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Now that the 9/11 first responders' health bill has passed the Senate, Jon Stewart and the Daily Show obviously deserve a round of applause for stepping up and playing a critical role in getting it done.

That really seemed to stick in the craws of the crew at Fox & Friends this morning. Check out this exchange between Gretchen Carlson (who I think is just still mad at Stewart for calling her out on the dumb-blonde schtick), Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, culminating with this:

Carlson: I think it's interesting when you have Jon Stewart, who apparently decided to get really serious on this topic, have a serious show about it. That's like mixing apples and oranges, c'mon! I mean, people already think that his show is real news, which is a problem.

So then when you have comedy and then one day you decide to just get totally serious --

Doocy: He's an activist.

Carlson: But I don't know if that works in the mind of the -- mind of the American people.

You know what's an even bigger problem, Gretchen? That people already think every show on Fox News other than Shep Smith's is real news. When in fact, it's demonstrably little more than lying, smearing, fearmongering propaganda. Now THAT'S a problem.

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There's been chatter among the Tea Party classes the past few weeks about the possibility of a Sarah Palin-Glenn Beck presidential ticket -- even though Beck himself has laughed it off.

But the notion popped onto the airwaves the other morning on Fox & Friends, when Gretchen Carlson gushed, along with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, about Palin's appearance on Beck's show the day before:

Doocy: One other thing I think we should point out, they did challenge Saturday Night Live to put them on as guest hosts -- together.

Kilmeade: They should take that up.

Carlson: Some people are saying they might be on the ticket together, down the road. Maybe Saturday Night Live will be the first stop.

I'm trying to decide if these people's fantasies would be a dream come true, or our worst nightmare.

When Congressman Joe Wilson shouted out "You Lie!" during one of President Obama's speeches earlier this year, Fox News ran cover for him and helped turn him into a right wing hero. When Senator Al Franken followed Senate procedure and told Joe Lieberman that his time was up, they tear him to shreds, making crass, childish and personal insults. Video and more from Media Matters:

During the December 18 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, hosts Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson, and Brian Kilmeade repeatedly attacked Sen. Al Franken -- calling him "uncivil," a "newbie," and "an angry clown" -- for denying Sen. Joe Lieberman extra speaking time on the Senate floor. The Fox & Friends hosts ignored that, in fact, Franken, Lieberman, and Majority Leader Harry Reid all stated on December 17 that Franken was following Reid's orders not to grant any speech extensions.

But Franken, Reid, Lieberman say Franken was following request not to grant extensions

Franken: "I really just had no choice." Minnesota Public Radio reported on December 17 that "Franken says Majority leader Harry Reid ordered all senators who presided today to keep speeches to their ten minute limits and not grant any extensions" for senators of either party:

Franken says he wasn't trying to slight Lieberman and in fact supports the amendment to the health care bill Lieberman was discussing. Read on...

The right loves a good nontroversy. Senator John McCain was so outraged by the incident that he couldn't hold back that nasty temper of his, calling it unprecedented and outrageous. As it turns out, he was completely off the mark and out of line. In fact, he's done the same exact thing himself.

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Fox News' Brian Kilmeade caused quite a stir in 2007 (see above video) when he suggested that members of Code Pink should be tased or beaten to a pulp. Media Matters asks the question -- Does the one who is not Steve Doocy believe the astrobirthers who are disrupting health care town hall meetings should be treated the same way?

That sure doesn't sound like the Fox News of today which seems quite impressed by the GOP mini-mobs which have been formed expressly to heckler Democratic politicians who want to discuss health care reform with their constituents at town hall meetings.

But back in 2007, when anti-war protesters who make up Code Pink, made headlines by disrupting an official event, the Fox News morning team was seriously pissed off:

During a discussion about a Code Pink member heckling Hillary Clinton at a recent event, Fox News host Brian Kilmead said that people who confront politicians are “threatening” and should be Tased or “beaten to a pulp,” as the establishment media continues to sell the idea that anyone who disagrees with authority should be brutally punished. Read on...

(via HuffPo. click for full-size image of both horrendous photoshop jobs)

In case you needed any more proof that FOX News is produced by 12 year olds with the temperament of 5 year olds (not to mention the Photoshop skills of 8 year olds), here you go. After NYT reporters Jacques Steinberg and Steve Radicliffe wrote a story critical of the propaganda news station, Fox & Friends hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade get their revenge by showing very poorly photoshopped images of the two.

