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.

[LibertarianLiz]

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."

I was going to point this one out, too. It was great. I also liked Miller's conversation about what started turning his head: The use of the term "Hitler-like" or "Nazi-like" to describe certain Republicans. He said the first time he heard it was in regards to Guilliani (pre-9/11). He then went to NY and decided that the city really was a lot more pleasant and ran better with this guy Guilliani in charge.

[WriteOn]

That's funny!

[Godfollow]

I was totally taken a-back by what I saw... Miller improved his status in my mind beyound measure... but that dosn't mean he ought-a be invited back to Monday Night Football.

[Diddle E. Squat]

MSNBC should dump Savage and hire Miller.

[XJarhead]

Miller made some great points that don't normally get made. Maybe we're just afraid to make them sometimes. But his pointing to the use of the term "nazi" was brilliant because it was the truth. And then pointing out Giuliani's success, and the "nazi" Ashcroft who bowed out of an election rather than increase a widow's pain. You just don't hear people making bald contrasts like that, and it worked.

His criticisms of schools were dead-on as well. Grades are good. Dodgeball is good. Quit whining!

It was lovely to hear.

[SternTrek]

I found this as the only contact for Dennis Miller, I could not find any way to reach him via email.
Dennis Miller
c/o Brillstein-Grey
9150 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 350
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

also...,
Dennis Miller February 26, 2003
Wednesday Vic Theater
Chicago, Illinois

Dennis Miller February 27, 2003
Thursday Vic Theater
Chicago, Illinois

Dennis Miller February 28, 2003
Friday Vic Theater
Chicago, Illinois

Dennis Miller March 1, 2003
Saturday Vic Theater
Chicago, Illinois

[MEGoody]

"He's pro-choice"

Well, as the choicers say to the lifers, he's a man - he doesn't have any say on this issue. LOL

[3catsanadog]

Perhaps a DennisMiller.com?

[David1]

It was the Univ. of Miami. Not Florida.

[Boston Capitalist]

I don't want to make a bigger deal of this than it is. I was greatful for all the links to surprisingly apt comments from Miller. I didn't mean to imply that your article was a harmful post, but just that we run the risk of playing into the hands of leftists by acting as if celebrities matter more than they do. We are small minority, but more influential than we might think. I am old enough to remember early 1994 when US healthcare was headed straight for socialism, a Republican House majority was unthinkable and the mere mention of the escapist liberatiran fantasy of privitizing Social Security was political suicide. Or back in the 80s when even Reagan didn't promise the USSR would fall before the end of the century. So, maybe, a future where celebrities do not matter so much might not be as impossible as we think.

[amused]

Agreed, that this in not a big deal. I think we have merely stated how we see the situation.

So, maybe, a future where celebrities do not matter so much might not be as impossible as we think.

We can dream.... :-)

[foreshadowed at waco]

The reference was to Rudy Guiliani...Miller said that he began to switch sides when he heard liberals constantly calling Rudy a Nazi...then he came to NYC and saw the positive changes and decided that Guiliani was doing a good job....then he said that liberals keep talking about Ashcroft and calling him a Nazi but he remembers election night when a judge allowed the polls to stay open later and Carnahan won but Ashcroft didnt want to fight it out of deference to the widow...said that he started to question those who were flinging the term Nazi around...

and then came 9/11...and Rudy and GW stepped up to the plate...very logical progression...my guess is that he also got to know Rush who is very intelligent and a great salesman for conservative ideals.

[SouthParkRepublican]

Thanks for the correction. You are 100% right.

[mdmathis6]

I think Miller is angling for his own conservative talk show...ala O'reilly. He'd have to curb his language though, might be fun to watch despite his pro-choice views!

[CyberAnt]

"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"

This is such an ignorant statement because Congress has already given Bush a declaration for using force ...??

Also ... I watched most of the Hardball interview with Goldberg. I read his book, and I enjoyed his honesty with the students.

My favorite statement he made was: "a real news organization should not look like black liberals, asian liberals, Hispanic liberals, etc. A real news organization should include the best students from the east coast, the west coast, the middle of the U.S., people who have actually been in the military, people who are actually Christians; then when someone makes a statement about Christians, there are people there who will say, hey, wait a minute" ... the students agreed with him. It was awesome.

I've never seen Matthews so muted.

Also ... Goldberg really let Donna Schalala (sp?) have it. However, the students seemed to be in support of her. Goldberg said that even though she was privately critical of x42, she didn't go far enough; she should have confronted him and his supporters.

I guess Goldberg doesn't believe Brown and Foster were killed for going against x42.

[mdmathis6]

"guy who jumps on a nativity scene so he can "f- - - the sheep."

It was a crude state-ment, but I think it hit the ACLU dead on target...after their defence of the LAMBA people and organized pedophilia, it is a very relevent statement!

[wontbackdown]

[Warhead W-88]

To everyone,

You guys all caught the f-bomb, but none of you are mentioning the Clymer-bomb earlier in the show, when he said the guy standing next to Saddam is "just Assh-le B."

Also unbleeped.

I think the funniest line was this:

"You know, everyone is saying that Ashcroft is going to bring back 1984. Well, 1984 was nineteen years ago, and I've got to tell you I don't mind the idea of a Big Brother... I never had one."

[kissoldspot]

I still enjoy watching Miller's HBO reruns. He was complimentary of President Bush before and after the election.

I was pleasantly surprised with one episode where Gary Oldman was the guest. Oldman presented an intelligent and thoughtful case for conservatism and support for President Bush. He also said the left was the home of intolerance and eloquently made his case.

[Erasmus]

Best line of the night (although I cant recall if it was about GW or Rummy) "You gotta admit, the guys got balls bigger than the Underdog balloon in the Macy's day Parade"... LMAO

Dios Mio! You mean they make it anatomically correct?!