I’m not necessarily laughing off the possibility. Romney has appeared on The View before. Newt’s done the show, and so has Herman Cain. Jon Huntsman’s been on too. Heck, I think Huntsman was once even offered the host slot that eventually went to Whoopi Goldberg.

From HuffPo:

NEW YORK — During the 2008 presidential race, both then-Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain stopped by to chat with the ladies of “The View,” an indication that political candidates see value in reaching the daytime talk show audience.

But this election cycle, producers for the ABC show are wading even deeper into political waters with hopes of hosting a daytime presidential debate. A spokesman for “The View” confirmed that requests have been sent to Republican campaigns but declined to speak further about any interest so far. The debate would take place during the show’s 11 a.m. EST time slot.

Due to the already packed schedule it’ll probably never happen. Too bad — I’d like to hear the candidates discuss Joy Behar’s proposal to give Gitmo detainees million dollar book deals instead of locking them up.

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe

It looks as if the other Weiner thread is almost tapped out, so we’ll switch at least some of the discussion here for another day and use this space for any updates.

Here’s a rundown of some of the stories coming off the Weiner Wire this morning:

–Nancy Pelosi has called for an ethics inquiry and will turn the situation over to the House Ways and Weiners Committee, which will ultimately determine whether or not the Congressman’s illicit behavior rises to the level of doing nothing about.

–In 2007, Weiner co-sponsored the “Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act.” Write your own joke.

–Weiner said “I don’t believe I used any government resources.” He doesn’t believe he did? We’ll see. For some reason I don’t believe I believe him. For example, one woman claimed “he called me from his office.” Maybe just to get advice on the health care bill with which he was becoming “one.”

–No comment on this.

–Barbara Walters: “If Sarah Palin can be considered for president then Weiner can stay in congress.” Because a bus ride along the east coast is the moral and ethical equivalent of Tweeting pics of your junk to young women. It was a comment so inane it had even Joy Behar defending Palin, but I think Walters is merely lamenting the fact that Twitter wasn’t around when she was seeing Edward Brooke:

Neal Boortz thinks there might be a TV show in Weiner’s future:

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe

Reader Cheryl watched a fresh Palin Derangement Syndrome outbreak on The View this morning: “Barbara Walters said on today’s View (October 6th) that Sarah Palin having her baby at the debate ‘bothered her.’ UN-REAL.”

And letters are rolling in about another case of Trig-related PDS yesterday on Fox News, of all places.

Michelle,

Karen Goetz
Auburn Wa

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Michelle,

Christy

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I was shocked to hear Liz refer to Trig as an “it” and was promptly corrected that he is not an it but a baby, their baby boy that they love. It was appalling. She owes us all an apology, esp those with special needs. Personally it blesses me to see Trig with his family, they all obviously love and adore him. It means alot to those who have special needs children in their families that the Palin’s do not hide him, he is an important person in their family. Have not noticed this in any blogs today. What’s up? Discrimination of the lowest upon the most vulnerable should not be tolerated. If she had said this about Obama’s kids, she’d be called a racist. There I feel better now. Yes I complained to Fox News also, I believe it was Eric Shawn who corrected Liz.

Lynette in Oceanside, CA

***

Photoshop: David Lunde

Two more for you…

From football PDS to baseball PDS:

The Red Sox, of course, can extended that streak to seven tonight at Fenway Park by sweeping the Los Angeles Angels, who at the moment look more overmatched than Sarah Palin in a ninth-grade civics course.

And PDS has spread to comic books now, too. Tales From the Crypt spreads the Palin-as-book-banner lie:

Tales From the Crypt’s issue #8, shipping later this month, is a slightly more complex (if not obvious) example, depicting Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin wielding a hockey stick at EC Comics’ iconic horror narrators the Crypt Keeper, the Old Witch and the Vault-Keeper, while she asks: “Didn’t we get rid of you guys in the 1950s?” It�s a sentiment regarding Palin that’s expanded on in an interior editorial by Cathy Gaines Mifsud, the daughter of William Gaines�original publisher of EC Comics and Mad Magazine. In the editorial Mifsud links the issue’s cover to queries Governor Palin made to a librarian while the Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, regarding the possibility of removing controversial books from the public library (no books were actually removed from the library).

Just weeks after claiming she would reshape her faltering radio program to focus on a New York City audience, Whoopi Goldberg has now been cancelled even there.

According to press and trade reports today, Wake Up With Whoopi was yanked from WKTU-FM today without warning, other than a brief note sent to staffers mere hours before the change. Poor ratings were cited by the station.

Recently, after similar results led to terminations in Chicago and Philly, your Radio Equalizer speculated that Whoopi’s radio days appeared numbered. Now, one can easily expect the syndicated program to be shut down, perhaps in the next few days.