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MediaMatters has more:

After putting up the photos of Steinberg and Reddicliffe, Fox & Friends also featured a photograph of Steinberg's face superimposed over that of a poodle, while Reddicliffe's face was superimposed over that of the man holding the poodle's leash.

Below is a screenshot of Fox & Friends featuring the photo it used of Steinberg, with the original photo on its left. Comparing the two photos, it appears that the following changes have been made: Steinberg's teeth have been yellowed, his nose and chin widened, and his ears made to protrude further.

UPDATE: The Times responds:

Neither Steinberg nor Reddicliffe were reachable for comment Wednesday. But Times Culture Editor Sam Sifton called the Fox photo work "disgusting," and the criticism of the paper's reporting "a specious and meritless claim."

"It wasn't a hit piece," Sifton told E&P. "It was straight news. This was a hit piece by Fox News. It is beneath comment." Asked if the paper planned to respond to Fox's actions, he said no: "It is fighting with a pig, everyone gets dirty and the pig likes it."

President Bush announced that he was opening up the military airways to help ease air traffic congestion for the holidays and Fox & Friends was jumping for joy. Finally, Bush did something that they could celebrate, right? Wrong....

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"Great," said Steve Doocy a few times as he waited for Mike Boyd, an aviator analyst to agree....unfortunately, he quickly threw water on their happiness and called Bush's new measure a waste of time..

Doocy:...what's that going to do?

Boyd: What Bush said yesterday isn't going to fix anything.

Q: Yea, but isn't it going to open it up at least the people will not experience potentially some of the delays that we've all been experiencing in the last year. It seems to have gotten so much worse?

Boyd: It's not going to be any better or any worse, but the point is there is not much military air space that's going to make a whole lot of difference. Plus, we still have the dilapidated air traffic control system that can't handle weather, managing those airplanes, so we're just as vulnurable as we were last week. Not gonna be any better, but it might not going to be any worse.--but this is no solution. What I heard yesterday from President Bush was him reading off of a crib sheet. It was really embarrassing.

Doocy: Mike Boyd, who will not be going to the White House Christmas party this year...(laughter)

I'm sure Mike was anxiously waiting for his invite to appear....That'll teach him....

WaPo:

President Bush yesterday announced measures intended to curb airline delays during the Thanksgiving travel frenzy, including freeing up military airspace for commercial use. "We can do better," Bush said at a White House briefing. "We can have an aviation system that's improved."

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department will open military airspace from Florida to Maine -- creating Thanksgiving express lanes for commercial planes -- between Wednesday and Sunday next week.

I understand that Steve Doocy on FOX & Friends was rather gleefully planning the Republicans' regaining of the majority this morning. How despicably ghoulish. Luckily, the outlook for Johnson appears to be far more optimistic...Harry Reid spoke about Johnson's condition earlier today on CNN...

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Yahoo:

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was in critical condition recovering from emergency brain surgery Thursday, creating political drama over whether his illness could cost Democrats newly won control of the Senate.

The South Dakota senator, 59, suffered from bleeding in the brain caused by a congenital malformation, the U.S. Capitol physician said. He described the surgery as successful.

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This whole conservative outrage at the NY Times (which has been orchestrated by the White House ) is making them say some incredibly stupid things. Take E.D. Hill on Fox & Friends for example.

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Newshounds:

During yesterday morning's FOX & Friends Edith Ann "E.D." Hill threatened to reveal secret information about Bill Keller, editor of the New York Times.
E. D. HILL: Since Bill Keller is in the news now, wouldn't you consider him a newsworthy figure? Because I've heard some very interesting things about Bill Keller.
BRIAN KILMEADE: Like what?

HILL: They're secret!

STEVE DOOCY laughs.

HILL: But, you know what? Since Bill Keller is in the news, I think that the person ...

KILMEADE: Oh, good one!

HILL: ... who had someone uncover those secrets would be doing a public service, perhaps, by releasing them.

DOOCY: Was it Jayson Blair, who uncovered it?

HILL: No, it was not.

Media Matters has compiled a list of some of that really good WATB conservative outrage. They are really good at it. Crawford List says this is all good for Republicans and the ballot box: Swift-Boating The Media