Dennis Miller Takes on a Whining Phil Donahue

MRC ^ | Thursday, February 13, 2003 11:02:17 AM | BrentBaker

[fight_truth_decay]

MSNBC viewers got a lively hour Wednesday night/late afternoon as Donahue came live from Los Angeles at 5pm PST/8pm EST with Dennis Miller as the guest for the hour. So much good stuff, but only so much time to transcribe it. But we got down some of the best parts.

Miller so flustered Donahue that he went on a rant about how people like Miller are trying to "marginalize" liberals. Becoming a parody of himself, Donahue whined about how "you're making us to be some sort of wimpy kind of people who, woo, woo, we don't get it. We don't see evil. We think everything is a nice fairy tale. That is an attempt to marginalize us."

Donahue also claimed to be a conservative Republican: "We do not think one man should have the Army, Navy, and Marines to send the war all by himself and without the advice and consent of Congress as the Constitution calls us, upon us to do. That makes me conservative. I'm for the Constitution. I would make a good Republican."

When Donahue charged that dropping "incendiary devices on a crowded city at night where old people and children are sleeping" will give "Osama a poster for recruiting more angry young Islamic militants," an incredulous Miller fired back: "Oh, you believe he needs that, Phil? Do you really believe that he needs that?"

Miller's best two humorous zingers of the night:

-- On the New York Times: "If only Saddam Hussein would open an all-male country club somewhere in Iraq, so the Times could get behind this invasion."

-- On Osama bin Laden: "I think that he made a fatal error when he said that he didn't approve of drinking wine or adultery. Because now the French and Clinton are on board."

Now, from the portion of the February 12 show quoted above, a full transcript of one of the most illuminating exchanges between Miller and Donahue, as taken down by MRC analyst Brad Wilmouth, starting after Miller suggested liberals don't see the reality of the world:

Donahue: "Well, first of all, your comment suggests that liberals never see evil. Now, that's, what that does is marginalize liberals. I mean, did you ever talk to a liberal?"

Miller: "Yes, most of my great friends in the world are liberals."

Donahue: "But liberals, you're making us to be some sort of wimpy kind of people who, woo, woo, we don't get it. We don't see evil. We think everything is a nice fairy tale. That is an attempt to marginalize us. Our voice is strong, it is growing, we are very proud to live in a country that doesn't squelch it and tries to say shoosh, although everywhere we feel, we feel that kind of pressure. We're proud Americans. We believe in the Constitution. We believe in the War Powers Act. We believe Congress should get into this. We do not think one man should have the Army, Navy, and Marines to send the war all by himself and without the advice and consent of Congress as the Constitution calls us, upon us to do. That makes me conservative. I'm for the Constitution. I would make a good Republican. I don't know why so many Republicans dismiss this feature as sort of in the way. And by the way, we're not so frightened that we have to preempt, preemptively, you know, you got Iraq there, boom!. Oops, sorry, thought you had a gun. Let us just calm down a minute."

Miller: "Oh, if it was only Iraq, Phil, for God's sakes. The sort of Damocles is now an ICBM of Damocles, for God's sakes."

Donahue: "So because these bombs and these instruments of war are now so powerful-"

Miller: "Yes."

Donahue: "We can't wait for a conference. We've got to kill them right now."

Miller: "Listen, we get around, what's our-"

Donahue: "Do you really think it's gonna make us safer-"

Miller: "Yes."

Donahue: "-to drop incendiary devices on a crowded city at night where old people and children are sleeping? They're gonna say, 'Oh, boy, didn't know you were that strong! Okay, no more terrorism.' You are, we are giving Osama a poster for recruiting more angry young Islamic militants."

Miller: "Oh, you believe he needs that, Phil? Do you really believe that he needs that?"

Donahue: "Do you really believe that killing innocent people is going to, is going to make us safer?"

Miller: "Do you think that's our intention, to go over and seek out the innocent people?"

Donahue: "I do not think it's our intention. I do not think we are going to kill innocent people with malice. But we know it's going to happen, and it doesn't have to."

Links to Miller's earlier comments mocking liberals and standing up for President Bush's policies to combat terrorism:

--cyb20030204.asp#4

-- See: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2003/cyb20030130.asp#8

-- See: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2002/cyb20021108.asp#7

-- See: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2001/cyb20011107.asp#7

For Miller's Internet Movie Database page with a rundown of his acting credits: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Miller,+Dennis+(I)

Tonight's guest for the hour on Donahue: Atlanta-based conservative radio talk show host Neal Boortz. I see a strategy here: Donahue is bringing on conservative guests so that people will actually watch his show.