Blame Bush!

The NYPost and TMZ are buzzing that Roseanne Barr might be the leading contender to fill the Big Mouth chair on the View to be vacated by the Other Ro. Interestingly, a reader e-mails that Roseanne’s blog has been taken offline. Here’s what you’ll see if you click over to “Roseanne World:”

Fortunately for Barbara Walters and her crack background research staff hunting for a replacement, you can dig up Roseanne’s rants on Google cache. Ro B makes Rosie O look like a right-winger. Their spelling skills, grammar levels, and conspiracy-mongering are about equal, but Ro B beats Rosie O by a mile in the Israel-bashing and religious bigotry department. Here are a few golden nuggets I turned up. I’m sure it’s the tip of the iceberg (the Wayback Machine has her blog archive here):

Anti-Mormon. Anti-Israel. Pro-conspiracy. No wonder she’s the leading candidate for Big Ro’s seat.

I did find something Roseanne wrote that I agree with 100 percent:

Q.E.D., Roseanne, Q.E.D.

You recently visited with wounded troops at Walter Reed. What were your impressions?

I was deeply impressed by them. Most I spoke to were young people, around 20 years old. And they were really very eloquent, very positive, very respectful. You have to be proud of the children we’re turning out from looking at this group of people. For me, I would much rather hear from these guys than the people who are presenting the news on television on a daily basis.

Were you able to gauge the mood among the troops—have they lost a sense of mission?

These guys say, well, it’s possible to win it. And I’ll tell you one thing they said that was very remarkable: the increase in troops that has been recommended by the president, they say anybody who’s over there knows the value of backup and we should be behind this. When you’re out in that situation in danger, you want to know you’ve got backup. Only one guy said he wasn’t going back to Iraq, and he had been wounded a couple times. But all the other guys wanted to go back. One young woman, a very attractive young woman, had her leg amputated. But she says she’s going to find a way to get back into it. She just reupped and she said they would find something for her to do.

Do you think it’s possible to win the Iraq War?

Here’s what I think: this is a real war, extended beyond the borders of Iraq.

As in the more general war on terror?

The war on terror is real. People would have you believe it’s not real. This is not Vietnam. This particular situation is not the same wherein we can walk away and just leave destruction behind us. No, we can’t. Anyone who has paid attention to what [Iranian President] Ahmadinejad is saying, what all the mullahs are saying in this country and in England, and in all of the Arab world, this is serious—they’re calling for the destruction of America and all democracy and that’s what’s going on. We could lose this war.

He also talks about left-wing bias in the media, his support for the Patriot Act, andhis criticism of Bush hatred.

Hey, Barbara Walters: How about booking Voight on The View?

***

Matt in Michigan e-mails:

Michelle –

Mr. Voight recently gave an interview to one of our local morning shows (Drew and Mike, WRIF Detroit), with the purpose of discussing his latest project. He spent 10 minutes giving an impassioned statement about his support of our troops, the war on terror, and the lousy press coverage of our troops and their successes. It was quite an impressive exchange. I just wish it didn’t stand out as such an anomaly that a well known actor would express himself clearly and passionately in support of his country.

Here’s a Stop Rosie site and here’s a blog tracking The View’s advertisers.

Here’s Popular Mechanics’ smackdown of Rosie in case you missed it.

And here is a stark reminder of who Barbara Walters, ABC, and Disney have allied themselves with:

Hat tip: LGF

Enough to give you indigestion. But don’t grab the Pepto Bismol.

They’re a proud sponsor of The 9/11-Denying View.

Spouting off again.

IBD asks the key question of the masochists at ABC: “Crackpot 9/11 conspiracy theories are usually deemed beneath the dignity of network television. With Rosie O’Donnell now promoting the fringe, how embarrassed are ABC and Barbara Walters willing to be?”

And…introducing the Rosie O’Donnell Rant Advisory System. I think she’s in a permanent Code Red state of derangement.

Hoisted by her own petard for her Asian language mimickry, diva of political correctness Rosie O’Donnell is getting blasted by a Chinese-American NYC city councilman for offending minorities:

A city councilman is demanding that Rosie O’Donnell be held accountable for comments she made on ABC’s “The View” last week that he said offended Asian-Americans.

O’Donnell set off a firestorm when she mocked Chinese broadcasters commenting on Danny DeVito’s drunken Nov. 29 performance on “The View.”

“The fact is that it’s news all over the world. You know, you can imagine in China it’s like, ‘Ching chong, ching chong, Danny DeVito, ching chong chong chong chong, drunk, ‘The View,’ ching chong.’”

O’Donnell’s imitation was followed by laughter from her co-hosts and a loud “gong” that producers threw in.

