More

Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors

The trail leading to Eric Massa's resignation from Congress is littered with stories of political infighting and bitter divisions. Along the way, it also brought together a pair of unlikely figures.

"I never thought anything would make me feel sympathetic towards Glenn Beck," Arianna Huffington told Anderson Cooper during an appearance on CNN. "But having to interview Eric Massa for an entire hour made me really feel for him."

Tuesday's panel, which included former presidential adviser David Gergen, focused on the Massa saga and his interview on Beck's program. Arianna gave Beck credit for an apology to his audience for "wasting an hour of their time." She also said that another chapter could be coming, as America has only heard Massa's side -- or perhaps Massa's sides.

Gergen used a similar analogy. "People say that Washington politics is a freak show," he observed. "And Eric Massa is writing a whole new chapter.

Whenever the chapter is complete, it may contain a memorable quote form Gergen about his time in the Navy.

"I don't remember any tickle fights."

WATCH:

 
The trail leading to Eric Massa's resignation from Congress is littered with stories of political infighting and bitter divisions. Along the way, it also brought together a pair of unlikely figures. ...
The trail leading to Eric Massa's resignation from Congress is littered with stories of political infighting and bitter divisions. Along the way, it also brought together a pair of unlikely figures. ...
 
 
  • Comments
  • 320
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Favorites
Bloggers
Recency  | 
Popularity
Page: 1 2 3 4 5  Next ›  Last »  (10 total)
11:33 AM on 03/12/2010
Well there is one hour accounted for.

Now Beck needs to apologize for all the other hours he has been on the air wasting people's time.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alpha11
09:28 PM on 03/12/2010
Agreed. What Beck nights aren't a waste of time.
11:43 AM on 03/16/2010
Really. For 23 million a year, you'd think the least he could do is go to college. http://ExposeGlennBeck.com
06:07 PM on 03/11/2010
I don't get it. With all the sh *t that's going on, this Massa guy likes to play gra.b a.ss, and that makes him the object of ha.tr.ed and vi.tri-ol from the media left. What gives?
mollybeejay
"Can't we all just get along?" Rodney King
07:35 PM on 03/11/2010
You obviously haven't been keeping up with the news. Right now I just don't have the energy to tell you. Go do some reading.
07:47 PM on 03/11/2010
I'll take that as a "you got nuthin"
Star2000dancer
Pay it forward, the movie..
09:08 PM on 03/12/2010
lol
04:34 PM on 03/12/2010
You're right, you don't get it. Beck (he's a right wingnut conspiracy theorist, self proclaimed clown, and liar on Faux, in case you didn't know) caught wind of Massa's lame claim that he was forced to resign from the Senate because he is opposed to Health Care Insurance Reform, so Beck had Massa on his show for an hour, and Massa didn't deliver what Beck hoped for, which would have been a bunch of lies that Beck could have spun his own lies around to convince his audience of drooling idiots that Obama is Evil. The left is just unhappy, as usual, with the use of total falsehood and self-serving deviants by Beck and his ilk to further their agenda. Get it now, dud?
06:28 PM on 03/12/2010
Nope, still don't. Why the hat red?

Your reasons:
1. Made lame claim that forced from Senate [sic] for opposing health ins reform
2. Beck hoped he would deliver useful lies, which he didn't.
3. He is a self-serving deviant.

Really? This makes him the object of hat.red and vi tri ol ? He resigned because he likes a ss gra b b1ng, not for some crime involving moral turpitude. He was a good progressive in Congress. Why the intense scorn, from our side no less?

