It was a metaphysical certitude the classic battle between Fox News's Roger Ailes and liberal publisher Arianna Huffington on Sunday's "This Week" would send many in the mainstream media over the top, and comedian Joy Behar didn't disappoint.
As "View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg gave the audience the background of the matter Monday -- "Fox News president Roger Ailes pointed out that on the Huffington Post he's been called quote a malignant tumor with a face like a fist" -- Behar interrupted, "It's not true."
Moments later, the opinionated comedian demonstrated her astounding lack of knowledge saying, "According to what I've read, first of all, the guy who wrote this tumor thing was not talking about him. He was talking about Fox."
She erroneously continued (video embedded below the fold, h/t NB reader Carla Brehm):
JOY BEHAR: According to what I've read, first of all, the guy who wrote this tumor thing was not talking about him. He was talking about Fox. Okay. Number one. Number two, Arianna Huffington...he was accusing Arianna of having it on the Huffington Post. It was a blogger that had nothing to do with Arianna...We have to take her word for it.
Actually, we don't have to take her word for it. Here are the relevant sections from HuffPo contributor Bill Mann's January 12 piece entitled, "What "Ailes" Cable News? Rupe Murdoch's Evil Genius":
Ailes is Rupert Murdoch's evil genius. Thank God most Republicans today aren't half as clever.
For years, we've heard much about former Bush advisor/now Fox Commentator Karl Rove, aka "Bush's Brain." But we haven't heard nearly enough about the secretive, security-encircled Ailes, who's arguably done more to spread fear and hatred in this country than anyone since Joe McCarthy.
J. Edgar Hoover lookalike Ailes, who has a face like a clenched fist, is a long-time TV veteran who once produced Mike Douglas' inane chat show (the late George Carlin mentions Ailes' unpleasant demeanor way back then in his recently released "Last Words"). [...]
Ailes' undeniable business success, however, has come at the expense of our political system's health.
As such, Behar was 100 percent wrong when she said this article wasn't about Ailes. It most certainly was.
In fact, even its author agrees. Here's what Mann wrote Monday in response to Ailes' comments on "This Week":
Ailes claimed on his ABC's "This Week" appearance with Arianna Huffington that I'd referred to him as a "malignant tumor." I'd actually called him "a malignant tumor on the body politic." (But why quibble?).
This is the actual quote from Mann's January 12 piece:
So, while Fox News, as the Times story stresses, may be a financial success story, it's also a malignant tumor on the body politic. For that you can thank Roger Ailes.
As Mann asked, why quibble?
As for Huffington not having control over what Mann posted, that's utter nonsense. This isn't Daily Kos where anyone can blog.
This is the Huffington Post, and as Editor-in-Chief, Arianna is 100 percent responsible for content with the exception of comments made by members.
As such, Behar's defense was rather hapless; I'm sure millions of criminals around the country are glad she didn't become a lawyer.
On the other hand, it's tough to determine what her qualifications are to be a political commentator on two television networks.
Go figure.
