Hypocrisy/Insult of the Week

The employees of FOX News are bent out of shape after members of the Obama administration criticized the network earlier this week. Anita Dunn, the interim White House Communications Director, stated "The reality of it is that FOX News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party. And it's not ideological but what I think is fair to say about FOX, and certainly the way we view it, is that it's really more a wing of the Republican Party." Not to be outdone, Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, offered this comment when addressing Dunn's previous comments: "I have watched many stories on that network that I found not to be true." In response, Glenn Beck informed the audience of his self titled television show on FOX News that he had installed a telephone for the White House to use in case the network incorrectly reported any information.

Aside from the telephone devoted to the Obama administration, Beck uttered that "They're more worried about the war on FOX than the actual war in Afghanistan". With that being said, an analysis of Beck's program by POLITICO.com proves that this is clearly an instance of the pot calling the kettle black. The following are the threats (listed by the frequency of the words used) that Beck has discussed since his show began on FOX News on January 19th (the day before President Obama's inauguration):

Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN): 1,224
Czars: 533
Socialist/socialism: 404
Communist/communism: 330
Liberals: 272
Service Employees International Union (SEIU): 259
Community organizer/organizing: 167
Marxist/Marxism: 127
Afghanistan: 97
Iraq: 95
Troops: 95
Soldiers: 52
Al-Qaeda: 50
Left wing: 43
Taliban: 38

Beck's list of individual enemies targeted on his show is also lacking when it comes to international terrorists:

Van Jones: 267
Valerie Jarrett: 52
Mark Lloyd: 50
William Ayers: 46
John Holdren: 43
Jeremiah Wright: 42
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: 41
Osama bin Laden: 40
Kim Jong Il: 7
Mullah Omar: 2
Najibullah Zazi: 0

These numbers do not apply to Beck's program alone because the entire network has undergone a dramatic shift since President Obama entered the White House. Reporting extensively on terrorism during the Bush administration, FOX News has, much like the conservative movement overall, has turned its focus towards a smear campaign on the Obama administration and the Democratic Party.

Beck did briefly touch on the subject of Afghanistan last week when he, on the eight-year anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan, offered these remarks: "A real quick mention of a couple of things. Eight years of fighting in Afghanistan, almost eight hundred Americans killed. Thank you, families, for your sacrifice. This has been happening in Afghanistan when we struck back against the terrorists. Eight years -- eight years. Do you really think, if we were really fighting to win and our politicians were serious, we would still be there?" But in true Glenn Beck fashion (and the entire network, for that matter), he embarrassed himself by continuing to speak: "And another anniversary -- FOX News Channel began its journey thirteen years ago. I'm proud to be part of the family." And there you have it. While FOX News has continually attacked President Obama since he entered the White House, the network's crying and whining poster boy accuses the White House of ignoring the war in Afghanistan. However, when he finally does mention the topic of Afghanistan, Beck minimizes the issue and, in turn, insults the troops in that area by also bringing up another ridiculous anniversary.