At first Rosie insisted she wouldn't debate Hasselbeck:
"Here's how it gets spun in the media. Rosie, big, fat lesbian, loud Rosie attacks innocent, pure Christian Elisabeth. And I'm not going to do it."
That didn't last long, as you can see from the highlight reel:
Video (4:07): Real (3.02 MB) or Windows (2.52 MB), or MP3 (1.87 MB)
Allahpundit at Hot Air has video too and makes this observation:
With Rosie on her way out I guess there’s no reason for them to pretend they’re friends anymore. Here she is at her disingenuous worst, playing the “big, fat, lesbian” victim while deliberately twisting Hasselbeck’s point about the enemy in Iraq — namely, Al Qaeda — to accuse her of treating Iraqi civilians as the enemy. Or is it deliberate? The more I watch, the more I think she simply doesn’t know that Al Qaeda has a presence there.
Update (Justin McCarthy | 14:17 EDT):
Elisabeth Hasselbeck finally stood up to Rosie O’Donnell’s bullying on
the May 23 edition of “The View” as it got very personal between the
two co-hosts. Joy Behar began the segment rattling off alleged failures
of the Bush administration and the conversation quickly sank into a
giant fight between Elisabeth and Rosie.
Rosie was
offended Elisabeth did not “defend” Rosie and even called Elisabeth a
“coward.” However, Elisabeth’s performance was anything but cowardly.
Joy Behar and guest co-host Sherri Shepherd were knocked out of the
conversation and they occasionally chimed in with a joke. Behar
gestured to Shepherd to leave and Sherri Shepherd joked “this is why I
like watching ‘Dancing with the Stars.’”
Also noteworthy, this flareup marks the end of Rosie's short-lived promise to not yell at the pregnant Hasselbeck.
JOY BEHAR: I was watching Al Gore on, on "Larry King" last night and, you know, he has a new book out, Al Gore, where he basically really says that Bush was the worst president that we’ve ever had in the history of the country. And I noticed that Jimmy Carter, a former president, is saying the same thing. So now if the former president Jimmy Carter is saying it and a former vice president of the United States is saying it and I have a list here of the things that Bush has done. I don't really understand why he's still there. Does anyone have any idea why we can't get rid of this guy who stole the election in 2000, killed the surplus with tax cuts –
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: According to Gore he stole it.
BEHAR: Wait a minute. It's very long. Wanting to privatize social security. Let me get through the list.
HASSELBECK: It’s very long, so we might be here for a while.
BEHAR: We might be here for a while. I let you talk yesterday. Now I'm talking. And I love her, but let me do this. He withdrew us from the Kyoto Treaty, John Ashcroft. Sat in the classroom after learning about 9/11 --
HASSELBECK: So he was supposed to freak out the kids when he was reading to them, I suppose.
BEHAR: And read "My Pet Goat" for seven minutes after we were attacked on 9/11.
HASSELBECK: Right, he should have definitely panicked the children.
BEHAR: He lied to us to get us into the war. He awarded a no-bid contract to Halliburton, Abu Ghraib. He promoted his friend Michael Brown to take care of Katrina. Heck of a job, Brownie. Remember that? He doesn't listen to the Iraq Study Group. He choked on a pretzel. [laughter] He waited a week to visit New Orleans and then only to watch some jazz. He stood by Alberto Gonzales, who needs to be thrown out, we all know that, and he stood by Rumsfeld, who some people think is a war criminal. He can't pronounce the word "nuclear." [laughter] These are just some of the reasons -- [Applause] -- That this guy needs to be thrown out of office.
SHERRI SHEPHERD: Yes, but he didn't sleep with an intern.
[laughter]
BEHAR: Yes, but maybe he should.
HASSELBECK: No, he did not.
BEHAR: I'm just saying something is wrong in this country when we are continuing to support this administration. I am furious today over all of this and Al Gore makes me mad because he doesn't run. Now, he says in the interview yesterday with Larry King that he's not running because he thinks global warming is more important. Well, the president of the United States has more power than anybody in the world and he needs to run for office if he wants to fix global warming and get us out of this mess that we’re in.
SHEPHERD: You think Al Gore could get us out, Al Gore?
BEHAR: Who else could? Who else could?
HASSELBECK: I knew I liked you, Sherri.
SHEPHERD: No I'm just saying, Al Gore, you know what he’s talking about with the Green Peace and everything, but you really think Al Gore is the one to get us out of this mess?
BEHAR: Why not?
HASSELBECK: What's his plan to keep us safe other than, in terms of the evironment?
BEHAR: He has a plan, read the book. He has a lot of plans in that book.
