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Barbara Walters Sticks By Rep. Weiner On MSNBC: ‘It’s Not Exactly A Tragedy For The Nation’

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There may be only one person in the media that vocally supports Rep. Anthony Weiner, but given her profile, he lucked out. After calling his photos “flattering” on The View this morning, Barbara Walters visited Lawrence O’Donnell to reiterate her point, which O’Donnell also called “my position exactly.” This time, Walters called the pictures “disgusting” and the event a “tragedy,” but she refused to make a connection between his personal failures and his job.

“What he did was unfathomable,” Walters emphasized, noting that he had made an “enormous mistake… and we don’t even know why.” But she based her support of his career on data: “56% of his constituents want him to stay,” she noted, which would mean him leaving his position would be depriving the public of a Congressman they voted for and support. “The personal stuff is between him and his wife,” she insisted.

O’Donnell wondered what the difference was between Rep. Weiner’s problems and many other politicians caught in the middle of sex scandals. He asked: “is it the pictures?” Walters did believe that this had an impact, citing “the whole business of tweeting and talking with people you don’t even know, and you don’t really know what their age is,” had an effect on how people reacted to it. That said, she concluded that the scandal is a “personal tragedy,” but “not exactly a tragedy for the nation.”

The segment via MSNBC below:

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  • NORBIT

    Did anyone check WaWa’s Tweet history?

    I can’t believe that, even Anthony, would give-it-up to BaBa! lol

  • Moderate

    she concluded that the scandal is a “personal tragedy,” but “not exactly a tragedy for the nation.

    Never criticize one of your own.

  • NORBIT

    So far it’s WaWa, ED and Rush pulling for Weiner!!

  • http://www.nukethefridge.com MartiniShark

    Amazingly these people never step back and listen to themselves. As they concoct every reason to declare Sarah Palin unfit for office Representative Gravity Pants has proven with a laundry list of reasons wy he should be put out to pasture, yet they still defend and deflect.

  • cjd ohio 1

    not one thing about him lying, not one thing about sending unsolicited picture lol

  • TfT

    This is really pretty sick; baba needs to rethink the “flattering” stuff and walk back her absurd comments…or she needs to retire, she has gone beyond the bend….getting to oldfor the telly and for speaking in public. Say goodnight baba.

  • Liberal Tormentor

    What liberal media bias?

  • felixw

    Of course, Twitter didn’t exist when Barbara had an affair with a married Senator.

  • WildMan

    Barbara, you are one old sick you know what. I love how all these ignorant, stupid, liberal, Dummycraps keep shooting themselves in their oversize rumpus. The R’s will take over all of Congress in 2012 but, if they don’t find a good candidate for the WH then America will end up going down for the count. We cannot have any of these DC Creeps (either/both party) running America into the ground any longer. Someone find a 90 year old man for Barbara Walters. She is sick in the head.

  • NeoKong

    I’m sure she would say the same thing if Weiner were a Republican.
    It is obscene that she actually gets paid millions of dollars for her worthless opinion.

  • LOGICandREASON

    The older they get, the greater the possibility of being senile.

    After all the years Barbara Walters spent as an American broadcast journalist she has reduced herself to this.

  • Big Eddie

    Weiner is an Internet Predator , preying on young women .

    Who cares what Walters thinks ?

  • tiredofbs

    I couldn’t help noticing the 60+ year old photo of Barbara Walters,
    very young fresh looking, Kirsten Powers professional gorgeous head shot….

    Reminded me of Rudy Guilianis pic 2 days ago, looking like a loon
    & Mitt Romneys dancing Pic of yesterday…
    Noooo, definitely no bias at Mediaite LO L

  • GoneFishing

    felixw said:
    Of course, Twitter didn’t exist when Barbara had an affair with a married Senator.

    Many more than one I’ve heard. She was quite the number back in her day, and got a lot of stories while laying on her back.

  • Pablo

    Cougars are hot these days, right? Go Tony! Go Tony! Go Tony!

  • Pablo

    Big Eddie said:
    Weiner is an Internet Predator , preying on young women .

    Who cares what Walters thinks ?

    Weiner. Aside from that, I dunno.

  • Paleoconservatarian

    I beg to disagree. It’s a tragedy for the nation that the country had elected an individual so prone to errors in judgement as as to internet cheat on his wife with perfect strangers. It’s a tragedy for the nation that the country elected so staggeringly clueless an individual that he didn’t realize his cavalierly risky behavior would inevitably be exposed. It’s a tragedy for the nation that the country elected so characterless an individual as to smear an innocent man for his own misdeeds.

    And it’s a tragedy for the nation that people of the press who are presumed to be oh, so ‘respectable’ choose to expend their efforts on the behalf of such a character – merely for their politics, for we all know neither Larry O’Donnell or Barbara Walters would expend their credibility on the behalf of (R)epublican X.

  • Steve_27

    Thing is, no one ever said it was a tragedy for the country. So why did this useless observation cause a headine?

