HuffPost's Alex Wagner Discusses Bill O'Reilly And Sarah Palin On 'The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell' (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post's Alex Wagner appeared on 'The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell' Tuesday night to discuss Bill O'Reilly's recent comments criticizing Sarah Palin.

Regarding O'Reilly and Palin, Wagner explained, "they've historically had this kind of Henry Higgins, Eliza Doolittle relationship where you know they've had spats before over immigration, over her experience, over the BP oil spill. But the rhetoric seems to be ratcheting up and I think the hardballs are coming a little bit faster from other corners, Karl Rove, another example."

Wagner continued, "the establishment GOP understands that folks like Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann pose a very real threat to the 2012 Presidential candidacies. And regardless of whether they actually run, if their rhetoric dominates the stage it is potentially detrimental for moderates like Mitt Romney who is, right now, the GOP's greatest hope."

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Comments

[Ptama]

05:07 PM on 03/30/2011

Alex is one beautiful articulate lady!

[1canview]

12:34 PM on 03/30/2011

Sarah Palin is all about word salad.
After being in the public for so many years she should know by now
that sometimes one has to collect their thoughts instead of trying to
just remember talking points.
It is as if she doesn't hear what she herself is saying.
There is a good reason she never debates.

[shunda]

03:04 PM on 04/01/2011

Fanned

[CSDofNM]

11:58 AM on 03/30/2011

Alex was wonderful - brilliant, insightful, polished, eloquent. Really makes the case that HuffPo knows what it is doing and is doing it well.

[BJD44]

11:15 AM on 03/30/2011

**************************************************************

I would classify myself as an Independent voter,
and I can resolutely say that the Republicans will
lose the Presidential election, as they have
ABSOLUTELY NO ONE worth voting for -- nor do
I even see one who's "in the wings" worth voting
for in the near future.

THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.

THEY'RE GONNA LOSE. IT'S A GIVEN.

***************************************************************

[LMKay66]

11:07 AM on 03/30/2011

I've been saying from day one that Pa.lin was t.o.x.i.c.  to the GOP.  I've been saying she's going to bring that entire party down with her so-called "brand."  They kept her around all this time because she's a name now.  She drew the crowds.  She's polarizing and the media is obsessed with her.   But now they realize she's too far to the right.  She doesn't appeal to anyone but her base.  And the party cannot be closely tied to her if it ever hopes to win a presidential election again.  I guarantee no matter who gets the nomination--if she gets too closely involved with campaigning for that person, that person will lose.

[BJD44]

11:16 AM on 03/30/2011

THIS IS TOTALLY TRUE.

[Lesperado]

11:16 AM on 03/30/2011

They should have listened to you.

[rastadaddio]

10:45 AM on 03/30/2011

the universe works in mysterious ways. maybe sarah will prove usefull after all.

[thegreatdaveo]

01:58 PM on 03/30/2011

She's very useful to the opposing political party.

[Dakotadude]

10:41 AM on 03/30/2011

This is the kind of "High Speed Blender" politics I've come to love about the GOP. Everyone is chewing on the others tails in an effort to verbally surpass the other. I LOVE IT! I'm following Sarah and Michelle because it is so funny to her what comes out when the string is pulled.

[jcinco]

10:14 AM on 03/30/2011

I'm still laughing at Jon Stewert's facial expression when she says "What is it ? A war or a squirmish?" to greta. You just can't make this stuff up....

[Hammerofthor]

09:53 AM on 03/30/2011

O'Reilly has been kissing up to the Left for a long time now, so naturally Palin-bashing is de rigueur. He really wants Couric's job at CBS, and he deserves it.

[jcinco]

10:15 AM on 03/30/2011

whatever...

[coloradoanimallover]

10:17 AM on 03/30/2011

He deserves to go back to Entertainment Tonight. He's not a reporter.

[fdeltz]

10:40 AM on 03/30/2011

He doesn't pretend to be. He is a commentator.

[rastadaddio]

10:41 AM on 03/30/2011

fox doesn't hire reporters.

[Lesperado]

09:13 AM on 03/30/2011

Mrs Roosevelt is dead. Try again.

[Libby123]

09:36 AM on 03/30/2011

Oh my God! Really?! Eleanor Roosevelt died!?! Come on, THAT's what you take from my comment? I'm saying that what a person says is so much more important than what they look like. I'm not saying that we should dig up the former First Lady and have a seance to get her opinions of what to do about Libya or the current anti-union movement. I'm saying that a person's education, life-experience and willingness to broaden their perspective is more valuable to the public debate than makeup tips!

[vintagemom45]

10:36 AM on 03/30/2011

No kidding! Do you take everything you read literally. I'm certain that Libby is well aware that Eleanor Roosevelt is deceased. She said that Eleanor R. would have been far more qualified and intgelligent than Sarah Palin.

[swilliams888]

09:35 AM on 03/30/2011

But Alex is smart. It's not fair to compare her to SP.

And out of respect for you I will not comment about how excruciatingly painful it is not to know Alex personally.

But if I were Lawrence O'Donnell interviewing her I would be mesmerized, in a trance, grinning at her like a schoolboy.

Oh, sorry.

[Libby123]

09:53 AM on 03/30/2011

Sure, she's cute. I'm not arguing that. But I wasn't comparing her to Sarah Palin. I said that it makes no sense to include her outward appearance in our opinions of her ability to inform and educate us on public policy--any more than agreeing with Sarah Palin about ANYTHING because she's not too hard on the eyes.
But I appreciate the respect. I respect you too. I didn't catch Lawrence's expression or any little red hearts floating around his head as Ms. Wagner spoke, but then sometimes I get distracted by the bad makeup job on Lawrence and lose my train of thought...

[filiusj]

09:01 AM on 03/30/2011

I think we all should follow her on twitter and say we support her so she would get into the primaries. The entertainment value would be priceless. I'm looking forward to seeing Neuter, Barbour, and sister Sarah going at it.

[Gio Salerno]

08:51 AM on 03/30/2011

Palin is like a love hate relationship. We love that she is making sure that Obama gets a second term but we hate to have to listen to BS.

[paddy523]

08:39 AM on 03/30/2011

Please tell me that her 15 is almost up??? And now the important question: Is Alex Wagner single???

[centsable]

10:34 AM on 03/30/2011

Palin's 15 minutes have been up...she's using yours and mine now. I want mine back Sarah.

[Brenbooks]

08:01 AM on 03/30/2011

OK People: On the Daily Show last night-Jon played a clip of Palin calling Libya a "SQUIRMISH!"

Is it a sign of how she has fallen that no one even cares to point it out anymore--?

[jannielee]

08:15 AM on 03/30/2011

Squirmish? That's a refudiation of what's happening in Liberia, err Libyria, err just like that squirmish in Iranq. f&f

[bbarnezz]

08:42 AM on 03/30/2011

We watched that clip on The Daily Show and fell out laughing. It's not so much that she mangled the word, but that she didn't even realize that she had done it. You can't make this stuff up. Stewart's reaction was priceless.

[jcinco]

10:04 AM on 03/30/2011

was that priceless? she is such a 1/2 wit.

[chronic republican]

09:26 AM on 03/30/2011

AGREED.