From the July 21 edition of CNN's Larry King Live:
Carville criticizes Liz Cheney's defense of birthers: “She refuses to say this is ludicrous”
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From the July 21, 2009, edition of CNN's Larry King Live
KING: All right. The issue of Barack Obama's birth certificate is now attracting attention again.
Check out this YouTube video from a recent town hall meeting held by Republican Congressman Mike Castle.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM YOUTUBE.COM)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I want to know why are you people ignoring his birth certificate?
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is not an American citizen. He is a citizen of Kenya. I am an American. My father fought in World War II in the greatest generation in the Pacific theater for this country. And I don't want this flag to be changed. I want my country back.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That lady is ticked.
What do you make of this, James?
CARVILLE: Well, that lady is a -- a poor thing to -- that, you know, reads all of this -- this goofy stuff that you hear on one of our rival networks -- this kind of goofy stuff that you hear.
I mean how many times that -- do you have to go through it, I mean, birth announcements in the paper to the birth certificate or anything else?
But this is kind of an -- indicative of what the Republican Party is about. They've got every kind of -- you know, they've got people that -- that don't believe people landed on the moon. There's nothing I can do about that and anybody else can. I don't know, you know (INAUDIBLE)...
KING: Liz, do you buy any of this?
CHENEY: I think that the Democrats have got more crazies than the Republicans do. But setting that aside, I think that -- you know, one of the reasons I think you see people so concerned about this, I think that, you know, this issue is people are uncomfortable with having, for the first time ever, I think, a president who seems so reluctant to defend the nation overseas; a president who sits through completely venomous screed by Daniel Ortega and then his only response, when the United States has been hostilely attacked, is to say, hey, you know, basically, I was only three at the time.
CARVILLE: That's so...
CHENEY: And, you know, we've seen this -- James, don't interrupt me.
CARVILLE: Sure...
(LAUGHTER)
CHENEY: We've seen this again and again and again, where this president seems to sort of want to...
KING: But what does...
CHENEY: ...create moral equivalence.
KING: ...that have to -- are you saying that...
CHENEY: I think it makes people...
KING: Are you saying because he's a Kenyan?
CHENEY: No, I'm not saying that.
KING: Oh.
CHENEY: I'm saying that people are fundamentally uncomfortable...
KING: The question was about (INAUDIBLE).
CHENEY: ...and they're fundamentally, I think, increasingly uncomfortable with an American president who seems to be afraid to defend America.
KING: All right...
CHENEY: Who seems to be afraid to stand up for what we believe in.
KING: All right, James, do you want to answer that?
CARVILLE: Yes, I do.
CHENEY: And I think that the kind of thing that you saw...
KING: All right, let him answer, Liz.
CARVILLE: Again, you know...
CHENEY: ...is indicative of sort of a general...
KING: James, go ahead.
(LAUGHTER)
CHENEY: ...feeling of discomfort.
KING: Again, Liz, let him answer.
James, go ahead.
CARVILLE: Yes, I guess we're supposed to -- a volume of words I certainly lost.
(LAUGHTER)
CARVILLE: But again, these people...
CHENEY: I'm quality too, James.
CARVILLE: ...again.
CHENEY: But go ahead. Sorry.
CARVILLE: You're right. I've been accused of hurling facts around.
Let me hurl a fact around. These people are poor -- these poor pathetic people are believing stuff, just like -- just like Ms. Cheney tonight. She refuses to say this is ludicrous because she actually wants to encourage these people to believe this. It's just a simple thing. This is a nutty thing. There's nothing to this. I disagree with this president's policies.
They can't say that. They can't say that because...
CHENEY: James, I am...
CARVILLE: ...they're scared they'll lose the...
CHENEY: ...I -- James, sorry...
CARVILLE: ...this sort of nut wing of their party.
CHENEY: Sorry, James.
KING: We're out of time, guys.
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: That's their problem.
CHENEY: I am more concerned -- James, I think that there's plenty...
KING: We're going to have you back.
(LAUGHTER)
CHENEY: ...to be concerned about with this president.
CARVILLE: Right.
CHENEY: And I think that...
KING: All right...
CHENEY: ...we've got to look forward in terms of...
(CROSSTALK)
CHENEY: ...the things that he's doing to the country going forward...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: All right. Thanks, guys.
CHENEY: ...the direction he's going to take us in.
KING: James Carville and Liz Cheney.