For the second week in a row Charles Krauthammer has gotten into a heated debate with the Washington Post's Colby King on the PBS program "Inside Washington."
This time it was about the effectiveness of President Obama's stimulus plan.
"These guys have had a year and a half and people are not happy with the results," said Krauthammer. "$1 trillion of stimulus it disappeared and there is nothing to show."
King responded, "They had 3 million jobs to show for it."
The fun really started after Krauthammer marvelously replied, "Yeah, saved, saved, how do you measure a saved job?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: Is Axelrod right, or is he just looking for an excuse to talk about the President's bad numbers?
EVAN THOMAS, NEWSWEEK: Is that a binary question?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Yeah, the correct answer is "b."
(LAUGHTER)
KRAUTHAMMER: Let's go on to something else. I mean, it's so damned obvious, come on. I mean, he's whining in advance, he's looking for an excuse. He ran, look, these guys have had a year and a half and people are not happy with the results. $1 trillion of stimulus it disappeared and there is nothing to show. With the healthcare reform people don't want...
COLBY KING, WASHINGTON POST: They had 3 million jobs to show for it.
KRAUTHAMMER: Yeah, saved, saved, how do you measure a saved job?
KING: Go out and ask the teachers. Go out and ask the teachers. Go out and ask the cops whose jobs were saved. Ask them about it. They'll tell you.
KRAUTHAMMER: The net loss of jobs is staggering under this administration.
KING: Well...
KRAUTHAMMER: Yes...
KING: Given the eight years of mismanagement it was bound to happen.
KRAUTHAMMER: There has been a half a million increase...
KING: The eight years of mismanagement it was bound to happen.
KRAUTHAMMER: ...government jobs have gone up and the private sector has cratered.
KING: Charles, that's speaking a lie, you know exactly what I am talking about because you are a straight shooter.
PETERSON: If you're Axelrod, Evan, what do you say to the President at this point?
KRAUTHAMMER: I'm leaving.
[Laughter]
KRAUTHAMMER: Which he is. I'm leaving in spring. That's what you say.
THOMAS: Yeah, I think that they are really exhausted and, and a little bit down and they're just kind of, I think they're, they don't know what to do. I don't, I don't think they are having happy, optimistic, this is all going to work out conversations in the Oval Office. I think they're just trying to get...
NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: Do you have any good ideas?
KRAUTHAMMER: They made a choice early on that they were going to push an ideological agenda on healthcare instead of addressing the American economy and that is the major complaint against them. And that's why they're going to get swept in November.
Indeed. Nicely done, Charles. These weekly smackdowns are becoming something to look forward to on Friday nights.
Almost better than high school football.
Readers are encouraged to review last week's fight.
