Rosie O'Donnell Lambasted for Opinions

Defending Rosie

If you look around the cable news channels today, you don't have to wait too long before you will see a Rosie O'Donnell story. And she seems to be getting roundly slammed, most especially on FOX. But the other outlets got in the Rosie roasting too. And the internet is awash with Rosie blasting.

The first item to be pointed out in Rosie's favor is that the show she is on is called The View, not "The News." She is entitled to her views as much as anyone. And her comments are less inflammatory than many. The producers of The View have elected to have Rosie on the show, and many viewers like her. In fact, the ratings for the show have increased substantially since Rosie O'Donnell came on the show. Still, Rosie seems to be the person the right loves to hate.

The most outrageous segment I watched was on Fox News, on The Big Story. While it is true that most prudent observers no longer count Fox News as a true news outlet, they claim to be. Rosie's show never makes claims to be hard news. The anchor for The Big Story is Julie Banderas. Another one of the beautiful faces on Fox who do their best to look good while giving out opinion and calling it news.

For example, when Rosie was talking about the taking of British sailors and marines by Iranian Revolutionary Guards she said "I have one thing to say - Gulf of Tonkin - google it." Referring of course to the 1964 incident largely responsible for American involvement in Vietnam. The military reporting of the incidents at the Gulf of Tonkin are highly suspect, and it is even doubted that one of the two 'engagements" even took place.

When reporting about Rosie, host Julie Banderas described the Gulf of Tonkin incidents as "a 1964 U.S. naval engagement." She didn't feel the need to elaborate beyond that. She then goes on to read from Rosie's blog, in which Rosie writes that she expects the taking of the British to be part of a plan to expand war to Iran. Sorry, Julie, but that is a question that many Americans have. The timing seems suspect at best.