Such was said during quite a debate between himself and the Washington Times' Amanda Carpenter on CNN's "Reliable Sources."
After Klein angrily made this comment, even host Howard Kurtz seemed a bit taken aback by it saying, "Well, lies is a strong word, but we'll come back to that another time."
What follows is the video and partial transcript of this exchange that began when Kurtz brought up some of the potentially over the line jokes made at Saturday evening's White House Correspondents' Association dinner:
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST: And speaking of Rush Limbaugh, Wanda Sykes, the comedienne who followed the President, told this joke that got some groans in the room. She said that, she kind of accused, she accused Rush Limbaugh of treason and she said, "I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker, but he was just strung out on oxycontin and missed his flight." Does that go way, way over the comedic line?
AMANDA CARPENTER, WASHINGTON TIMES: I think it does. I mean, there is a willingess for these jokes to be a little saucy at these dinners. I think that went over the line. I think that joke that she told about Sarah Palin, Todd Palin's sex life was inappropriate. I think that inference that she had to Barack Obama's race at a certain point was also inappropriate.
KURTZ: You're talking about his success will be seen as an African-American president, if not he'd be seen as some half-white guy.
CARPENTER: Yes, I thought that was over the line as well.
JOE KLEIN, TIME: Half, you know, comedy is by definition inappropriate. I mean, this is just comedy. And we're talking about a guy in Rush Limbaugh who is inappropriate half the time I hear him on the radio.
CARPENTER: But he doesn't do it at a White House Correspondents' dinner.
KLEIN: He describes himself as an entertainer. Wanda Sykes, entertainer. This is entertainment.
CARPENTER: But would you hold up Rush Limbaugh at the same dinner if he told those jokes?
RACHEL SKLAR, DAILY BEAST: I really think that it goes to context. I mean, everyone in the room is aware of the bigger picture here, the history. I think that if you deliver a monologue, a toothless monologue without reference to context, then it means nothing.
CARPENTER: I think she could have done a fine job that was in better taste.
KLEIN: So could Rush. He could be in a lot better taste. On a daily basis...
CARPENTER: But he's not speaking at the White House Correspondents' dinner.
KLEIN: ...in which he's delivering misinformation, lies to a large audience in America. That is far more serious than telling a couple of jokes at a banquet.
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST: Well, lies is a strong word, but we'll come back to that another time.
As readers likely imagine, Klein's "listening" to Limbaugh likely represents the cherry picked, out of context snippets various left-wing shills are sending him via e-mail.
