Ryan also issued a warming on how to deal with fear of “attacks from the other side:”

RELATED: Politifact Editor Lies While Unveiling ‘Lie Of The Year’ That Republicans Voted To End Medicare

Here is the issue, Gretchen. If we just are afraid of the demagogic attacks from the other side, then that will paralyze us to doing nothing. We’re not afraid of that, because we believe the country understands we’re in a really tough situation. We have a debt crisis on the horizon that will be just like Europe is right now. And so we want to take on these issues, fix this problem before it gets out of our control, and preempt a debt crisis so that nobody gets hurt, so that seniors can depend on these programs that they’ve organized their lives around, so that we can get this economy growing by getting this debt under control.

“And by the way,” Ryan added, “all these tax increases they’re talking about? They don’t actually go to reducing the deficit or the debt. They only fuel more spending in Washington, and that is part of our problem. Spending. So we just don’t see it that way.”

Have a look, via Fox News:

“I don’t want to punish the people of the United States. Obama’s already punished them enough,” Gingrich said. “Why would I want to sing to them?”

A candid Gingrich then assessed his possible finish in tonight’s contests, guessing that he’ll finish “in the middle” of the pack. “But,” he said, “I think it will be a good day for Santorum and a relatively bad day for Romney.” Gingrich pointed out that, in Colorado, Romney is polling 20 points lower than where he was in 2008, and is “similarly down in Minnesota.” Gingrich added that Santorum’s surge is partially due to Romney’s negative advertising having “both damaged me and damaged him,” saying Santorum had a “free run” and kept things positive.

Later in the interview, Doocy brought up a quote from a Gingrich strategist, saying they wanted more debates between now and March 1 (as of now, there is just one scheduled for later this month).

“I’m always happy to debate. I think on balance it’s a great way to talk straight to the American people without editing and without being trapped up into sound bites. But I’m also happy to do what you and I are doing here today, Steve.”

Watch a clip of the interview below, courtesy of Fox News:

The gesture, Early Start explained, wasn’t seen on video cam but, rather, on still cam. CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield and Zoraida Sambolin really wanted to know whom, exactly, M.I.A. was flipping off. (“Or, as she likes to call it,” said Banfield, “flipping the G6.”) Was it all just for attention? Does a bear flip off cameras in the woods?

RELATED: Madonna Slips While Performing Hit Song “Music” During Super Bowl Halftime

On Fox News’ Fox & Friends, meanwhile, Gretchen Carlson urged the singer to “get a life.” Presumably, a life that doesn’t involve flipping off viewers during an event watched by everyone from children to VERY annoying quasi-adult neighbors:

NBC and the NFL have since issued an apology, calling the act “inappropriate” and “disappointing.” Have a look:

Indiana has recently passed “Right to Work” legislation barring unions from imposing mandatory fees on members, which Daniels said will lead to more jobs (and, currently, more protests). The Governor is confident that, despite some calls from protesters to stop the Super Bowl, everything will go on as planned, without a hitch.

RELATED: Jon Stewart Takes On Trump Endorsement And His ‘Mogul-Shaped Hole In My Heart’

Later, when asked by host Brian Kilmeade who he’ll be endorsing in this year’s GOP race, Daniels chose to be both diplomatic and completely realistic. “Now that Donald Trump has spoken,” he said, referring to the TV star’s recent endorsement of Mitt Romney,” I guess it’s over anyway.”

Kilmeade heartily agreed.

Check it out, via Fox News:

“This is all there is,” sighed Phil, twitching the morning dew off his little nose. “The world is but shadows.”

RELATED: Groundhog Day Live Stream From Punxsutawney, Pa.

Back in the Fox News studio, Fox & Friends host Gretchen Carlson felt a chill she could not explain. Her co-hosts were joking, their laughter echoing off the studio walls. “Now he knows what it feels like to be a politician,” she observed, watching Phil wriggle his nose at his fans — and his detractors. “He was booed.” She paused. The chill would not go. “Does he ever see it any other way?” She pushed a strand of blond hair from her face and smoothed her skirt. The studio was bright. Too bright. She winced, averting her eyes from the lights and cameras.

And there it was: Her shadow.

Have a look at Fox & Friends‘ segment, via Fox News:

At a recent debate, Santorum told moderators he would release his taxes next time he got home, because he does them himself, and are on his home computer.

“When we spoke to you last,” Co-host Steve Doocy said, “you were headed home to do your taxes because you’re the guy who does your taxes, and then something happened. Your daughter Bella got very, very sick and that derailed everything. How is she doing?”

“Thank you so much,” Santorum said. “She’s doing very well. I want to thank everybody out there for all those prayers. They really made a difference for Karen and me, and obviously for Bella. She had a very tough 36 hours and what a blessing it was.”