City Councilman John Liu (D-Queens) has written a letter to Barbara Walters, co-executive producer and co-host of “The View,” blasting O’Donnell.

“Her caricature of the Chinese language hits a raw nerve in our community,” Liu wrote.

Liu admonished Walters for sitting by and not scolding O’Donnell for making the “derogatory remarks” that “have consequences beyond the stupidity of the person who made them.”

“What will you do to hold yourself and those who host the program accountable for such offensive remarks?” Liu asked Walters.

It’s one of the rare times I am enjoying the P.C. circus at work. Very edifying. I hope they go all out: Pickets, advertising boycotts, the works. Couldn’t happen to a better (er, worse) person.

***

So, how’s holier-than-thou Rosie responding to her critics? With her usual grace and charm. Here’s her reply to one commenter on her mess of a blog:

Niiiice.

A viewer at YouTube notes that O’Donnell did her same “ching-chong” routine in on her own show in response to Mira Sorvino stating that she majored in Chinese. Apparently, Rosie thinks it’s so brilliant and funny, she’s promising to do it again. More from her blog:

Rosie Ching Chong O’Donnell: Comic genius.

***
Previous/related:

Hey, Rosie O’Donnell: Did you teach your kids to speak “ching chong,” too?
Newsbusters: Remember Sen. Alfonse D’Amato/Lance Ito?

Remember the special fun project I mentioned yesterday? Well, what if we took The View and reversed the formula (three conservatives and one liberal instead of three liberals and one conservative), turned down the screeching, and demonstrated real diversity on TV?

Hot Air TV presents The View with a Clue:

Stay tuned for a second installment next week. We’re just warming up. Thanks to all the ladies in the house:

La Shawn Barber
Mary Katharine Ham
Kirsten Powers

To quote La Shawn quoting Aretha: “Sisters are doing it for themselves.”

Watch:

***

Rosie, I recommend you invite Bruce Bawer on your show to cure you of your abject ignorance. From Bawer’s website:

Let it not be forgotten, after all, how countries ruled by Koranic law treat their homosexual citizens. Under the Taliban, Afghanistan put at least ten homosexuals to death; on New Year’s Day, 2002, our good friends in Saudi Arabia beheaded three men for sodomy. According to one report, Iran has executed several thousand men for homosexuality since 1979. Even in Egypt, with its relatively moderate and secular government, a widely publicized mass arrest of suspected homosexuals in early 2001 resulted in the torture and imprisonment of dozens of males as young as fifteen. And these figures are undoubtedly dwarfed by the annual number of “honor killings” of female family members who have strayed sexually (or who have shamed their families by being raped)–a form of murder that is so much a part of traditional Muslim culture that it goes unprosecuted even in relatively moderate Islamic countries like Jordan. In May 2002, Amnesty International reported that in Pakistan at least three honor killings occur every day, and that the perpetrators are usually not even arrested, although their identities tend to be known to family, neighbors, and even the police.

What do all these liberal women who pretend to speak for women have to say about that? Or about Pakistan’s cave-in to the sharia-enforcers who protect and coddle rapists in the name of Islam?

Maybe The View should invite Mohammed Khatami for a comparative religion chat.

***

You know who I’d really like to see on The View? MKH. That 3-to-1 libs-to-conservative panel needs balance. And some Southern flava. Where’s their commitment to diversity?

Meanwhile, O’Donnell, Jane Fonda, and Gloria Steinem have formed an estrogen-fueled talk radio network–because left-wing female views are sooo suppressed in the MSM.

If you are squeamish about these things–and I’m actually amazed that so many people are–just skip it. But here is one of my main points getting lost in the noise:

When millions of parents complained about the outrageously inappropriate exposure of Janet Jackson’s breast during a sexually explicit Super Bowl performance last year, they were immediately branded “prudes” by elite liberals in the media. Why aren’t those same supposedly progressive commentators bashing the ridiculously priggish Barbara Walters and company now?

Moreover:

1) No mother should ever be made to feel ashamed of nursing.

2) Barbara Walters is a feminist-lauded hypocrite.

3) The militancy of some of these “lactivists” is off-putting, but understandable given point number 2.

4) Enduring 10 minutes of breast exposure on an airplane is a lot less torturous than enduring an endless-seeming flight with a bottle-rejecting baby screaming from takeoff to landing. Trust me. I never had to take one on an airplane, but I know about stubborn, bottle-rejecting babies. I nursed one for 13 months.

5) And finally, no one needs to remind me about the need for modesty. I’m not, as you know, a crunchy, let-’em-all-hang-out kinda gal. When it’s practical, of course a mom should be discreet. Sometimes, though–say, when you’re a nursing mom traveling alone and your baby is starving and you don’t have a helping hand to retrieve a blanket from the overhead bin because the snobby people sitting next to you are looking at you like you’re a Zulu–a few minutes of partial breast exposure is absolutely forgivable.