If it is because he has misgivings about the health care reform, doesn't every progressive?
02:37 PM on 03/11/2010
David Gergen, that's hilarious what he said. Beck gets only pity from me because he's PITTYFUL!
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Genius
Nothing is more dangerous than sincere ignorance
12:21 AM on 03/11/2010
Whenever the chapter is complete, it may contain a memorable quote form Gergen about his time in the Navy.
I am sorry, I can forgive a typo from a poster, but this was in the main article! And I can't get a job to save my life..
How about a memorable quote FROM Gergen.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
John Bowler
"I work on RACE cars!"
07:52 PM on 03/11/2010
Gergen was in the Navy for 3 and 1/2 years. I knew that and he is somewhat known for serving that long before going to work for Nixon. His quote was"I don't remember any tickle fights in the Navy." I thought and I would think that should be in the interview, that Copper mentioned it. In that case you should apologize. But if it's not, the writer would be at fault, which is happening more and more on cnn and other web logs and indefensible. It's poor editing, poor proof-reading, and frankly, lazy.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ZoeyMO
04:06 PM on 03/12/2010
He was quoting the article and complaining about the typo: "form" instead of "from".
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
sonvolt48
Friend of Bernie
09:10 PM on 03/10/2010
Anderson Cooper: "Glenn Beck is very good at what he does."

I am so tired of this meme. He is good at what? Inspiring fear, hatred and the continued dumbing down of this nation.

When are MSM going to start calling out this guy for what he really is.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Mij13
They only call it class war when we fight back.
07:26 AM on 03/11/2010
He's very good at being the national dufus.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
gregstevens
I'm just some guy.
11:11 AM on 03/11/2010
Anderson Cooper: "Glenn Beck is very good at what he does."

This is actually incredibly witty. It's a fantastic back-handed non-compliment.

It reminds me of the scene in "Amadeus" where Salieri asks Mozart what he thinks of his music, and Mozart replies, "One hears such sounds, and what can one say, but... Salieri!"
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Aaron Peeples
What I say won't change the world
09:02 PM on 03/10/2010
What a train wreck that was. He wanted SO BADLY to get vindication for his crazy conspiracy theories, but got bumpkiss. Hey Glenn, I hear Geraldo is checking out an old vault. Got another hour to kill?
photo
taxpayertoo
You work three jobs? Uniquely American, isn't
09:22 PM on 03/11/2010
Ha! That's exactly what I thought when I watched that train wreck.
photo
bridgeman
Jesus was a Jazz fan
09:01 PM on 03/10/2010
AH is one of the most fair minded influencers we have.
We can learn from her objectivity...still cant stand Beck though.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
07:24 PM on 03/10/2010
Sorry Arrianna, nothing would make me feel sorry for Glenn Beck. NOTHING.

After everything he has said about President Obama and Democrats, nothing that could happen to Beck would give me pause to sympathize.

This was beautiful. He was totally speechless and lost.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
John Bowler
"I work on RACE cars!"
07:56 PM on 03/11/2010
Me neither. Glenn beck SHOULD apologize. He's run out of scare stories, and his advertisers are now touting end of the world non-hybrid seeds as post appocolyptic (sic?) currency.
08:17 PM on 03/11/2010
I agree with you. As much as I admire Arianna, she was misguided in feeling "sorry" for Glenn Beck. As a christian and a liberal (no, it's NOT an oxymoron), the only way Glenn Beck could redeem himself in my eyes is to have a genuine change of heart from his evil ways and to apologize for sewing hate, confusion and fear, all while he makes millions.
All those guys (and Ann Coulter) make me ill and angry.
I think there might be a special place in hell for them (they all do believe in heaven and hell, so I'm safe in imagining them there)
photo
pdxist
Feel free to copy my avatar! (Or ask me how.)
06:47 PM on 03/10/2010
Clearly, something's not right with Massa's story, but am I too sensitive when I wince at Gergen calling him a freak show who needs mental help? Would he have said the same thing if Massa had been accused of groping a female staffer and had denied it?
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
AndyWitmyer
07:12 AM on 03/12/2010
No, you've got a great point here. I, too, winced. It's really quite sad how the media is treating the Massa story - if anything, it's proving that homophobia is still quite prevalent - and sadly, it appears that this double-standard against homosexuals or homosexual activities is sadly being used as much by the left as it has traditionally been by those on the right.

