New CNN host Beck rants: Jimmy Carter biggest "waste of skin"; "[a]t least evil is using" skin of Kim Jong Il

Summary: During his nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Beck repeatedly referred to former President Jimmy Carter as a "waste of skin," adding that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was not a bigger waste of skin because "[a]t least evil is using that skin."

During the February 8 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Beck repeatedly referred to former President Jimmy Carter as a "waste of skin" during a rant that culminated in Beck's taking votes from his executive producer Steve "Stu" Burguiere and producer Dan Andros on whether Carter was a "bigger waste of skin" than singer Britney Spears.

Responding to Carter's eulogy during the February 7 funeral for civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, Beck said that former President Bill Clinton, who had "roll[ed] around on the bathroom floor with a fat intern and a cigar," looked "like the classy one" during the funeral.

Beck, a recent hire of CNN Headline News, concluded that Spears' "accomplishments" in bringing "the Catholic schoolgirl uniform" back into prominence made her less of a waste of skin than Carter. He also concluded that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was not a bigger waste of skin because "[a]t least evil is using that skin."

As Media Matters for America previously noted, Beck referred to anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan as a "pretty big prostitute," later amending, at the behest of Burguiere, that "tragedy pimp" would be "the most accurate description."

From the February 8 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:

BECK: Is there a day that God ever says, "What was I thinking?" Here's what I mean: Do you think God ever says, "I could've used that skin making somebody of value, you know? I could have used that skin in such a -- just a better way." You know? And its not -- the reason why I bring this up is: Is there a bigger waste of skin than Jimmy Carter? Ya know, I don't mean to, you know, I don't mean to look the maker in the eyes and say, "Eh, kind of a waste," but I'm asking, do you think he ever thinks, "I don't know, man, I could've used that skin someplace else." You know? Who's the bigger waste of skin, can you name a bigger -- you know, and you could immediately go to people like Kim Jong Il. OK, there's a big waste of skin, but not really, because his skin's being utilized by evil. At least evil is using that skin. Who's using the skin of Jimmy Carter? What purpose does the skin of Jimmy Carter -- it's like an empty suit walking down the street.

I'm telling you, I think Jimmy Carter is the luckiest man on earth, because he's still walking around. And he was president of the short-term memory country, you know what I mean? Here we are, we have no long-term memory at all, we've got -- we're sitting here with short-term memory, we're like, "Hey, he was a president or something, wasn't he? Heh-heh-heh -- yeah, a peanut farmer, I remember that." You don't seem to remember anything -- here he is, a guy who's, you know, busting on us on Iraq, saying that we should negotiate with Hamas and listen to them and blah-blah-blah-blah-blah. You know, maybe, Jimmy, we wouldn't be in this problem if, I don't know, you didn't have the helicopters burn in the middle of the desert. If you wouldn't have let the whole Islamic revolution thing happen in the first place. What do you say, James? Is there a bigger waste of skin than Jimmy Carter? Here's how much of a waste of skin this guy is. Bill Clinton -- a guy who had sex in the Oval Off -- not just sex, was down rolling around on the bathroom floor, not the Oval Office with the nice carpeting and curtains and stuff, rolling around on the bathroom floor with a fat intern and a cigar. OK, got that beautiful picture in your head? That -- standing next to Jimmy Carter giving one speech after another -- Bill Clinton looks like the classy one. How's that possible? That's what a waste of skin Jimmy Carter is -- Bill Clinton looks classy!

I'm trying to put a list together, you know, and the people that came to mind: Ben Affleck -- Ben Affleck, bigger waste of skin than Jimmy Carter? I gotta tell you, I -- I don't think so. I don't think I'd go to the Ben Affleck well. Pam Anderson -- there's a lotta skin. Sometimes more skin and sometimes less skin. I'm not sure how that works, ever expanding skin. Who's a bigger waste of skin -- Jimmy Carter or Pamela Anderson? I gotta go -- I gotta go with Jimmy Carter. Britney Spears. We're down to Britney Spears. Whew. Stu, I think I need -- Dan, I need a -- I need a vote, Britney Spears or Jimmy Carter? Bigger waste of skin.

ANDROS: I mean, I think Britney Spears has done a lot for this country, to be perfectly honest with you. She's -- she's brought back the Catholic schoolgirl uniform into prominence.

BECK: I gotta give it -- you're -- Jimmy Carter.

BURGUIERE: Britney, though, has, Glenn, just kind of devalued herself with this baby incident yesterday.

ANDROS: True, but look at her accomplishments --

BECK: But that -- look at her accomplishments. The Catholic schoolgirl outfit.

STU: Good point.

—R.M.