Fox News host Greta Van Susteren and Daily Caller editor Tucker Carlson had a scorching, intense, highly acrimonious debate on Monday night about an article Carlson's website had run.
Van Susteren began a feud with Carlson by taking to her blog and writing a scathing post about a Daily Caller article on some very offensive comments made about Sarah Palin by boxer Mike Tyson. The initial article quoted Tyson at length talking about allegations that Palin had a fling with former basketball player Glen Rice, but did not contain any overt denunciation of the comments. Later, Carlson posted an editor's note to the piece, stressing that he found Tyson's quotes "repulsive" -- but not before Van Susteren walloped his judgment on her blog.
She wrote that Carlson was a "pig" with no judgment who was pushing "smut" and violence against women by letting Tyson's quotes run without comment. Carlson defended himself, saying he was trying to let Tyson's words speak for themselves. On Monday, Carlson appeared on Van Susteren's Fox News show, and it was clear that the two were still in deep disagreement.
Carlson said he was confused about Van Susteren's reaction. "Somehow you assumed that we were somehow making this attack on Sarah Palin, which is the opposite in fact of what we were doing," he said. Van Susteren wasn't buying that.
"I think you're lying, Tucker," she said. She accused him of attaching his editor's note because people "started raising holy hell" about the post. "It's not journalism," she said. "It glorifies violence against women."
"Please stop your ad hominem attacks," Carlson said. He repeated that the site was merely doing its reporting job, and compared it to quoting a member of Al Qaeda.
"You're not a first offender with me," Van Susteren said. "I gave you the benefit of the doubt six months ago when you wrote that MILF comment [about Sarah Palin] on your tweet."
Carlson fired back by noting that, during Tyson's most recent appearance on Van Susteren's show, the host had "asked him nothing about his sexual assault." He wondered why Van Susteren was getting so angry about Tyson now. The two then shouted over each other for some time.
"You're a purveyor of the worst smut and violence against women!" Van Susteren told Carlson. "...You tried to hide it with that little editorial note."
The conversation continued until Van Susteren's producer forced her to go to commercial. After the show, Van Susteren took to her blog, saying the conversation "didn't go well." Carlson, on the other hand, tweeted that he had "genuinely enjoyed" the chat.