“You know, I hate to do this,” Sen. Santorum added, “but I want to thank the national media for bugging me to get my taxes done and get them out because had I not done that, I wouldn’t have been home. And I was just blessed to be home at a time when, you know, your family needed you and it was a very tough, tough time, but she’s through the worst and we’re optimistic she’ll be out of the hospital in a couple of days.”

RELATED: “Rick Santorum Responds To Calls For Him To Quit, Tears Into Gingrich And Romney”

For what it’s worth, there may have been reporters asking Sen. Santorum about his tax returns, but his debate response was generally well-received by the political media, and seen as a positive for the candidate. In any case, it is an undeniably good thing that he was home for his daughter’s crisis, and that she seems to be on the mend.

Santorum went on to discuss the state of the Republican race, and Newt Gingrich’s idea that he should drop out in order to clear the way for the former Speaker to do battle with Mitt Romney. “I don’t think people should be telling other folks to get out of the race and get out of my way. If you want to run a race, run a race, you don’t ask someone to quit just because, you know, you think you’re the better candidate. I think I’m the better candidate, but Newt has every right to run, and he should run.”

Asked about a possible Donald Trump run for president, Santorum quipped “You know, what day is it?”

He added “I can’t be diverted about someone who is obviously focused on promoting himself and promoting his brand.”

Here’s the clip, from Fox News:

Panelist Andrea Tantaros, a regular on The Five, felt that the “mainstream media” definitely has an agenda when it comes to GOP candidates:

The mainstream media has been trying to gin up stories, Steve, on anything they can get their hands on. So, for the last two weeks, we’ve heard them talk on and on and on, speculating, hypothesizing, “What is in Mitt Romney’s taxes? It must be something bad; it must be something sinister!” There’s no proof of anything bad. [...] He released them and it shows that this candidate actually is successful, so let’s now demonize him on that narrative. I mean, poor Mitt Romney. He gives so much money to charity. He’s a stand-up guy. Bain Capital never broke the law, yet the media is feeding into this frenzy in a way that they didn’t do with Barack and Hillary. I mean, they did follow it. In all fairness, they did like that bloody battle. But this time around, I mean, Steve, we’re dealing with subjects like contraception and Swiss bank accounts. They’re not focusing on the issues at all.

RELATED: Herman Cain Defends Colbert Rally To Cavuto: Young Voters Think ‘The Mainstream Media Is Boring’

Juan Williams agreed that the (mainstream) media characterized tension between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton differently, but pointed out a notable distinction: “You didn’t have a majority of Democrats saying ‘Gee, we wish someone would enter this contest like a magical man or woman on a carpet and come and rescue us all,’” but “most Republicans feel that way because it’s such a mediocre field.”

And it isn’t just the mainstream (aka left-leaning) media, he argued. Conservative publications are also echoing Mitchell’s narrative. The fact is, he continued, that Republicans aren’t rallying around Romney, and they have questions about Gingrich. That’s what’s going on right now, he said, rather than some sort of “grand conspiracy” among branches of the MSM.

Watch, via Fox News:

RELATED: Most Of The Five Side With Brian Williams Over Newt Gingrich, Think Silencing Audience Is A Good Idea

The Friends got the comments out of him by complimenting his most recent debate performance in comparison to the couple that gave Gingrich such a surge. Romney went off on those debates and perceived notion that Gingrich’s boost was caused by his attacks on John King and Juan Williams.

“It’s very easy to talk down to a moderator. A moderator asks a question and then has to sit by and take what you send to them. And Speaker Gingrich has been wonderful at attacking the moderators and attacking the media. That’s always a favorite response for the home crowd but it’s very different to have candidates go against candidates, and that’s something I’ll be doing against President Obama if I’m the nominee.”

Gretchen Carlson then asked Romney what he thought of Nancy Pelosi’s claim that she “knows” something that will keep Gingrich from being president.

“I wish I knew what that was,” laughed Romney. “I’d tell people what it is right now.”

Romney continued by saying that the full records from the ethics investigation on Gingrich in the 90s needed to be released because, if Pelosi knows them, she will assuredly give them to Obama’s campaign.

Watch the clip from Fox News below:

“What you didn’t hear last night from the President — he didn’t talk about the successes of this administration enough. Because there [aren't] any. The fact of the matter is — you know, usually at this point in a Presidential career, you’re talking about some of your accomplishments and how your ideas and plans have worked. He touched on it briefly but he really didn’t delve into it, because after three years, he has very little he can point to and, in fact, all these factors we’re talking about are worse than they were three years ago.”

