Dick Armey Manages To Make Charlie Rose Lose His Cool

On Mediaite:

Well, this was an interesting meeting of the minds, one we’d do well to see more often. Last night Dick Armey was a guest on Charlie Rose. Lately the mainstream media has been giving the Tea Party movement its due process and Armey was ostensibly on Rose to explain the movement, which he has been strongly supporting (appropriating?) through his FreedomWorks organization.

For the most part it actually made for an interesting interview — it’s a breath of fresh air to hear the partisan cable shoutfest taken down (and raised up) to the level of civil conversation. But even Charlie Rose could not resist a few jaw-dropping head shakes when he asked Armey to justify describing President Obama as a “shallow intellectual” and declaring nearly every important office in Washington is occupied by someone with an aggressive dislike for our heritage, our freedom, our history, or Constitution.”

“You cannot believe that,” says Charlie, aghast and eventually sort of infuriated. “I do,” says Armey, quite calmly.

Rose should have more guests like this on his show. If only to counter the hyperbolic shoutfest that is currently cable news and much of the blogosphere. I look forward to the day Glenn Beck shows up. Video clip below. To watch the whole segment, go here. Elizabeth Warren was also on, and quite fascinating in an entirely different way).