***
Corrections:

One significant, two minor. In my column, I wrote that Barbara Walters “reportedly pronounced [the airplane] incident ‘gross and disgusting.’” Walters writes to say that she did not, in fact, use the words “gross and disgusting” to describe breast-feeding. (The quote came from The Calgary Sun, Ted Byfield, June 12, 2005.) I will also note the correction in my syndicated colum next week and apologize for the error. Walters informs me that Elizabeth Hasselback has not completely stopped breast-feeding her newborn. Lastly, Walters says she was “not flying first class,” but was flying “on a crowded shuttle.”

All the more reason to show the nursing mother compassion and put your hang-ups in check. But that’s just my view. Not “The View.”

***

Jimmy Kimmel, an ABC network colleague of Walters’, weighs in. Watch here.

***

The Pink Flamingo Grill shares a story of revenge. Heh.

***

Related:

Rosie O’Donnell: Psycho Mom

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Previous mommyblogging:

Avatar premiere
Porn star prom dresses
Enter the Thudguard-dome

O’Donnell Halted Her Partner’s Breastfeeding

Comedienne Rosie O’Donnell banned her partner Kelli Carpenter from breastfeeding their daughter Vivienne just a few weeks after she was born–because she was jealous of their bonding sessions. Kelli gave birth to Vivienne in 2002, and the lesbian couple have been raising her along with their three other adopted children.

But O’Donnell admits she felt left out of the motherhood process whenever she observed her partner nursing their child.

She says, “Kelli only nursed for like a month and then I was very angry.

“With the other babies, nobody nursed because they were adopted. But with this baby she was the only one getting to bond, so I was like, ‘The nursing is over!’ I cut her off.

“I’m like, ‘You’ve had your limit, honey, no more!’”

What? As if breast-feeding were only about satisfying the nursing mother’s needs and not the newborn’s? What kind of narcissistic loon would go on TV and say such things and expect to be viewed as a normal, responsible parent?

O’Donnell’s selfish, psycho comments were made on ABC’s The View last week as the panel discussed a “nurse-in” involving 200 women breastfeeding outside of ABC’s headquarters who were angry about negative remarks Barbara Walters had made about a breastfeeding mom. This site has more on O’Donnells remarks. Excerpt:

One of Rosie’s fellow panel members [Joy Behar] interjected…saying “But you know that’s an interesting conversation because in a certain way you’re doing a disservice to the baby aren’t you when you act like that?

“No, because I got to bond and cuddle,” said Rosie.

Me, me, me. Nyah nyah nyah.

Can the pathological self-absorption of Hollywood be illustrated anymore clearly?

A few of O’Donnell’s blog readers get it:

You know, you and Tom Cruise would have been perfect together. He makes his asinine comments toward Brook Shields and postpartum depression and you ask that the health of your baby take a backseat to your jealous insecurities. Absolutely disgusting. Need to feed your ego more? [Think] of your baby and your partner. Step outside yourself. I’m sure your partner was incredibly uncomfortable letting he[r] milk dry up while. Just selfish. You should have thought of not nursing the baby before it was born if anything. That way two people wouldn’t have had to adjust to fit your needs.

***

I think it is unbelievably sad that you would force your partner to stop breastfeeding. Nevermind the benefits for your child, the fact that you would take the benefits away from your partner boggles my mind.
I think your insecurity as a parent cause you to do a great disservice to Kelli. You stated that this is America and you can chose to breastfeed if you want, I guess that just doesn’t apply to Kelli, you forced the decision for her.

Most revealing, Teresa confessed–were those tears in her eyes–that she has only talked to her husband about “once a week” and only gets to talk to him “for a few seconds.” She could barely muster up enough enthusiasm to make a pitch to undecided voters for her husband–even with helpful coaxing from lib handholders Star Jones and Barbara Walters.

Well, he’s “thoughtful,” Teresa murmured. He knows how to think about “complex” things. (Showing a brief spark of her old self, she couldn’t help noting that he sometimes thinks about things too much. That a girl.) And finally, she pulled out an old line uttered with weary, mock gung-ho spirit: If she were in a foxhole, she’d want to be with John Kerry.

As with all of her campaign appearances, the interview revealed much more about Teresa than it did about the candidate. Who cares about the race? She just wants it to be over and she wants her husband’s attention back. If she and we are lucky, they’ll be together again sipping hot chocolate and getting hot stone massages or whatever in Ketchum for Thanksgiving.

Hang in there, Mrs. Heinz. Two more weeks.