Steve Doocy brought up the President’s point last night of having to toy with taxes in the interest of fairness. Rubio said that the tax issue was an important one, because, “I have never seen a President pit Americans against each other like this one does.”

The topic then moved to the upcoming Florida primary, a race in which Rubio has yet to take a side. “I’m interested in why you’re not endorsing anybody,” host Gretchen Carlson asked. “Romney did campaign for you in your state, so why won’t you endorse Romney or anyone else?”

“Governor Romney was helpful to me in my campaign and I’m grateful for that,” Rubio responded. “And Speaker Gingrich is someone I’ve known for a few years, he was helpful to me when I was speaker of the Floor of the House. So I’ve decided rather than delve into the politics of it, [I will] let Florida voters decide.”

Carlson later asked if Rubio isn’t endorsing a candidate because he’s a prospective Vice-Presidential candidate for both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

“On the contrary,” Rubio replied. “some people say you should!”

Watch the full interview with Rubio below, courtesy of Fox News:

Host Brian Kilmeade began the interview by asking West what Newt Gingrich had to do to win the primary in Florida. West suggested that the candidates channel Ronald Reagan, and ask the people if they’re better off now than they were three years ago.

“Start drawing the contrast with major economic factors,” West suggested, “like gas prices, a gallon of milk, even a carton of eggs. Things that the American people can understand.”

Kilmeade then asked about “race code” being used between Gingrich and Juan Williams at the GOP debate last week in South Carolina. He asked West if he heard the same thing, as an African-American.

There is no race code. It’s a fact. Since President Obama has been in the oval office, you’ve seen a 41% increase in food stamp recipients in the United States of America. We have a President that is making more Americans victims than victors.

Watch a clip of the interview below, courtesy of Fox News:

RELATED: Newt Gingrich Explodes At Fox & Friends: ‘Isn’t ‘Fair And Balanced’ Part Of Fox News?’

Jarrett noted that Gingrich had gone off on Fox & Friends, “excoriat[ing] them for a simple question.” “What do you make of Gingrich’s tactic here?” he asked. To which Cavuto responded that “there’s no doubt that it is working,” noting that he speaks from first-hand experience with Gingrich. He also added that the presumed ideology of the target media person doesn’t seem to matter, as long as they are considered “mainstream media,” and this is precisely what happened to King.

“There was an elephant in the room, John King was raising an issue that was germane,” he noted, because of the Republican Party’s past attacks in this area. “If the Republican Party is going to make a big deal over private issues, as is a fair thing to do, and it certainly did so with Bill Clinton, we have to be consistent on this,” he argued. He added that journalists had “a responsibility to dismiss the rage of an ex,” but the story was in the public sphere and thus fair. He concluded that Gingrich’s responses don’t seem to help anyone, as there was a way to “bat it away without batting me for raising it” or “saying it is stupid for me to bring it up.”

The clip via Fox News below:

RELATED: What If Newt Gingrich Was Just In An Open Marriage And Admitted It? Would That Be Such A Bad Thing?

The interview started out well enough, with Gingrich being asked by host Alisyn Camerota to confront claims from Rick Santorum that he could not be a “Reagan conservative” and support the individual mandate. “It verges on silly,” he replied. This was challenged by host Dave Briggs, who reminded Gingrich that it isn’t silly that he supported a universal mandate– it’s just true– and that he did promote climate change awareness. “Wait a minute– what you just said is wrong,” Gingrich replied. “I said we ought to be concerned about climate change, [but] I opposed Cap and Trade.” Gingrich continued to note several supposedly liberal stances Santorum took while senator from Pennsylvania, and noted he considered himself to have legitimate stances. “It’s all baloney,” he concluded.

Host Clayton Morris then jumped in to ask about Romney’s attacks. Morris explained that now Romney was demanding a release of Gingrich’s ethics report from when he left Congress, perhaps after some “stammering” on his taxes, which elicited a loud cackle from the former Speaker. “Don’t you sort of admire the arrogance and dishonesty of the Romney campaign?” Noting that Romney “can’t even answer coherently in the debate” about his taxes, he explained that the report is on his website open to read, as well as his taxes.

He then took a sharp turn to attack the hosts, offended that he had been asked to “take seriously” Romney’s demand. “Even in the news media, you ought to have some sense of balance. As a reporter, don’t you have some sense of balance? Isn’t ‘fair and balanced’ part of Fox News?” Briggs jumped in to defend Morris’s question, explaining that he was giving Gingrich a chance to respond, not legitimizing any claims. He also expanded the question to propose that it was up in the air whether “any of this mattered. Gingrich responded that “if there is something wrong, we deserve to know” with Romney’s taxes only because of the “billion dollar Obama campaign” that would crush him if there was something wrong there– as opposed to Gingrich’s ethics investigation, which had “been covered for 20 years; it’s all out in the open.”

