Morris: Clinton has "cool, angry, 'I'll, you know, slit your throat in the middle of the night' temper"

Summary: Syndicated columnist Dick Morris asserted on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes that Sen. Hillary Clinton's "temper is a cool, angry, 'I'll, you know, slit your throat in the middle of the night' temper." As Media Matters for America has noted, media figures have repeatedly portrayed Clinton and her advisers as violent or ruthless.

On the January 18 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, syndicated columnist Dick Morris claimed that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) "temper is a cool, angry, 'I'll, you know, slit your throat in the middle of the night' temper." Morris' comments came following co-host Sean Hannity's reference to a January 18 New York Times article on former President Bill Clinton's "temper," and Hannity's statement to Morris: "You always said her temper was far worse, but his flaring up apparently is becoming a big negative and a big problem for the campaign."

Morris went on to assert that "Bill Clinton is hurting Hillary" because "[e]ither this woman can stand on her own or she can't. Either she's able to be president on her own or she's not. And every time Bill Clinton opens his mouth, he's saying she's not."

As Media Matters for America has documented, media figures have repeatedly portrayed Clinton and her advisers as violent or ruthless.

From the January 18 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

HANNITY: I want to ask you specifically, though: Bill Clinton's temper. Even The New York Times dealt with this today. You always said her temper was far worse, but his flaring up apparently is becoming a big negative and a big problem for the campaign.

MORRIS: Well, her temper is a cool, angry, "I'll, you know, slit your throat in the middle of the night" temper.

HANNITY: Yeah.

MORRIS: His temper is an explosive, wild rant that calms down very quickly, but you're seeing an undue amount of it. Bill Clinton is hurting Hillary, because he's -- can you imagine Dennis Thatcher defending [former British Prime Minister] Maggie [Thatcher] during the Falklands War?

HANNITY: Right.

MORRIS: Either this woman can stand on her own or she can't. Either she's able to be president on her own or she's not. And every time Bill Clinton opens his mouth, he's saying she's not.

HANNITY: You know, it's funny, 'cause Gail Sheehy wrote she's angry not all the time but most of the time, about her. So, they both have a temper problem. All right, we don't have a lot of time left. I want to ask you specifically about this race, South Carolina tomorrow. [Former House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay [R-TX] basically said today in The Hill that he'd sit out the election if Senator [John] McCain [R-AZ] wins. What does that mean to you?

MORRIS: Well, I think McCain would be a very strong and a very good candidate and a very good president. I do want to be very critical of my good friend [former Arkansas Gov.] Mike Huckabee.

HANNITY: Why?

MORRIS: I totally disagree with him about that Confederate flag. I'm Jewish, and to me the Confederate flag is to blacks what the Swastika is to me. Because it stands for slavery and oppression and millions, millions of blacks killed.

HANNITY: So you think he made a mistake or does he help himself in South Carolina?

MORRIS: Well, I don't know if he helps himself, but it was a morally wrong position, and I condemn it.

—J.M.