Wow: an MSMer who not only has "many" conservative friends, but is willing to admit it on live national TV?
On today's Morning Joe, in the course of praising Anderson Cooper's performance as debate moderator, Geist let drop that prior to the debate "many of my conservative friends" thought CNN would go easy on the Dems, but that five minutes in, they told him "oh, I guess he's not going to go easy."
Seriously, how many MSM types can you imagine having "many" conservative friends, being in close touch with them during a debate, and then casually talking about it on TV? We and our readers have been noticing in recent times, as here and here, that Geist seems to be distinguishing himself from the liberal pack at MSNBC. Has he seen the handwriting on the network's wall?
NICOLLE WALLACE: He also led the debate -- I thought one of the sharpest blows landed was landed by Anderson Cooper when he had a question about all her political machinations. He said is everything you say a political contrivance and he went through every one of them and she got squirelly and it was an abrupt way to start the debate. But he was one of the stars of the night to me.
WILLIE GEIST: I thought he was.
WALLACE: Because he went to all their weaknesses and made them answer [inaudible]--really good.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Willie, I think what was so good about Anderson here and by the way, we're tough on journalists when they suck so let's be positive when they're really good, what was so great about Anderson was, he went to all their weaknesses. It was the Russert rule, which is, I'm going to be the candidate's worst nightmare whether they're Republican or Democrat. But, he never made it about himself.
WILLIE: That's right.
JOE: You never thought he was posing for the camera. He got the facts out, and I thought he did a great job.
WILLIE: I thought he did a great job too, and I had many of my conservative friends: CNN is going to go easy on the Democrats! And five minutes in they all went: oh, I guess he's not going to go easy on them.