So why did Gingrich blow up at Morris’s question? It felt, at least on Gingrich’s part, somewhat forced, as if he was waiting for any opportunity to bash them. And that wouldn’t be surprising in light of some peripheral evidence that not all the Fox & Friends hosts were 100% on his side during that testy exchange with CNN’s John King– particularly Briggs, who tweeted his support of King (and Fox’s Neil Cavuto in defending him) that his question about Gingrich’s affair with his now-wife Callista was “fair game” (the twist to this is that Morris, who actually got clawed here, seemed fine with Gingrich’s reaction to King’s question while it happened on Thursday). Either that, or Gingrich had a bullet in his barrel for the media today that was ready to land no matter where, since the strategy is clearly working, and the Romney tax issue felt like the right moment to strike.

One thing is certain: when Gingrich first started his crusade against the media, claiming with a straight face that “any ad which quotes what I said is a falsehood,” the media (and the few voters who were listening at the time) laughed him off as an embarrassing relic of the 90s: the Republicans dirty acid-wash and plaid flannel laundry, somehow being hung out to dry so many years later. Gingrich hasn’t changed his strategy, but the audience paying attention has– and they are blinded by their own distaste for the media so much, that they’d rather watch Gingrich make heads explode by accusing them of anything and everything than demand of Gingrich some sort of consistency– or a message beyond attacking the people who give him free publicity by putting him on their shows.

The exchange via Fox News below:

Christie was asked whether the Romney campaign grows upset whenever the New Jersey Governor offers public criticism about his candidate of choice, including telling Oprah Winfrey that Romney’s greatest weakness is his inability to really connect with voters on an interpersonal level. But the campaign knows and understands, he said, that he’s going to speak his mind, no matter what.

RELATED: Chris Christie Says Mitt Romney Should Release Tax Returns Now

Christie also stands by his opinion that Romney should release his tax records now, and not in April, but doesn’t see the fact that he pays 15 percent on his taxes as a big deal, noting that Romney hasn’t had a typical, income-producing job for some time now.

Christie also shrugged off Romney’s negative campaign ads, saying it’s simply part of the way the game is played and that, as long as the ads are fair (and true), it’s all good in the proverbial ‘hood. He thinks the ads put out by Newt Gingrich and his Super PAC about Bain Capital, however, are unfair because they don’t contain truthful information.

RELATED:Mika Brzezinksi: Isn’t Chris Christie Sounding Kind Of… Vice Presidential?

As for predictions that Romney would tap him as his running mate, Christie said he simply doesn’t have the “personality” to be vice president. “I think, you know, certain people are good at being number 2,” he said, “and certain people are being better at being number one.”

Watch, via Fox News:

Morris thinks the future looks fairly bright for the former Speaker:

Yeah, he sure can. I think Newt could very well win in South Carolina. And if he does, then you have a real contest in Florida and down the road. If Romey wins in South Carolina, this is basically over, because then he’ll go on to win in Florida easily and we won’t have much to talk about in the mornings.

RELATED: Dick Morris Calls Ron Paul ‘The Most Liberal, Radical Left-Wing Person’ To Run For President In The Last 50 Years

And then we began to wonder if perhaps Morris hasn’t had breakfast yet. He noted that “Gingrich put out red meat” during Monday’s debate, but that Rick Santorum had served “white meat of chicken.” And, because this was a GOP debate, “no one served pork.” Won’t someone get this man a Sausage McMuffin?

That said, he expressed hope that Gingrich lay off the negativity where Mitt Romney is concerned, not only because that’s not when he’s at his best, but also because some Republicans are arguing that he is essentially giving Barack Obama’s people ammunition should Romney become the nominee. He added that, now in 2012, Romney’s Mormon faith is “forgivable” to voters because he’d be running against Obama this time around.

And, just so you know, he added that he’ll be live-Tweeting Thursday’s debate.

Check out Morris’ analysis, via Fox News:

RELATED: Did Fred Thompson Call Mike Huckabee A Liar On Fox and Friends?

“I’ve been called a liar by Fred Thompson and John McCain, but I’ve been called worse by Clayton and Dave!” joked Huckabee to hosts Clayton Morris and Dave Briggs, to which the latter replied, “not on camera!”

Huckabee then explained the way things happened has he understood them yet again: that three McCain staffers went to Huckabee campaign manager Ed Rollins and told him that McCain and Thompson were working together. Huckabee called it “brilliant, shrewd, intelligent… I complimented them and congratulated them for a great tactic.” Now, he added confusingly, “I have to go back and apologize for thinking they were that smart!”

