C'mon, Joe, Mika & Co.—quit the giggling, middle-school worthy gossip, and put your cards on the table.
As we noted here and here, for over two years now Morning Joe has been broadly hinting that Rudy Giuliani has a drinking problem. The show was back at it today, with Willie Geist, Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough, and Katty Kay all unsubtly suggesting that Rudy had been drinking before his CNN interview with Chris Cuomo last night.
The screencap shows Mika—much to the amusement of Joe and Willie—checking her imaginary watch as she asks at what time the interview was conducted.
WILLIE GEIST: Rudy Giuliani, I don't know where he was before the hit last night, but a little too much truth, perhaps, came out.
. . .
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: What time was this? [Checks imaginary watch.] Was this interview late at night?
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let's get at it, baby!
MIKA: Yeahhh. Gettin' out there. After hours. Oyy!
. . .
WILLIE: Rudy Giuliani, late at night, we don't know what he's going to say.
. . .
KATTY KAY: And let's just put it out there, again, it was a late-night television interview, so we don't know what happened beforehand . . . I'm not entirely convinced there was a strategy point at 9 o'clock at night from Giuliani on television.
MIKA: Yeah, I mean, it's uh, for um, uh, I, you know, there's a, to point out, there are other people who are on television at the same time as Rudy Giuliani--they were completely coherent. I don't know why--like we're half joking, but we're half serious.
JOE: Maybe, at the time of night, maybe Rudy had a heavy meal and was kind of slurring --
MIKA: No, we're talking about whether or not he was --
JOE: It slows him down, slurs his words, maybe that's --
MIKA: No --
JOE: I know if I have, Mika, a big meal, late at night, before going on CNN --
MIKA: It's just really, it's really hard, because there's a --
JOE: My words slur, and my eyes bulge.
Since they obviously believe it, why don't they come out and flatly say it?
Mika tip-toed to the edge of a clear-cut allegation, saying "we're talking about whether or not he was," stopping herself just short before saying they believe Rudy had been drinking.
Note: If Giuliani has a drinking problem, his appearance with Cuomo last night wouldn't seem to prove it. Have a look at the clip here. Far from slowly slurring his words, Rudy makes his points in rapid-fire fashion.
At one point, Mika says, "we're half joking, but we're half serious." So Morning Joe is not entirely serious when it suggests that Rudy has a drinking problem? What kind of irresponsible commentary is that?
