Even worse, after gushing ad nauseum about how Obama is "really sweeping people off their feet" -- with statistics to back up his sick-making adoration, of course! -- Schneider concluded his report by disgracefully stating "the country has just gone through a failed marriage with the current president."
I kid you not.
For those that can stand it, a partial transcript and embedded video follow (h/t NBer talkradio03):
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)SCHNEIDER: When it comes to honeymoons with new presidents, Americans have -- shall we say -- been around the block a few times. But this new guy is really sweeping people off their feet; 82 percent of Americans are happy with the way President-elect Obama is handling his transition. Even 61 percent of Republicans like him and they're the in-laws in this marriage. He is not supposed to be good enough for them.
PAT ROBERTSON, THE CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK: I am remarkably pleased with Obama. I had grave misgivings about him, but so help me, he has come in forcefully and intelligently.
SCHNEIDER: Previous honeymoons have been good, but not this good. The public is particularly impressed by Obama's cabinet appointments; 80 percent approve of Obama's so-called team of rivals. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I assembled this team because I am a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions.
SCHNEIDER: Obama scoring more than 20 points better on his cabinet picks than President Bush did in 2001. A team of rivals is well and good, but will Obama be a strong leader? He insists he will.
OBAMA: To understand where the vision for change comes from first and foremost, it comes from me.
SCHNEIDER: Do people think that Obama will be tough enough? Apparently they do, nearly half the public expresses a lot of confidence that Obama will provide real leadership. That is more confidence than people felt in President-Elect Bush or Clinton. Obama even scores higher on leadership than President-elect Reagan did when he took office. That is saying something.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: It is a bad time. And the country has just gone through a failed marriage with the current president. Obama represents hope, and isn't that what honeymoons are supposed to be about?
Nice job, Bill. You're quite a journalist.