[fight_truth_decay]

The NYPost's story ran like this:

COMIC GETS AN ‘F' FOR DONAHUE CUSS

By PHIL MUSHNICK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 13, 2003 -- Foul-mouthed funnyman Dennis Miller may have forgotten his HBO show isn't on the air anymore when he used the F-word on Phil Donahue's MSNBC program last night. While complaining about the ACLU, Miller said over the air that the organization opposes public nativity scenes but will represent a guy who jumps on a nativity scene so he can "f- - - the sheep."

Miller then said, "You're gonna bleep this right?"

Apparently not.

[fight_truth_decay]

MSNBC has hired Michael Savage for Saturdays.
HardBall last night had a higher percentage of conservatives in the Univ. of Florida audience conceded Matthews...guest being author of Bias...Goldberg. However Matthews was quick to point out that being conservative was unusual on a college campus.

[Teacher317]

Miller was great. He's pro-choice, so many on the Right might immediately dismiss him, but he countered Phil's incessant emotionalism with reasoned opinion, and was great at preventing Phil from painting him as uncaring or inconsistent.

My favorite part was the subtlety of Phil's "marginalizing liberals" response.... note that he did NOT say that liberals aren't properly characterized as "not seeing evil", only that doing so "marginalizes" them.

[fight_truth_decay]

I like Phil's smile thru his clenched teeth! Chris Matthews had that same forced smile.

[mc5cents]

Miller was great. He had Donahue in a liberal tizzy the whole hour. It was great television.

[EggsAckley]

My favorite Dona-who? line: I would make a good Republican

LOL!

[HELLRAISER II]

Foul mouthed or not, he's 100% right and Donahue is a Pu$$y.

[UncleSamUSA]

For those who don't read the NY Post, they should know that the author of this little piece, Phil Mushnick, is actually the guy who reviews SPORTS programs on TV and criticizes sportscasts when they inadvertently allow a "naughty word" to get out on the airwaves, spoken by an athlete in the heat of play who shouldn't have been miked anyway. He also criticizes New York sportscasters when they show any hint of actually rooting for the home team (egads, what a horror!!). For a strong paper like the Post, Mushnick is an incredible wimp.

Also, this article was a tiny, tiny article buried deep in the middle of the paper on the extreme bottom left (next to the crease) of the right hand page, in an area as far out of normal viewing as possible.

Just thought y'all would like to know.

[canuck_conservative]

I thought Dennis Miller's best come-back to Donohue was, "I want to preserve an America where you can continue to miss the point in."

He's got balls, all right!

[Helms]

Miller has been marginalised by the Elites. Miller is a great Pittsburgher.
What a mismatch.

[ken5050]

Goldberg blasted Shalala at the end, it was great

[techcor]

Miller then said, "You're gonna bleep this right?"

The absolute shocked look on Donahue's face was priceless!

[bonfire]

I was spewing when he said that! Also loved: "Liberals think D's are B's without the belts!"

[shadowman99]

Correction to text above

"The sort of Damocles is now an ICBM of Damocles"

should read

The Sword of Damocles is now an ICBM of Damocles

[UncleSamUSA]

Having caught a few moments of the interview, I was indeed surprised by Miller's clear-headedness and his great points when countering the white haired geek.

Unfortunately, the minute Donahue started his patented whiny rants, I got so nauseated I had to switch channels before I barfed on the remote.

Thanks to all for filling in the parts I missed.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

Correction to the transcipt. "The sort of Damocles" should probably read, "The sword of Damocles."

As for Phil Mushnick, well, he's the sort of guy who celebrates every time a pro wrestler dies in the hope that that will get it taken off the air.

[SternTrek]

I saw the rebroadcast last evening. It was great!!! I never knew Miller's politics were so closely aligned with my own. Shame on me, If I had only known I would have watched Monday Night Football when he was there. Good bye Phil, MSNBC should award that time slot to Dennis Miller.

[Bob]

Unfortunately, the minute Donahue started his patented whiny rants, I got so nauseated I had to switch channels before I barfed on the remote.

The problem that dona-who had was that Dennis ripped him apart with his responses. I never watch dona-who, but made an exception last night. Miller was great.

I'm glad I saw the heads-up post on FR. It was well worth it.

[Reactionary]

Bwaha! I have new respect for Miller!

Liberals are a bunch of naive morons. Nearly everything they say consists of an assertion couched in an accusation, topped off with a bit of hysterical emotionalism. They were so brainwashed during college that they actually believe that Bush is more of a threat than Hussein.

Keep mocking them. The idiot swine deserve every bit of it.

[Catspaw]

No, that word wasn't bleeped because I heard Dennis Miller say it. MSNBC isn't HBO.