Think President Barack Obama has thin skin? How could one not, after the attacks on media personalities like Rush Limbaugh or his on-the-record comments about the liberal blogs and Fox News?
On PBS’s Oct. 2 broadcast of “Inside Washington,” NPR’s Nina Totenberg pointed out the left-wing blogosphere has been critical of Obama, yet she chalked it up as just being “whiny.” “Inside Washington” panelist and Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer responded, and pointed out the president’s “thin skin,” in the wake of his remarks about his cable channel in a recent Rolling Stone interview.
“You would think that the presidency is slightly higher than the left blogosphere, but it is not, and that is what the problems,” Krauthammer said. “The president has an unbelievably thin skin, left or right. His obsession with Fox is a good example of that.”
Later in the broadcast, the other panelists went to bat for Obama and his critique of Fox News, parroting the left-wing meme that it is a political outlet for Republicans. Syndicated columnist Mark Shields lamented how many prospective and former Republicans that are rumored to be 2012 presidential contenders are also Fox News contributors.
“Charles' point about the president and Fox News -- Fox News, just to point out, is the only news organization in the history of the country that has on its payroll four presidential candidates. Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee are all on their payroll and they won’t do interviews with anybody else,” Shields said.
Krauthammer responded by facetiously calling Fox News “the new Virginia” also known as the birthplace of presidents.
“Fox is the new Virginia, the birthplace of presidents,” Krauthammer said. “Washington, Jefferson, Madison, everybody except Adams.”
This seems to be a regular theme with this panel – ganging up on the lone conservative and often attacking the Fox News Channel or other conservative media outlets like talk radio.
