MSNBC's Pakistani/Brit import Martin Bashir announced his 'resignation' today:
Upon further reflection, and after meeting with the President of MSNBC, I have tendered my resignation. It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments.
I deeply regret what was said, will endeavor to work hard at making constructive contributions in the future and will always have a deep appreciation for our viewers – who are the smartest, most compassionate and discerning of all television audiences. I would also wish to express deepest gratitude to my immediate colleagues, and our contributors, all of whom have given so much of themselves to our broadcast.’
What was said, of course, was a vicious on air rant about Governor Sarah Palin, who in a speech to a crowd at Iowa’s Faith and Freedom Coalition event compared the mushrooming national debt to slavery, saying, "..it’s going to be like slavery when that note is due.”
Bashir's foaming at the mouth response? He referred to her as America’s “resident dunce” and characterizing her remarks as “scraping the barrel of her long-deceased mind, and using her all-time favorite analogy in an attempt to sound intelligent about the national debt.”
And finished up by suggesting that someone should defecate in her mouth and urinate in her face.
Now, after this went viral, Bashir did do a fairly self-serving on-air apology, but he was never suspended, fairly egregious in view of how Alec Baldwin at MSNBC was tossed off the network immediately for a few anti-gay slurs.
The difference of course is simple,really. Baldwin was off the reservation and his remarks were merely an unscripted reflection of his out of control temper.Martin Bashir's stunt was entirely different.
In the entertainment biz, (and let's face it, that's the business MSNBC is in) market share and ratings are all that count. The suits at MSNBC took a look at Piers Morgan over at CNN, who used to be unknown and is unemployable in the UK since he was caught fabricating news stories, but who has carved out a career in a small way by being an obnoxious and nasty Lefty with a British accent.
I guarantee you that Bashir doesn't even sneeze on the air unless it's written into his TelePrompTer. So the Palin rant was cleared and vetted by MSNBC's management beforehand. Because, you see, the idea was for Bashir to become MSNBC's Piers Morgan, by being even nastier than Piers Morgan. And thereby garnering some ratings for their putrid little network.
And of course, Martin Bashir, whose last claim to fame was putting together an awful documentary about Michael Jackson a decade ago that most of Jackson's closest associates claim drove Jackson to depression was eager to play along.
That's precisely why they didn't suspend him or fire him.
Unfortunately for them, Sarah Palin has been around and understands this game a lot better than the boys at MSNBC.She didn't waste her time with unloading on Bashir, realizing he was just one of the willing lackeys. Instead, she got in touch with NBC, and canceled a series of interviews she had scheduled, explaining she no longer felt comfortable appearing on their network.
Now, Sarah Palin means ratings and that means money, something Steve Burke and the suits at NBC understand. So then they called Phil Griffin, the keeper in charge of the MSNBC asylum and lo and behold, all of a sudden Bashir comes out with that sniveling little apology. And when the stink still didn't dissipate, Bashir was called into Griffin's office for a little chat.
Naturally, MSNBC covered for their own part in this sordid drama:
“Martin Bashir resigned today, effective immediately. I understand his decision and I thank him for three great years with msnbc. Martin is a good man and respected colleague – we wish him only the best.”
A good 'man'? They must have a very different definition than I do.
Being a Leftist tool means never having to say you're sorry, no matter what, so Bashir might just surface somewhere. If all else fails, he's reportedly fluent in Urdu, so I'm sure he can get a gig in Pakistan, where their notion of how to treat uppity women might be a a bit more in line with what he expressed on the air.
Good riddance.
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