The segment via Fox News below:

Bolling was never a political personality by trade– in fact, if you ever caught him hosting Glenn Beck, you’d remember his first trade was as a professional baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates. An injury cut his athletic career short, and he eventually ended up on the trading floor of the New York Mercantile exchange. “I was competing with the big banks. Early on I saw it was oil company trading with investment bank on Wall Street, and I said, ‘There must be a way to compete with this,’” he notes, and found himself doing quite well in commodities trading. So well, in fact, that he caught the eye of a CNBC reporter on the trading floor, and the rest is essentially history. Bolling went on to help put together what is now CNBC’s Fast Money. His departure to Fox Business, he has recalled several times, was a decision made the same way every other single decision is made or conclusion arrived at: what the best thing would be for his son. Fox Business offered hours more compatible to quality time with the younger Bolling, and it wasn’t a difficult decision to make from there.

“I test everything with: How would this affect my 13-year-old when he becomes an adult?”

During his tenure at CNBC, he first developed a taste for challenging the norms. He fondly remembers his biggest challenge there, against Mad Money star Jim Cramer. “I was the guy that had all this trading experience… a lot of skin in the game. I heard Jim Cramer was getting a little upset with me because he was the big dog, he had Mad Money, he had this huge persona and whatnot, then I was starting to get some popularity. I like energy markets, I like metal markets, and I said, ‘you have to be careful with the financial markets.’ This is before the meltdown. So he booked himself on our show—now, we’d never had guests up until that point,” he explains. “So I hear he’s coming on and coming after me. And I did what I do best, I have a tendency to fight back and, sure enough, he came at me.” He went on to bet Cramer $50,000 on the air — for charity — that the financial markets would be in decline in the very near future. He won. “You talk about defining moments in life? That was my defining moment in TV. Everyone said ‘He knows what he’s talking about, in the markets.’”

Bolling does not feel that, in the political world, he has different responsibilities as far as what he says on air. “When you talk about financial news, you’re talking about peoples’ money,” he argues. “They listen to you, they take your advice… there are certain principles in life that work whether you’re talking baseball, whether you’re talking business, or you’re talking politics, and they happen to have all the same drivers.” For Bolling, that most important driver is the future he and the country leave to his son, Eric Chase. “I have a 13-year-old son, it scares me to think that he’s going to grow up in a situation where he may step into adulthood owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the government, or China, or whomever.” He brings that to any and every program on which he appears. “It’s an interesting concept that I can take my business background and apply it to the politics of the day, and it works,” he notes. No matter what the issue, “I test everything with: How would this affect my 13-year-old when he becomes an adult? If you keep doing that and you stay true to it, then you’re not going to get in trouble.”

NEXT PAGE: Bolling on the Differences Between Hosting The Five And Follow the Money

RELATED: Karl Rove Has Had It With The Donald Trump Debate: ‘This Is Not A Newsman’

“I have, incidentally, made a new year’s resolution!” Rove excitedly told the hosts, to “do a better job of protecting Gretchen from you guys.” “Or Alisyn!” she retorted, co-host Dave Briggs suggesting that a better resolution would be to “remember her name, that may be a good place to start.” Rove buried his head in his hands (how often do we get to see Karl Rove do that?) and apologized. After a bit of banter, Camerota dismissed him by saying, “thank you, Mike Huckabee!”

The gaffe via Fox News below:

Angle, who won the Olympic gold medal in 1996, has his eye on the 2012 games – at 43! Pretty impressive, especially considering certain bloggers in their 20s can barely make it through eating an entire microwaved burrito without getting winded. Of course, Angle has to make sure to get some extra practice in if he hopes to qualify.

RELATED: Beaker Gets Involved in a WWE Raw Match [Video]

Luckily, Kilmeade is something of a wrestling pro himself (or he was, he noted, up until the sixth grade).

Check out what happens when the host challenges Angle to a scuffle, via Fox News:

The first story Schultz raised his eyebrow at was a report that the Environmental Protection Agency is placing new restrictions on coal power plants that could cost up to $2000 for an average household. According to Forbes, these restrictions will not actually be implemented until 2015, but energy providers are being pressured to make the transition as quickly as possible. The angle Fox took on the story was that this could end up costing people more to put up Christmas decorations next year.

RELATED: The Beagle Has Landed: Ed Schultz Introduces The World To Rex The ‘Republican-Hating’ Dog

The other story Schultz couldn’t believe was being addressed by “Steve Douchey” (let’s assume that was deliberate) and crew was a guide to what could lead to a lawsuit during the holiday season. Based on what Schultz showed, there was nothing particularly egregious about the segment. Legal analyst Peter Johnson came on to tell viewers to be careful of tree fires and egg nog, and to make sure you have the right insurance should the worst happen. There’s also a brief clip of Steve Doocy in black & white shouting, “Yeah, Fox News! Merry Christmas” for no discernable reason.

