When it came to defending Biden's Putin regime-change gaffe, you could be excused for figuring that Morning Joe had hit rock bottom on yesterday's show in its pathetic pro-Biden sycophancy.
After all, as we noted, Mika Brzezinski praised Biden's remarks, claiming he had "put the Kremlin back on his heels." And Joe Scarborough agreed, calling the gaffe "a good thing," ludicrously adding that Biden had engaged in "psyops."
But Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough demonstrated today that there are apparently no depths to which they won't sink in their dogged defense of Biden.
After playing a clip of Biden's bumbling remarks about his gaffe, a wowed Brzezinski enthused:
"He only gets better."
Scarborough wasn't content to defend the gaffe. He actually thanked Biden for saying he doesn't care what Putin thinks. "Thank you! Thank you!....Just thank you," exclaimed Scarborough.
For anyone trying to keep track, this is the same Scaborough who a few days ago yelled at Republican senators for being too hawkish in pressuring Biden, "pushing him to do things that would trigger World War III," but now he's fine with gruff regime-change bravado.
And Scarborough agrees with Biden that we shouldn't care what Putin thinks. Really? We shouldn't care that Biden might have given a guy who sits on huge stockpiles of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons an excuse to use them? If so, then why did Biden's handlers scurry to correct their boss's gaffe?
In his exchange with ABC's Mary Bruce in the clip, Biden recycled a couple of his oratorical schticks. First, he offered up one of his patented "here's the deal." Then, after beginning to tell the reporter that she should get a grip and understand something, he edited himself: "excuse me. I shouldn't say that to you. Given his recent behavior, people should understand."
On Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough continuing to defend Biden's Putin regime-change gaffe, with Mika claiming, "he only gets better," was sponsored in part by Subway and Xfinity.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
3/29/22
6:12 am ETMIKA BRZEZINSKI: President Biden is clarifying those unscripted remarks he made at the end of his Warsaw speech on Saturday that Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power. Peppered with questions by reporters, the president said he makes no apologies for his remarks. So he's actually not clarifying. He also said he's not calling for regime change.
. . .
MARY BRUCE, ABC: You've said that you're confident your comment won't undermine diplomatic efforts. But just to be clear, are you confident that Vladimir Putin sees it that way? That he will not use this as an escalatory --
JOE BIDEN: I don't care what he thinks. Look, here's the deal. He's going to do what he's going to do. Putin, look --
REPORTER: But you're not concerned that he might see your language, and view that as a sign, as a reason for escalation? Use that as an excuse to escalate given his recent behavior?
BIDEN: Given his recent behavior, you should -- excuse me. I shouldn't say that to you. Given his recent behavior, people should understand that he is going to do what he thinks he should do, period. He's not affected by anybody else, including, unfortunately, apparently, his own advisors. This is a guy who goes to the beat of his own drummer. And the idea that he is going to do something outrageous because I called him for what he was and what he's doing, I think is just not rational.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Thank you. Thank you.
MIKA: Wow. He only gets better.
SCARBOROUGH: I mean I'm sorry, just thank you! This whole idea of, well, what does Vladimir Putin think. You know what? When that question was asked yesterday, it was like, I don't care, we don't care. We've been trying to figure out what Vladimir Putin thinks, and then he invades Ukraine. We've been trying to figure out what Vladimir Putin thinks, and then he bombs children's hospitals. We've been trying to figure out what Vladimir Putin thinks, and then he bombs, then he bombs --
MIKA Maternity hospitals.
SCARBOROUGH: Maternity wards. Then he bombs cancer hospitals, then he bombs -- just bombs civilian homes. They target -- who cares what he thinks?! Let me say that again. Who cares what he thinks? It's time for him to start worrying about what we think.
