CBS Presses Krauthammer to Diagnose GOP: 'Do You Think The Party Needs Some Psychiatry?'

Obama donor Gayle King and Charlie Rose strongly hinted that conservatives/Republicans needed psychiatric help during a segment with Charles Krauthammer on Tuesday's CBS This Morning. King asked the licensed psychiatrist, "You talk in your book about your medical training in psychiatry and about...how powerful denial can be. Do you think that the GOP – Tea Party Republicans are in denial?"

King's question prompted laughter from Rose and co-anchor Norah O'Donnell. The PBS host then rephrased his colleague's question in a more explicit way: "But do you think the party needs some psychiatry?" [MP3 audio available here; video below the jump]

The three morning show hosts brought on Krauthammer to discuss the recent partial government shutdown, as well as his new book, "Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics". Rose led with a leading question: "You said that you were an early critic of ObamaCare, but you also said the efforts to defund it was (sic) nuts. Do you think you've been proven right?"

When the columnist answered, in part, that "unfortunately, yes, I think, because it damaged the Republicans", the CBS anchor followed up by asking, "Senator [Ted] Cruz and Senator [Marco] Rubio this morning said they're still in favor of defunding ObamaCare. And it still has the same potential, does it not, to do damage to what you think is the best future for the Republican Party in its efforts against ObamaCare?"

King then asked her thinly-veiled attack on Tea Party Republicans. Rose, clearly amused by her question, interjected, "That's a good question." Krauthammer replied that "denial is what you do for yourself, as a way to get through life. I'm not sure it's the way a party ought to get through politics. And the Republicans, right now, ought to get out of that mode and look at the reality."

King has regularly inserted her liberalism into interviews. Back in September 2013, during a segment with former Obama chief of staff William Daley, she wondered if the gun industry's pursuit of profits was "more important than human lives". Four months earlier, the CBS anchor asked Republican Senator Tom Coburn, "You voted against relief plans for Hurricane Sandy, and it sounds that you would do the same if it was raised in Oklahoma. Do you worry about alienating your constituents?"

[Update, Tuesday, 4:42 pm Eastern: the full transcript of the Charles Krauthammer segment from Tuesday's CBS This Morning can be read on MRC.org.]