If there is to be an acting award for shameless pundit hypocrisy, I move it be named The Hannity. In this Media Matters montage we see a dazzling supporting cast of conservative super stars including Ann Coulter, Dick Cheney, and George Bush, laughing and nodding along with leading man Sean Hannity as he plays opposite himself.
The first minute shows an angry Hannity mocking democrats as weak on National Security and defending Bush era NSA eavesdropping and data mining. The second part shows an angry Hannity detailing NSA eavesdropping and data mining as clear violations of privacy, the Constitution, and our rule of law that will lead to anarchy and tyranny thanks to Obama allowing the same Bush era programs to continue.
Hannity Then — What party brags about killing the Patriot Act? You don’t want the NSA surveillance, you don’t want data mining … Is it right to say for example on issues involving national security be it the NSA surveillance program, the data mining program, the Patriot Act, Guantanamo Bay, that democrats are weak on issues involving national security … It’s staggering to me that we’re even debating the use of these techniques.
Hannity Now — Let’s talk about why this is important to you. Number one, this is America, and as law abiding citizens you have a right to privacy. Number two, these actions by the Obama administration are very clear violations of the 4th Amendment which prohibits unreasonable search and seizure. Number three, the Constitution, it is our rule of law. If we do not respect and honor the Constitution then anarchy and tyranny will follow.
More range than actress Kathy Bates, less shame than serial killer Ted Bundy. Sean is a shoe-in to win the very first Hannity.
Of course Joe Biden was against it then and is for it now. “This is different.”
Where you stand depends upon where you sit,
I can’t speak for Biden, but I was against it then and I’m against it now, and so were and are most of my comrades in arms. To be fair and balanced, here’s someone who was for it then and is for it now.
Hannity is a republican flack. His position on any issue can be easily predicted: Whatever benefits the GOP. This is the guy who constantly beat the “any criticism of the president when we’re at war is treason” drum under Bush, but criticizing the president suddenly became patriotic once Obama took office.
I said this over on Ed’s blog, but it’s still true: If a republican were caught eating a baby, Hannity would do an entire segment about the health benefits of eating baby flesh.