Schultz’ biggest peeve during the segment was that Fox & Friends normally loves Christmas and talking about the War on Christmas™, but their Christmas coverage has been “exploiting” the holiday. Here’s where Schultz is really stretching. The EPA regulations are pretty newsworthy and are bound to spur some human interest. Plus, there’s really nothing wrong with giving viewers advice on how to avoid getting sued. I’ve never been sued, but from what I understand, it’s something you would want to avoid.

Watch the video below, courtesy of MSNBC:

RELATED: Fox’s Chris Wallace: If Ron Paul Wins In Iowa, It Will Discredit The Iowa Caucuses

Beginning with the question of Rep. Paul’s position in the polls, Huckabee argued that the Congressman was “not really a dark horse” because of his “rabid supporters.” “His folks would walk across broken glass for him and break the glass to make it more fun,” he joked. In that he has an advantage over every other candidate, whose “support is still moveable,” as is visible in the undecided voters that have yet to settle on Rick Santorum, Rep. Michele Bachmann, or Rick Perry. Then there is Gingrich, who still needs to survive the requisite “political colonoscopy” that comes with being frontrunner.

Host Alisyn Camerota then turned to the actual strategy of winning in Iowa, asking Huckabee for some campaign secrets. “Organization,” he answered flatly, explaining that, as a caucus and not an election, getting out the “vote” is far more difficult than in a primary election. He continued to explain how it is precisely that Iowa matters, after host Dave Briggs brought up Chris Wallace‘s contention that a Ron Paul win in Iowa would discredit the caucuses.

RELATED: Former GOP Rep. Who Took Over Gingrich’s Former DC Office Called It ‘A Filthy Pig Sty’

“When I won, nobody was giving me any real sense of being a serious contender,” Huckabee replied, “after that, I ended up second to McCain. Would I have gotten there without Iowa? No.”

The interview via Fox News below:

The anchors noted that the architectural firm that designed the building has apologized, issuing a statement saying “it was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks nor did we see the resemblance during the design process,” and “sincerely” apologizing. Despite the apology, however, they are not canceling the plans to build the structure, which made the statement, according to anchor Juliet Huddy “a patronizing thing to say.” “There’s nobody on the planet who looks at that and doesn’t see,” she argued, the Twin Towers collapsing.

RELATED: Tony Bennett Apologizes For Suggesting 9/11 Was Caused By American Foreign Policy

Fellow anchor Dave Briggs agreed, adding that “the only thing missing is a plane,” and noting the fact that the plaza design for this structure was created by the same person who designed the new World Trade Center, which is “the most amazing coincidence you’ve ever heard.”

It is an amazing aesthetic coincidence, and the apology, while better than nothing, is hard to take seriously now that they are aware of the problem. Which brings up the question: if this is, indeed, an artistic expression modeled after 9/11, is it inherently offensive?

The segment via Fox News below:

RELATED: Wait, What? Donald Trump To Moderate Newsmax Sponsored GOP Presidential Debate

The conversation began with host Dave Briggs asking whether if, as a campaign adviser, Rove would want his candidate at such an event. “This is weird, isn’t it?” responded Rove, noting that it was difficult to believe a candidate should they claim to go to the debate earnestly because “if they don’t show up, they don’t have a chance at the [Trump] endorsement.” Rove was also taken aback by the venue: Ion TV. “Where is that? There are like 3,000 subscribers,” he joked, “most of them to be found in Suquamish, Washington state… middle of nowhere.” He went on to add that December 27th was an absurd time “let us give these people a little bit of a chance to spend time with their families!” and joked that the debate would be fun for the “40 normal people and every journalist and political junkie [who] will watch the thing.”

RELATED: Republican Candidates Of Substance Should Sit Out Trump Moderated GOP Debate

The Fox & Friends hosts corrected Rove by noting that 100 million people subscribe to Ion TV, to which Rove joked, “How many of those 100 million know that Ion is on their television?” We know at least one person who will claim to not watch, but obviously watch as a guilty pleasure, the Trump debate.

The segment via Fox News below:

*Well, and perhaps James Carville, but he sort of proves to same point.

RELATED: Awesomely Random Fox and Friends Panel Decides President Obama Can Keep Nobel Peace Prize

O’Connor began the list by chomping on a turkey leg (sadly, he could not share transcontinentally with host Clayton Morris and going after Occupy Wall Street, who nabbed the number five spot. “Only these precious little dirtbags can make Wall Street bankers look sympathetic,” he noted, while making the predictable Michael Moore/Butterball joke (he apologized– just couldn’t resist).