HASSELBECK: I’m sure he does.
BEHAR: He doesn't just criticize the president. He also criticizes the media. He says when we had that O.J. Simpson trial, he thought that was an aberration and we would not be so stupid as to be watching nonsense like that constantly, that CNN was constantly doing. But it's not an aberration.
HASSELBECK: Isn't he using the media to promote his books and films?
BEHAR: And we watch "Dancing with the Stars" instead of dealing with what’s going on--
HASSELBECK: No, not instead of, not instead of. You can watch “Dancing with the Stars” and also watch a lot of things that pertain to world politics, news safety, etcetera, absolutely.
BEHAR: How many people watched him speak on CNN? I’d like to know.
HASSELBECK: It’s called Tivo.
BEHAR: I’m just wondering.
SHEPHERD: I'm sorry. I wanted to see Laila and Apollo, but I did.
HASSELBECK: I don't think you're a bad person.
BEHAR: I'm not saying you're a bad person. I'm just saying nobody is interested.
HASSELBECK: People are interested. They just can do it on their own time. We’re in a situation now where technology allows us to do it.
BEHAR: We need to be furious. This country needs to be furious with what's going on.
[Applause]
HASSELBECK: It's called the election. You have- here is your opportunity, okay. You have, we’re a democratic society, you have the election in 2008 to change things.
BEHAR: Do you know how much damage this guy can do in a year and a half? He can invade Iran for all I know.
HASSELBECK: With Congress now as is?
BEHAR: Congress cannot pass anything because he, he vetoes it and they can't override it because his cronies in the Republican party stick by this president for political reasons.
[applause]
HASSELBECK: They stick by him for not demanding a pullout date for the troops, which is essentially saying to your enemies, I don’t know any team out there. I don’t have any strategy that says-
BEHAR: He doesn't have a plan.
HASSELBECK: -Here is the date that we are going to leave.
ROSIE O’DONNELL: To our enemies?
HASSELBECK: To our enemies, this is when we are going to pull out.
O’DONNELL: The enemies in Iraq?
HASSELBECK: Al Qaeda.
O’DONNELL: Wait, the enemies in Iraq?
HASSELBECK: Al Qaeda.
BEHAR: He didn’t even go after Osama Bin Laden when he was supposed to.
O’DONNELL: Elisabeth did, wait Joy. You just said our enemies in Iraq. Did Iraq attack us?
HASSELBECK: No. I'm saying Al Qaeda which is in Iraq.
O’DONNELL: Okay did Iraq talk us, Elisabeth?
HASSELBECK: Iraq did not attack us Rosie.
O’DONNELL: Correct.
HASSELBECK: We've been there before. I'm saying our enemies, Al Qaeda, are you hearing that?
O’DONNELL: I hear it. But where do you want to go?
BEHAR: This is a political discussion. Don’t interview each other. Just say what you mean.
HASSELBECK: If you're playing a game, okay, if you’re playing a game and I'm going to say okay I'm going to throw to my wide receiver, wide right, okay. Do you do that- what does it do for your enemy? It gives them time to plan.
O’DONNELL: If the enemy are innocent civilians, I don't want to play that kind of football.
[applause]
HASSELBECK: The enemy are not innocent civilians.
O’DONNELL: Iraq did not attack us!
BEHAR: Don’t yell at each other. Please let’s have a conversation.
O’DONNELL: You know why I don’t want to do this, Joy? Let me tell you why I don't want to do this. Because it here’s how it gets spun in the media: Rosie, big, fat, lesbian loud Rosie attacks innocent, pure, Christian Elisabeth.
BEHAR: Wait a minute. You don’t have to, let me do it!
HASSELBECK: I haven’t heard that line. Listen, I think it's unfair.
O’DONNELL: You should watch some of the shows you don't watch.
HASSELBECK: You accused me of watching all of those shows yesterday.
BEHAR: I’m okay arguing with Elisabeth.
O’DONNELL: You're just as sensitive when I’m hurt as I am when you were. Every time you were hurt, did I reach out to you?
BEHAR: Why is this personal? There's a war going on out there. It's not personal.
SHEPHERD: You know, this is why I like watching "Dancing with the Stars." This is exactly why.
[Applause]
HASSELBECK: I just don't understand why it's my fault if people spin words that you put out there or phrases that suggest things. And I gave you a opportunity, two days ago, to clarify the statement that got you in trouble on all those issues.
O’DONNELL: That, that got me in trouble. As a friend, you gave me the opportunity. That was very sweet of you. What I was asking is you, who actually knows me, do you believe I think our troops are terrorists, Elisabeth?
