For a minute there it looked like Ed Schultz might admit the obvious -- that he crossed the line on his radio show in shabbily berating a veteran with 23 years of service in the military.
Then just as quickly, the moment passed. Rather than admit his mistake, Schultz did what liberals invariably do when they are wrong -- pile on and make it worse. (Audio clips after the jump).
Schultz's on-air meltdown last week was first reported here and quickly went viral. Schultz being Schultz, he became thin-skinned and defensive in response to widespread outrage over his appalling treatment of a veteran who told Schultz he was being bumped from his health insurance due to Obamacare.
Here's how Schultz reacted to the anger directed at him --
You know, when they are out of material they get into the arena of personality targeting and I, of course, being the number one liberal talker in America, I love being on all of the conservative websites, being all on Fox News, I love it when they throw me in there.
Which is why I'm complaining about it now. Vintage Schultz, disingenuous to the core. More along the same lines --
I'm the guy that they said would never make it. I tell you what, this is so good. The other day you may, if you've listened to this program regularly, I mean, I took the head off of a veteran the other day, verbally the other day on this program. In my experience, I rendered judgment in my own mind and heart that this guy was a troll.
"Troll" -- aka, a conservative beating a liberal in an argument. Also described in this frequently seen scenario as "racist", "bully" and "suicide bomber."
And I'm human and I didn't make a mistake. He did. He called in and lied about Obamacare and talked about how he had lost his health care because he was a veteran. And you know what, folks? Maybe you can put up with the lies, but I, I have a limit. Just like there's a speed limit, there's only so much I can take because I am human.
Got that? Only from Ed Schultz will you hear "I'm human" and, as a result, "I didn't make a mistake." Oh the humanity!
And so I went off on this guy and now, of course, it's a big story on all the media websites. Fine! Fine! And you know, now they're trying to make it, oh, Ed Schultz is disrespectful to a veteran. So we've been taking the f-you phone calls from a few veterans around the country. Well, guess what? You're stupid, OK?
I know, I know, of all people to describe anyone else as "stupid." Then came the piece de resistance --
If you're going to be hoodwinked by the lies on Obamacare, then nobody's got any excuses for you. I don't care if you're a veteran or not. You know, I'm a veteran. I'm a veteran taxpayer of over 40 years, OK? And I'm a talk show host who, uh, has the freedom to say what I want to say and what I believe. Do I owe it to the guy who calls in? Does he owe anything to me? He chose to go into the military. Now I'm not dissing veterans. I have tremendous respect for veterans ...
Providing they agree with me and accord unwavering deference to Dear Leader ...
... and I have proven that in my career over the years. But being a veteran does not give you the license to call up and have your own set of facts and trash the president of the United States who happened to take out the number one terrorist in the world and I thought you were all for that.
Right you are, Ed -- that veteran you smeared chose to go into the military. As did the Navy SEALS who took out bin Laden. Not that we owe them anything.
From there Schultz actually praised the "pureness" of his radio show, I kid you not --
You know, all of our media in this country isn't good. And the pureness of this talk show is that I don't know what people are going to talk about when they call in. My screener back in Fargo does, but I don't know cause I like to take 'em cold.
At worst, a demonstrable lie. At best, Schultz likes taking calls, uh, lukewarm via that helpful screener he hired for no apparent reason.