Rounding out the list were Warren Buffett‘s secretary, the Supercommittee (whom he noted must’ve been named by someone who “called Zima a ‘super beverage’”), and Rep. Nancy Pelosi– for which he needed a bit of that Wild Turkey to stand her actions.

The number one spot? That went to, as O’Connor put it, “the Congressional member whose member we’ll always remember,” for lying and endangering the careers of many while being an embarrassing predator.

The segment via Fox News below:

Unfortunately, that clear choice (characters from Ken Burns’ prohibition documentary) was shot down by our editors, so we’re moving on to our second choice; The Muppets!

So gather round, pull your favorite chicken or pig close, and make sure all your Wakka’s are Wakked, because it’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time to meet the Muppets on Muppet Mediaite!

NEXT>>>> Check out the SLIDESHOW

Before we get to their reactions, here’s the full context of what the president said, from USA Today:

QUESTION: I think one related question, looking at the world from the Chinese side, is what they would characterize as impediments to investment in the United States. And so that discussion I’m sure will be part of whatever dialogue you have. And so how are you thinking about that?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, this is an issue, generally. I think it’s important to remember that the United States is still the largest recipient of foreign investment in the world. And there are a lot of things that make foreign investors see the U.S. as a great opportunity — our stability, our openness, our innovative free market culture.

But we’ve been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. We’ve kind of taken for granted — well, people will want to come here and we aren’t out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into America. And so one of things that my administration has done is set up something called SelectUSA that organizes all the government agencies to work with state and local governments where they’re seeking assistance from us, to go out there and make it easier for foreign investors to build a plant in the United States and put outstanding U.S. workers back to work in the United States of America.

And we think that we can do much better than we’re doing right now. Because of our federalist system, sometimes a foreign investor comes in and they’ve got to navigate not only federal rules, but they’ve also got to navigate state and local governments that may have their own sets of interests. Being able to create if not a one-stop shop, then at least no more than a couple of stops for people to be able to come into the United States and make investments, that’s something that we want to encourage.

During the 6 AM hour, the F&F hosts reacted to the president’s words by suggesting he was talking about companies who were moving their operations overseas, and pointed out the difficulties of starting a businesses within the United States. But at the end of the segment, none of the three hosts could really tell who it was Obama was addressing his comments to.

After giving themselves an hour to collect their thoughts, the show hosts returned to the story to continue expressing their thoughts. Alisyn Camerota repeated her line from earlier that maybe Obama was addressing U.S. politicians, while Dave Briggs repeated his line from earlier that Obama could have been addressing CEOs.

Finally, two whole hours later, they touched upon the story for a third time, and… they’re still saying the same things. In fairness, when you’re stuck hosting a morning show for hours at a time, you’re probably going to repeat yourself. But you’d figure that if they’re going to come back to a story later on, they would have some additional thoughts on it.

Watch all three segments below, courtesy of Fox News:

RELATED: Andy Rooney Dies At Age 92

“Was he a curmudgeon? Absolutely!” Wallace told the Fox & Friends crew, but adding that Rooney had a “real sweetness”– “I can’t tell you how many times he called my father, my family, and was just calling when a lot of other people wouldn’t or didn’t, just to offer words of support during various difficulties.” He also noted that Rooney’s sense of humor was not isolated to television: “he had a great sense of humor, great to have around,” and “wasn’t blow-dried by any means,” the way many people on television are.

“He lived so long, and such a good life,” Wallace added, noting that his place in American culture, giving “a closing hominy on the weekend… about some idiocy in America,” made the loss feel “like a death in the family, because of his place in Sunday evenings.” “It spoke to a home truth about the values that we should embrace in this country,” Wallace concluded.

RELATED: Andy Rooney’s Final Essay: ‘I Wish I Could Do This Forever’

Wallace’s statements via Fox News below:

RELATED: Mike Huckabee On The ‘Very Pro-Choice’ Herman Cain: ‘The Damage Has Been Done’

The conversation began with the Iowa caucus, which Huckabee argued required a lot of dedication to win. “It’s the true believers who go to caucuses,” he explained, and in order to be committed to a candidate, people have to have exposure to them. With the frontrunners playing little mind to Iowa, Alisyn Camerota asked Huckabee whether he regretted dropping out of the race. He did not, he explained, because “when you run… you spend 80% of the time defending yourself against these extraneous nonsensical things” instead of debating issues, which is what he considered Cain was going through. “The reality is, chances are someone could find a word I used in a speech 20 years ago” and use it against him– “it’s part of the horrible process.”