HASSELBECK: I don't think that you --
O’DONNELL: Yes or no?
HASSELBECK: I don’t believe that you–
O’DONNELL: Do you believe that, yes or no?
HASSELBECK: Excuse me. Let me speak.
O’DONNELL: You're going to double speak. It's just a yes or no.
HASSELBECK: I am not a double speaker and I don't put suggestions out there that lead people to think things and then not answer my own question.
O’DONNELL: I have a question to you and you didn't answer it.
HASSELBECK: I don't believe that you believe troops are terrorists. I have said that before. But when you say something like 650,000 Iraqis are dead, we invaded them.
O’DONNELL: It's true.
HASSELBECK: Let me finish, “who are the terrorist?”
O’DONNELL: You don't like the facts.
HASSELBECK: I'm all about facts. You know that. You tell me not to use facts because you want me to go only on emotion. Guess what? I like facts.
O’DONNELL: You cherry pick the facts you like.
BEHAR: Did I or did I not give this panel a list of facts?
[Applause]
SHEPHERD: And you know what? Oh my gosh! We're going to be right back with Alicia Silverstone!
[applause]
O’DONNELL: No, no, no we're not. Because we have a lot more time.
BEHAR: If you want to change the subject, that's something.
HASSELBECK: People were criticizing you for saying that because it suggested-
BEHAR: Oh, my God!
HASSELBECK: I said take your opportunity now. You have a show right now to tell the world --
O’DONNELL: I did take my opportunity to tell the world. I wanted to know what people like you, but you are my friend, since September, do you believe that I think our troops are terrorists? And you would not even look me in the face, Elisabeth, and say no, Rosie.
HASSELBECK: What are you talking about?
O’DONNELL: “I can understand how people are would have thought that, why don't you take this opportunity” like I'm six.
HASSELBECK: Because you are an adult and I'm certainly not going to be the person for you to explain your thoughts to. They're your thoughts. Defend your own insinuations.
[applause]
O’DONNELL: I defend my thoughts.
HASSELBECK: Defend your own thoughts.
O’DONNELL: Right, but every time I defend them, Elisabeth, it's poor little Elisabeth that I'm picking on.
HASSELBECK: You know what? Poor little Elisabeth is not poor little Elisabeth.
O’DONNELL: That's right. That's why I'm not going to fight with you anymore because it's absurd. So for three weeks you can say all the Republican crap you want.
HASSELBECK: It's much easier to fight someone like Donald Trump, isn’t it? Because he’s obnoxious.
O’DONNELL: I've never fought him. He fought me. I told a fact about him --
BEHAR: How did I get out of this conversation? I was in the middle of this conversation.
HASSELBECK: I gave you an opportunity to clarify.
O’DONNELL: You didn’t give me anything. You don't have to give me. I asked you a question.
HASSELBECK: I asked you a question.
O’DONNELL: And you wouldn’t even answer it.
HASSELBECK: You wouldn’t even answer your own question.
O’DONNELL: Oh Elisabeth, I don’t want- you know what? You really don't understand what I'm saying?
HASSELBECK: I understand what you're saying.
BEHAR: Let's go. Come on that’s it!
[Applause]
HASSELBECK: I think it's sad. I think it’s sad because I don't understand how there can be such hurt feelings when all I did way say, “look, why don't you tell everybody what you said?” I did that as a friend
O’DONNELL: All you did is not defend me. I asked you if you believe that I thought--
HASSELBECK: You didn't answer your own question. I don’t believe that you’re defending-
O’DONNELL: Elisabeth, every day since September I have told you I support the troops.
HASSELBECK: I have done the same for you.
O’DONNELL: I asked you if you believed what the Republican pundits were saying.
HASSELBECK: Did I say yes?
O’DONNELL: You said nothing and that's cowardly.
HASSELBECK: No, no, no. Do not, do not call me a coward. Because number one, I sit here every single day and open my heart and tell people exactly what I believe. Do not call me a coward, Rosie. I do not hide. I was not cowardly. It was honest.
O’DONNELL: It was.
HASSELBECK: What is cowardly?
BEHAR: Is there no commercial on this show?
[Applause]
HASSELBECK: Asking, asking, I'll tell you what's cowardly. Asking a rhetorical question that you never answer yourself.
BEHAR: Who is directing this show? Let's go to commercial. Let’s go to commercial.
HASSELBECK: I need a drink of water. Let’s go to commercial.
BEHAR: Man oh man.
SHEPHERD: How is the baby? Is the baby-
HASSELBECK: The baby's fine.