    Babs: It’s about a man in a position of power, lying through his teeth, acting like a child, on the offensive towards others with unjust anger, immoral, dishonest and very immature. This is not only not a leader, but a disgrace of a human. We look how, with him in politics? We teach our inspiring youth what?

    The reactions have been predictable. Conservatives see what a disgrace this is and liberals admit there’s no issue cause they have no morals or values. Amazing.

  • illusive man

    Some girls just like sticking to their Weiners………………..wait………………..DAMN IT!
    Curse you double entendre, you sneaky snake!

    Sneaky snake?………….DAMN IT……..AGAIN!

  • http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

    Libs are truly amazing. Weiner exposed himself and WaWa exposes all liberalism.

  • OxyCon

    Anyone ever wonder how a mediocre looking woman who talks like they have a mouth full of marbles gets promoted to being a prime-time newscaster?

    (hint: It wasn’t talent)

    Perhaps this is why she knows a thing or two about flattering weiner photos and why being a bald faced liar who who tweets dic-pics isn’t a big deal to her, no?

  • Laddy Go-Rod

    It is, however, a tragedy for the nation that Barbara Walters is able to spew her idiocy over the airwaves.

    -0bama – Worst-

  • BOMBSHELL

    Babs, darling, you are wrong. It is tragic that We the People all too often find ourselves represented by perverts, crooks, and substance abusers. Those who would propose to lead and represent must first of all do so by example. They are supposed to be the best of the best–our ideals–and so it is most certainly a tragedy when they fail to live up to the standards that should serve as examples for the rest of us. That said, however, it is the fault of We the People for continuing to elect (and re-elect) those whom have shown unsavory character traits. I guess what another poster said a few days ago is correct: We are bound to get the worst possible government we will tolerate.

  • http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

    “the whole business of tweeting and talking with people you don’t even know, and you don’t really know what their age is,” had an effect on how people reacted to it. That said, she concluded that the scandal is a “personal tragedy,” but “not exactly a tragedy for the nation.”

    Anyone with judgment that p*ss poor, is indeed a tragedy for the nation. how can anyone trust his judgment moving forward?

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  • ChrisNH

    Babs with the Lisp is right: This story isn’t a tragedy. What is, is the fact that we have a politically violent president in ‘pow-ah’ who MUST be stopped. The big-eared cigarette smoker wants to play with his social-engineering tinker-toy set and ignore what the American people want–need–him to work on. Heck, we’re not even seeing the greaseball Biden come out and say how we’re on the cusp of yet another ‘Recovery Summer.’

  • newzmaker

    I can remember years ago, that Barbara purposely kept her opinions/views to herself, in the name of professional journalism. Too bad she backed away from that standard.

  • Just4thefax

    sarainitaly said:
    “the whole business of tweeting and talking with people you don’t even know, and you don’t really know what their age is,” had an effect on how people reacted to it. That said, she concluded that the scandal is a “personal tragedy,” but “not exactly a tragedy for the nation.” Anyone with judgment that p*ss poor, is indeed a tragedy for the nation. how can anyone trust his judgment moving forward?

    Fact: Anyone that holds a government secret clearance would lose their job on this kind of incident. Period.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dronetek-Bulk-Vanderhuge/100000918732763 Dronetek

    cjd ohio 1 said:
    not one thing about him lying, not one thing about sending unsolicited picture lol

    Not one thing about his trying to have a journalist arrested. Not one thing about him calling them Jackasses. Not one thing about the possibility he sent photos to under age girls….

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  • http://www.perceptionasreality.blogspot.com/ skoorbekim

    Send in the clowns…
    Baldwin, Walters, Uygur…
    Don’t bother, they’re here…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvZex3Qf7QQ

  • Rivermont

    Babs, you left at the part about lying, asking others to lie, accusing others of having hacked his account,etc.

    “but she refused to make a connection between his personal failures and his job.”

    Gees, Babs, and if he had robbed a bank? Yeah, it’s against the law, but what does that have to do with him successfully doing his job? maybe we should change ours laws to exempt politicians because the laws they break are not reflective of how they do their jobs.

  • Blue123

    I doubt that old Babs has seen a Weiner in years…and the way Mr? “O” was rolling his eyes…I think he was glad to see one too.

  • Dem4Ever

    babs is so sad..i truly feel sorry for her

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mark-Ward/100000135233619 Mark Ward

    Oh Barbara….

    What’s so “unfathomable” about it?

    WHAT is “unfathomable”, is how OUTRAGED the Liberals were over Rep. Christopher Lee’s shirtless photo, but seem perfectly happy with Rep. Weiner sending pictures of his, well, little weiner to women (and NOW we know – UNDER AGE GIRLS [at least one]), as well as at least ONE nude picture.

    You’re RIGHT, Barbara, it’s NOT a big news story (to the morally bankrupt Liberals), but it IS illegal to send pornography to “children” (that is, ANYONE under age 18).

    AND, if he used “Government Property” for his “personal pleasure” (shall we say), then THAT, too, is against the law!

    But, of course, since Rep. Weiner is a DEMOCRAT, it doesn’t matter to HIS Constituents (of Barbara Walters)!

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