
Yes, we get it libs, when a hottie ( or a potential President's wife) is flinging around on a pole in the cohabitated living room with a skin tight split body suit, it's called exercise.
I wonder if the DC madame charged full rate for that ?
If the libs win again, I'm sure it will be an Olympic contest before too long.
Charlie's wife!!!!!!!!! You
June 6, 2007 - 12:08 ET by bassndudeCharlie's wife!!!!!!!!! You go get 'em, girl!!!
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
You can always tell about the
June 6, 2007 - 12:20 ET by Chris NormanYou can always tell about these shows by the "experts" they book on a regular basis. Everything else aside, Scarborough and Carlson were always suspect because of the "experts", like Crawford, they have appear. I commented the other day that Crawford was the kind of "expert" who thinks being conservative will hurt a Republican during the primaries.
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Fred Thompson is not an actor
June 6, 2007 - 12:30 ET by Hero SquadFred Thompson is not an actor. When Fred Thompson acts, he acts like Fred Thompson, because anything else is beneath Fred Thompson.
*****
"Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine no possessions?'" - Elvis Costello
"Son, the Russians don
June 6, 2007 - 12:32 ET by MightyMouth"Son, the Russians don't take a dump without a plan.."
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Once he becomes President, he
June 6, 2007 - 12:52 ET by JimboOnce he becomes President, he may have to modify that to be:
“Son, the liberals don’t take a dump without asking the government to wipe their ass.”
Jimbo says - "There is a fine line between freedom of speech and treason"
That's very true. He alway
June 6, 2007 - 12:33 ET by The Wicked ConservativeThat's very true. He always seems to be playing the same charachter. Which kicks liberal a$$ by the way.
Thompson '08!!!
The man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument.
That's why for his first acti
June 6, 2007 - 12:48 ET by Hero SquadThat's why for his first acting gig, in the true story "Marie," he plays Fred Thompson. Because even then the filmmakers knew that no one else could play Fred Thompson better than Fred Thompson.
*****
"Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine no possessions?'" - Elvis Costello
Thompson's sort of like what
June 6, 2007 - 14:28 ET by Chris NormanThompson's sort of like what they said about John Wayne - he wasn't an actor - he was a "star". He played himself and the movie was written around him. Not that Thompson is at the same level of John Wayne... :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
whereas, the lefties
June 6, 2007 - 14:34 ET by tumblerWe had a couple of Lefties in the cinema playing presidents. One was the punkish son of Kirk Douglas, whutszface. Then of all "big stars" Robin Williams ! Har, har !
That's their ideas of presidential clout ! Oh, not to leave out the loverly Geena Davis.
Don't forget Martin Sheen
June 6, 2007 - 14:38 ET by Cool ArrowNothing Leftist about the West Wing was there?
The West Wing was the Liberal
June 6, 2007 - 14:52 ET by Chris NormanThe West Wing was the Liberals' w*t dream, where liberalism actually worked each week...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
The West Wing was very heav
June 6, 2007 - 14:58 ET by balboaThe West Wing was very heavy-handed but also had great dialogue, great characters. I hated Toby, though. What a putz. I don't know why Sorkin thought he wanted to do a show based on SNL. He clearly can't stay away from the political stuff. Should have done a show behind the scenes at a cable news network.
Good question for the gang, though: Favorite cinema president?
Joe...you sold your soul to t
June 6, 2007 - 13:46 ET by bigtimerJoe...you sold your soul to the devil long ago....attempting to undo what your own words and intentions were with your sleazy jibes towards Mrs. Thompson only works for the leftists in this country, something you have become yourself...
Save it for someone who gives a rats rear what you have to say anymore....
Sit and Spin with the pathetic pointy-headed tin-foil wearing crowd you now belong to.
bt, Yeah, sold his soul to ga
June 6, 2007 - 14:33 ET by Chris Normanbt,
Yeah, sold his soul to gain acceptance among the sneering little sh*ts at MSNBC. It's so high school, wanting to hang out with the "cool" and "popular" crowd - when the "cool" and "popular" crowd were "cool" and "popular" only to themselves - I never could understand that notion and MSNBC sure isn't "popular" going by their ratings. He'd be better off hanging out with the "Foxes"... :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Joe used to be a good guy. I
June 6, 2007 - 14:38 ET by florida_chadJoe used to be a good guy. I lived in his district when he ran, as a conservative, for office. Once he went to MSNBC his views changed. I've lost a lot of respect for him.
Joe Scar
June 6, 2007 - 14:40 ET by Cool ArrowAnd sucking up to the boss corrupts absolutely.
I wonder if Scarborough is
June 6, 2007 - 14:22 ET by WiggyI wonder if Scarborough is aware of just how big Fred Thompson is. LOL