Fanned.
06:04 PM on 03/12/2010
No, then we would all be calling him a criminal and asking who posted his bail. Sexual harrassment utilizing predatory behavior should be treated a criminal regardless of gender.
Star2000dancer
Pay it forward, the movie..
09:32 PM on 03/12/2010
'Zactly! Fanned
06:41 PM on 03/10/2010
A-ha! Glenn Beck has a crotch grabber on his show for one hour! By the end of the show- Beck looked like Massa had grabbed his! He didn't seem to enjoy it though! I know that stupid fool didn't think a crotch grabbing fool would come on the airwaves and rat on Rahm Emanuel. I knew Beck was stupid- but not that stupid.
03:37 PM on 03/11/2010
You guys all need to see that Glenn is here to stay. Its like Ann Coulter and Rush the more you dog them the bigger they get. If you dont like what they say then dont tune in. Why dont you join the other five liberals who watch msnbc and listen to air america
gparks
Fan of truth, justice, prosperity for all!
04:06 PM on 03/11/2010
A little upset!

AWWWWWWW! I watched the internet and you?

Same result ... Beck got nothing! And his veiwers got a whole lot of WHAT'S really going on! Their fear mister is just that a fear-monger and plain nuts!
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Acharn
08:17 PM on 03/11/2010
Yeah, I agree. Giving attention to Glenn Beck is counterproductive. You chose good examples, too. None of those people deserve any time or attention. How about telling us what's happening in Haiti? Aren't there any kittens trapped on telephone poles today? Isn't some women's sewing circle meeting somewhere? Or maybe a women's drinking club? What's happening in Margaritaville?
05:07 PM on 03/10/2010
David Gergen??? Google him vs Alex Jones...
photo
Soulmentor
"To thine own self be true...."
05:07 PM on 03/10/2010
Oh please, Arianna, what CAN you be thinking. Beck deserves no sympathy. By his past "antics", lies and amazingly nutty on air behavior, he has INVITED this ass biting event. And don't forget, Massa's lunacy was very apparent before he was invited to Beck's program. Beck was expecting more fun and games and instead got his ass handed back to him. Massa made a fool of Beck even more so than Beck does himself. People like Beck always ultimately destroy themselves. He may not go down quickly, but I think this was the downward turning point for him.
04:53 PM on 03/10/2010
Heaven help poor Eric Massa.
It appears he really has a....
problem.
Before our eyes his stories altered;
Poor Glenn Beck grew pale and faltered.
First Massa stone-walled,
Then changed stance.
Glen soldiered on and tried a tap dance.
Then, Mr. Beck, denied his slime,
Sighed, "It's all been a waste of time."
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SouthernJewel
That All Important I-4 Corridor in Central FL
03:47 PM on 03/10/2010
Glenn Beck gets no sympathies from me.
I would like to hear apologies from him regarding his disrespect for our President.
Beck has thrown quite a bit of unfounded truths and lunatic rants regarding our President.
He has stirred the crazies to believe it's appropriate to bring guns to presidential speeches, has them stirred up about detention camps, compared Holocost Shooter to Thomas Jefferson, pushed for 9/12 and didn't even show up...oh there's so much more that Beck has stirred.
Pass the Vick's Vapor Rub to Glenn Beck...it's time for the tears.
photo
Andrew Macdonald
It makes more sense then you realize
02:49 PM on 03/10/2010
why have sympathy for a man who went trolling for washington gossip. He ended up looking stupid because he went fishing for facts in a pond with no fish.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ReedYoung
global mean land-ocean temperature 1880 to present
05:46 PM on 03/10/2010
Also, the fact that he is, didn't work in his favor, too. You betcha!

Fanned.
06:54 PM on 03/10/2010
So true!

Glenn would never get any sympathy from me. And I love that his plan blew up on his face. Haha