RELATED: Guys, Good News! Mike Huckabee’s Considering Rejoining The 2012 Race! (UPDATE: Or Not)

To avoid the process, Huckabee explains, “you almost have to invent someone out of thin air, like we did Barack Obama,” who had a thin legislative record and “didn’t really give any speeches.” As a counterpoint, Dave Briggs noted that Obama had also confessed to breaking the law in his book, and by outing his own past, he shielded himself from it. Huckabee agreed, noting, “the first thing a smart candidate does is research yourself.”

The segment via Fox News below:

RELATED: Rick Perry Admits Debate Mistakes To Bill O’Reilly, Addresses Mitt Romney Feud

“You don’t say that the reason you’re not showing up [to debates] is that you can’t handle the pressure or the heat and you might make a gaffe,” Huckabee noted this morning, even if it is somewhat true. Huckabee instead offered a more respectable reason to abstain from debates: “these debates are not covering new ground; we’re not covering new issues.” Perry’s statements, he concluded, were the equivalent of saying, “Gee, this is really hardball, isn’t it?” To Huckabee, it was proof of bad campaign managing by someone down the line.

RELATED: Herman-al Velocity: Can Anything Stop Herman Cain’s Momentum?

What’s more, the gaffes, he concluded, are meant to go away gradually with experience. When you’re playing a difficult song, Huckabee explained, “you don’t put your guitar away” to perfect it. Huckabee also had some words for Herman Cain, whose campaign strategy of shaking hands in Alabama and Tennessee instead of New Hampshire and Iowa seemed, at the very least, disorganized to Huckabee, and destined to fail if it continued to ignore key states.

The segment via Fox News below:

Huckabee first took a somewhat skeptical look at the new provision in Cain’s 999 plan that would except people under a certain income rate from the second 9% tax (“it would be 909 for poor people,” Cain explained yesterday), noting that the program appears to “create winners and losers” by going district by district and exempting certain people from a plan whose appeal is that it is fair to all.

RELATED: Herman Cain Tells Piers Morgan That He Is Anti-Abortion, Yet Pro-Choice?

He then turned to the abortion comments, however– a controversy having its roots in Cain’s comments on Stossel that left the host somewhat confused. He repeated those comments to Piers Morgan, who was equally perplexed by Cain’s insistence that his own pro-life views did not need to be reflected in a government that he ran. Things only got more complicated when Cain went on to say on Fox News that he was so pro-choice, as far as the government’s place in the abortion debate stands, that he would disregard the law in an event where a family member was legally prohibited from receiving an abortion. Needless to say, for Huckabee, this was a bridge too far.

RELATED: Herman Cain: I’m Not Pro-Choice, I’m Pro-Choice On Getting An Illegal Abortion

Calling the stance “very pro-choice,” Huckabee argued that even with Cain trying to backtrack by calling himself “100% pro-life,” there was little repair he could do to his comments. “The damage has been done,” Huckabee concluded, particularly with religious voters and social conservatives. “He cannot win Iowa by offending them,” Huckabee argued, noting that being pro-choice was far too radical a position for many voters who choose candidates based on their stances on social issues, no matter what his stances on other policy issues that come up in the campaign.

The segment via Fox News below:

The Associated Press is reporting that spurned country singer Hank Williams, Jr. has recorded a new song that trashes the sports network and morning show as well as warning that the nation is becoming “The United Socialist States of America.” Basically it sounds like we’ve got a perfect addition to the next Mediaite office karaoke night.

RELATED: SNL Takes On Fox And Friends And Hank Williams Jr.’s Hitler-Obama Comparison

In case you forgot, Williams created a mini media thunderstorm last week after he compared President Obama and John Boehner playing golf to “Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu” while on Fox & Friends. ESPN then cut him from the position he’s held since 1989, singing the opening song to Monday Night Football. Apparently, Williams isn’t thrilled.

From the Associated Press:

“Williams wrote the topical third verse of ‘I’ll Keep My …’ when he woke up Friday morning and he and a group of players laid it down in a Nashville studio by Friday afternoon. It could be on iTunes late Monday or early Tuesday.

In the song Williams, son of country music icon Hank Williams, says ‘Fox & Friends’ hosts twisted his words: ‘So Fox `n Friends wanna put me down/Ask for my opinion/Twist it all around.’ He finishes the verse: ‘Well two can play that gotcha game you’ll see.’

Early in the song, he says the U.S. is ‘going down the drain’ and says it’s becoming ‘The United Socialist States of America.’ He mentions keeping ‘Fox & Friends’ and ESPN out of your home toward the end of the song.”

Now, that is how you deal with getting censored! You get a bunch of your rowdy friends in a recording studio and you throw together a pissed off country song. You don’t write a boring book.

I’m looking at you, Juan Williams.

The song is set to arrive on iTunes later today or tomorrow.

Here’s a video Williams posted to YouTube that promises a big announcement and appears to show him recording the new song: