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Glenn Beck

Is Media Sabotaging Mideast Chances for Peace?; History of the Middle East is One of Conflict; Cruel, Unusual Punishment for Andrea Yates?

Aired July 26, 2006 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: The following program is made possible by a generous grant from nuclear power. Hey, California, we don`t look so bad right now, do we? And by hot, sweaty people like you.
GLENN BECK, HOST: Earlier today, Andrea Yates, a Texas woman who drowned her five children in the bathtub, was found not guilty by reason of insanity. She`s most likely going to have to spend several years in a mental facility instead of prison.

Hear me out on this. I believe that, if Andrea Yates is actually insane, some would say this is the ultimate punishment. I think that it could actually be cruel and unusual punishment. Hear me out. I`ll explain it in the next couple of minutes.

First I want to share with you something that happened to me this morning. I get up, I get into the car, driving into work. I turn on the radio, and I`m listening to the news. And I hear Kofi Annan from the U.N. say something about how Israel was targeting -- targeting the four U.N. soldiers who were just killed in Southern Lebanon. And I thought to myself what a bunch of bull crap that is. Not a surprise coming from the leader of the U.N.

I made a prediction, and sadly, it`s coming true. It`s not much of a prediction. I mean, not really much of a surprise. The world is beginning to turn now on Israel.

Back on 9/11, do you remember, I mean the day, 9/11, do you remember after the towers fell thinking to yourself, "Oh, boy, what are they going to hit next?" And we all kind of had whispered conversations with each other of what landmark might be down or gone by the end of the day.

I spent a few days trying to figure out, if I were a dirt bag who wanted to destroy the U.S., what would be the best way to do it? I came up with an answer, and unfortunately I don`t like it and I don`t think you`re going to like it either.

Here`s what I realized. That if I were that guy I would be sitting in the cave, and I would tell all the other terrorists we can`t defeat the United States. We can`t do it by blowing up sky scrapers and bridges. We need to help them defeat themselves.

I`ve been beating this drum since 9/11. Only decay from within will crush us. Our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness. It`s our people. I believe that one reason we`re really in the mess in the Middle East that we`re in right now.

I mean, the reason why this is dragging on the way that it is, is because we`ve got a bunch of pinheads running around saying we should make peace with terrorists, not people who are honestly questioning the war, but pinheads. The enemy sees our weakness, they question our resolve.

And it`s being encouraged, it`s being exposed daily by the media. Here`s the perfect example. I don`t know if you saw this in the paper, but it`s a story about an Irish Nobel Prize winner. Nobel Peace Prize winner. Her name is Betty Williams, pinhead No. 1.

She was recently addressing a group of school children in Australia. In her speech she said, and I quote, "I would love to kill George W. Bush." The children in the audience cheered. Remember the kids handing out candy in the streets in Beirut after 9/11?

The press actually hailed her for that comment, where she said she wanted to kill George W. Bush. They hailed her, quote, "feisty Irish spirit."

Now think about that for a second. If I suggested to a group of kids that, you know, I just really want to murder Jimmy Carter, I don`t think the press would hail my feisty German spirit. No. They`d call me a hate mongering Nazi, as they should.

But Betty Williams, no, she gets to preach hate and murder to children, and the media calls her feisty, because her anger is directed to George W. Bush.

Here`s what I know tonight. We have the strongest military on the planet. No one can defeat that.

One of the first buildings we ever built in D.C. was the U.S. Patent Office. Did you know that? I think it was the third building we built. We`re a country of innovators. Nobody can defeat us, except us.

The other thing I know. It`s happening. I predicted that the world would turn on Israel, and it is happening. And pretty soon we`ll be standing alone.

Here`s what I fear. I fear if the pinheads in the media win, America will turn on Israel, as well, and then all hell breaks loose. I also know that if Israel goes, then the whole region will turn into what I like to call the United States of Hell. And then they`ll all be in it to target us.

Here`s what I don`t know tonight. No, nope, actually I think I`ve got a pretty good handle on this one. Oh, no, wait, wait, wait. There is one thing I don`t know. What the hell is wrong with pinheads? I`m talking about the people in the government and the media who say we should negotiate with terrorists. What is wrong with you? We can`t do that.

What will it take for everyone to realize we`re in World War III? I don`t want to lose. I don`t think you want to lose either.

Peter Brooks from the Heritage Foundation, national security expert. I believe we`re 1938, threshold of world war. Am I wrong?

PETER BROOKS, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Well, I can`t say that you`re wrong. I hope you`re wrong, we`re not going on a world war. I mean, each one of these cases is unique, but we have a whole breadth of problems. We have things in the Middle East. We have Iraq. We have Afghanistan.

I mean something that people aren`t even talking about is the rise of China in the Pacific, but you know, there are a tremendous amount of problems and there`s a lot of interconnections between -- between these groups.

BECK: I believe that this -- I mean, Iran`s plan from the get-go, to be able to get the nukes was really to use Hezbollah to go after Israel. Israel creates a humanitarian crisis. They can stand up to Iran and say we have to have the nukes. And look what`s happening. The world is already starting to turn on Israel, aren`t they?

BROOKS: Well, I mean, there is concern about the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. I think -- and there is tremendous concern about that. They`re saying there may be as many as 800,000 displaced persons out of a country off only three million.

There was concern, obviously, about this attack on the U.N. observers. I don`t think it was deliberate. I think it was a mistake. So there`s a public relations problem here.

But Israel is justified in what it`s doing. It`s self defense. Hezbollah has American blood on its hands. It has Israeli blood on its hands. And I think what Israel is doing is absolutely what it needs to do at this point.

BECK: Peter, I think we think the strongest weapon in our arsenal is a nuke, and it`s not. We have two really powerful weapons in our arsenal. And one we`re trying to use and the other one we don`t really even get, and that is the first one is freedom.

Plant democracy and freedom there, and that destroys everything that these nut jobs are working on. The second one, they understand the weapon of the media. They got it down better than we do, don`t they?

BROOKS: Absolutely, and they use it quite well. The other problem we`re up against, Glenn, is in that part of the world there`s a lack of press freedom. And that goes back to your first point about freedom. They don`t -- they get fed a steady diet of misinformation from these government controlled medias, and that`s a problem.

So people don`t get a choice, they don`t get an opportunity to see other views, what`s really -- what`s really going on. And that`s a real problem.

BECK: Yes, I saw a report from Iranian TV. It was wild to watch it. And they were talking about how they were shooting planes down in -- you know, Israeli planes down in Lebanon. Not true. One plane did go down, but they never correct it. They never say, "Oh, no, this isn`t it." I mean, they just let it go out there.

BROOKS: And that serves their purposes. There`s no doubt about that. Remember, war is political, and it`s also psychological. I mean, we talk about Vietnam. We didn`t lose the war in the jungles of Southeast Asia. We lost them on the streets of Washington.

War is a political -- is fundamentally political, and there`s a psychological element to it. And there`s also a public relations element to it.

BECK: Do you think that the people that are telling us now that we should negotiate with terrorists, Hezbollah, I mean, it`s clearly a terrorist organization. Do you think if that terrorist organization was armed and just across the border in Canada and they were lobbing rockets into America, do you believe that they would actually say that we should negotiate with them in that -- in that scenario?

BROOKS: I certainly hope not. I mean, I`m not for negotiating with them right now. Hezbollah -- Hezbollah is a terrorist group, and like I said, you know, they killed 241 Marines and sailors in Lebanon on a peace- keeping mission in 1983. Two hundred and forty-one American lives.

They were also involved in the attack on Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, which killed, I think, close to 20 American servicemen, mostly Air Force -- Air Force men and women, and so I think this is not a group we want to do business with.

The idea that they`re able to do what they`re doing today with the support of Syria and Iran is something we really should be frightened about. I`ve done a lot of television and, in fact, doing some Arab television, U.S. government Arab television, into the Middle East. And there are people we`re talking to on the other end. And there are people out there that are really concerned about the rise of radicalism, the rise of groups like Hezbollah and what they might do.

BECK: I think we saw that in Washington today with the prime minister from Iraq.

Thank you very much, Peter.

BROOKS: Thank you.

BECK: Don`t forget. Andrea Yates, I believe the sentence she received today was cruel and unusual punishment. And I`m telling you when I explain it to you, I bet you agree with me.

But first, if you`re wondering what`s really going on in the Middle East we have taken thousands of years of rich history and then condensed it into a two-minute educational cartoon for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: And now the history of the Middle East in a couple of minutes. Chapter one.

BECK (voice-over): Around the turn of the century the Jews decided we need a homeland. What I`m looking for is a nice MLT, mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, and maybe, I don`t know, a homeland.

So they all started to begin gathering. The Zionists are coming to reclaim the homeland.

Palestinians, who aren`t really called Palestinians. They`re Syrians. They`re kind of wandering around, tending their flocks, walking around basically in the desert. Find themselves with a bunch of Jews there in the desert with them.

Would you like a nice MLT?

Meanwhile, back in Britain they`re starting to ask themselves, "Queenie baby, what do we do? All these Jews are here, and they`re going to be starting picking fights now with the Arabs, and the Arabs aren`t going to like it."

"I don`t know. Can`t we just split the land?"

Arabs don`t like the idea. "Wait a minute. Who are all these people coming in, trying to take all of our land?"

"We`re the Jews. And let me tell you something. You know what this place really needs, is a nice Jewish deli. Want some lox?"

Now, comes the U.N. The United Nations decides, "You know what? We`re going to split it all up. We`re going to give half of it to, quote unquote, `Palestine,` which is actually Syria, and the other part to the new Jewish homeland. That way everybody`s happy. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."

Right.

On May 14, 1948, the Zionists declare their own state along with the United Nations. The next day the Palestinians, aided by the armies of Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and, whoa, Iraq -- got to love them -- launched a war to prevent Jewish independence and to secure control of all of the land.

Unfortunately, in that war the Zionists not only managed to pull all the areas assigned to them by the United Nations but seize part of the land designated for the Palestinian state, as well. In other words, they kicked ass.

Here`s the thing everybody always leaves out of the history books. The other areas designated for the Palestinians by the United Nations were taken, not by the Israelis, but by Jordan and Egypt. Jordan annexed the West Bank, while Egypt said, "Hey, Gaza district, you`re ours. You`re ours."

But don`t worry, in the next episode we`re going to find out that neither Arab state allowed the Palestinians to form their own independent government in either of these areas. Ha, ha, ha. Those wacky Arabs. Ha, ha, ha.

ANNOUNCER: This has been the history of the Middle East in a couple of minutes on the GLENN BECK program.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Hang on just a second. That`s Matt Drudge. Get Matt Drudge over to a microphone. How are you, man?

MATT DRUDGE, "THE DRUDGE REPORT": I`m doing well, updating, as you can see, because we`re waiting to see where the bombs are going next.

Americans don`t realize Israel, how small it is. They don`t have a lot of room for error there, and when you had Olmert this morning saying we`re going to carve out a mile and a half territory free of Hezbollah in Lebanon. That`s a big swath of land for them. Every inch counts over there, and it`s a very emotional time, not just for the Jewish people but for anybody who is following world events.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Earlier today, I told you that Andrea Yates` not guilty verdict may be cruel and unusual punishment. Here`s why. I really -- I really believe that hell is not someplace with, you know, an eternal lake of fire and brimstone and all that stuff.

I believe hell is a perfect clear recollection of all of your mistakes over and over and over again for all eternity. And if Andrea Yates goes to a mental facility and is eventually cured she will be living in hell. She will constantly replay the images of her drowning her children over and over for the rest of her life.

If that were me and I`d killed my kids because I was insane, please, please, I`m begging you. Please strap me to a chair and electrocute me. Whatever Andrea Yates is facing now is far worse than a death penalty. In fact, if they cured me, please uncure me. Make me nuts again.

Debra Opri, she is a legal analyst. Do you think this sentence, Debra, is torture for Yates, if she really is nuts?

DEBRA OPRI, LEGAL ANALYST: It`s the key word you`re using, Glenn, torture. I actually don`t think it should come into the formula, but with your explanation of what it would mean to you if you had killed your children, first you have to determine whether you had the mental capacity to relive this over and over.

BECK: Come on. Don`t be so academic. Do you have kids?

OPRI: No kids, a lot of nieces and nephews, and I did have this conversation with my 15-year-old niece this morning, and the conversation was what would you feel of a mother being accused of killing your siblings? And the answer was, well, if she was 6, she wouldn`t know any better. This is a 15-year-old.

Think about the system in Texas, Glenn. Think about how for a long time it was cart blanch that they did not give any respect or credence to the insanity defense. It was a very hard thing to get. It was not uncommon that in a Texas court of law, it would be no way is she going to get not guilty by reason of insanity.

Under your argument of is it better now with the media coverage, with the years that have passed by, with a new jury and a new trial that she did in fact get what she asked for earlier, not guilty by reason of insanity?

It`s all a matter of how ill was this woman? She was ill. She was ill for a long time before. And I think she`s in a good place now.

BECK: I will tell you -- oh, no, she`s not. I will tell you that it surprises me on how I feel. When she first killed her kids I felt monster. Absolute monster. Throw her butt in jail forever.

Now I have softened some to where -- I mean, she very well could be. I wasn`t on the jury. She very well could be a monster that`s just playing this. However, I`ve softened to see that, if she is sick, my gosh, the hell that she is absolutely in. I really wouldn`t want the cure.

What happens to her now? Does she ever have a chance of getting out?

OPRI: Well, in my opinion, with what I had read about her mental condition many years ago, I don`t see that this is something that she`s going to get cured of. I think she`s just in there for the rest of her life. She will disappear from the face of society. In my opinion, I don`t think, though, she`s going to get cured. I think that`s where she`ll spend the remaining days.

You spoke about a monster. You know, again, I`ve had conversations as a criminal defense attorney. There are people out there who snatch children, kill them in a horrendous way, bury them alive. And I look, and I`m an officer of the court. And I`ll say the law says this is the punishment you get. I would say having a lot of siblings and nieces and nephews, hey, cut off their arms, kill them, castrate them, do whatever. That`s as a personal opinion.

BECK: NO, I say that all the time. Cut their arms off.

OPRI: Glenn, the law is the law.

BECK: Sure.

OPRI: And the law in our country today, in this time period, it says that she will be in an institution, probably for the rest of her life or until she`s sane.

BECK: That`s good for her. I think the only thing that people might say about this is that they`re afraid that it opens up -- I mean, people use things all the time. I`m going to have an unbelievably frank conversation in a few minutes with Al Sharpton that I`m actually a little nervous about.

OPRI: Say hi to Al.

BECK: I will.

That people use things as an excuse. That`s one fear that people have that now the insanity defense -- I mean, is it real or is it not?

OPRI: Well, this is the key topic today. Where does the insanity defense go from here? Well, in the state of Texas...

BECK: Right. I hate to cut you off. I`ve got to go. We`ve got a network break.

OPRI: My pleasure.

BECK: Thank you so much. Al Sharpton -- you don`t want to miss it -- coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, hello. I`m your congenial host, Glenn Beck. In case you don`t know who I am, I do a radio show on -- I don`t even know 200 some stations nationwide. I don`t say this boastful, I say it puzzled, third most listened to show in America. Thank you for listening and watching.

On one of my affiliates 950 KPRC in Houston, the morning guy is my best friend, Pat Gray.

Pat, Andrea Yates, Houston, what are the people in Houston saying?

PAT GRAY, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, it`s pretty split, I think like the rest of the country. There`s a lot of people who, you know, have some sympathy for her because she`s, well, nuts, and there`s a lot of people who think she should have gotten the death penalty.

BECK: Right. You softened on this story, too, didn`t you?

GRAY: I did. I did. She -- she`s clearly, you know, so disturbed that probably the cruelest thing we could do to her is cure her and let her live with this for the rest of her life.

BECK: I think so, too. I think so, too. I said I think this is borderline cruel and unusual punishment, to cure her, because I couldn`t live with that, if I had perfect recollection of killing my kids and drowning them in a tub, please, please.

GRAY: To me that`s why we need to get Dr. Neil Clark Warren involved on eHarmony.com, "to matched her on 29 dimensions of psychosis with her soul mate, Glenn."

BECK: So Pat, we have -- it`s like the Book of Revelations there in Houston. You`ve got TVs falling on kids and floods, and I think both of them are in the Bible.

GRAY: Somewhere. Somewhere, I don`t know where, but I`ve heard...

BECK: Where do we -- where do we start: floods or TVs that are killing kids?

GRAY: Well, floods, maybe. I mean, it floods when it drizzles here, so you know, our situation here is not a good one when it rains.

BECK: Right.

GRAY: But I think that`s calming itself. There`s more threat of floods, but I got here fine, so...

BECK: Is this a problem in the poor section of town or I mean could we -- Al Sharpton is in our green room.

GRAY: Oh, boy.

BECK: I have him on in a few minutes. I`m going to-- I`m going to admit something that I don`t think anybody has ever admitted on national TV to Al Sharpton, and I`m a little nervous, in case it doesn`t -- in case it doesn`t go well, can I send him down to Houston? Is there anything that you can -- I mean, is there any white people that hate black people and are trying to drown them in the floodwaters? Maybe I can point it out to him?

GRAY: It is Halliburton headquarters.

BECK: OK, good. OK, racists. OK, I think. TVs falling on people`s heads. What`s the seeming epidemic in Houston?

GRAY: It`s actually been declared by a physician a public health crisis. And we`ve had -- we`ve had probably five kids killed by falling TVs. And in the last few months, and that`s just reported by one hospital in town. We`re not really sure how many times it`s actually happened in the last year, but it`s happened many times, five times at least in the last few months, and it`s gotten to the point where people want something done. I`m not sure what`s to be done.

BECK: How about parents not putting the TVs up on shaky tables?

GRAY: You might think it`s a parental thing, but I think we`re thinking more along the lines of governmental intervention.

BECK: Oh.

GRAY: Yes.

BECK: So they could fix shaky tables?

GRAY: Well, no. I think what needs to be fixed is that law of gravity.

BECK: Sure.

GRAY: Make it not so much a stringent law.

BECK: It is the law. It is the law.

GRAY: We need to make it more rule of thumb, I think. Or maybe -- maybe we need signs in every home in America that say, "Caution, falling TVs."

BECK: Please, you know what? Let`s not even go down this road, because with the flag burning amendment and everything else that they`re doing just for the election, they might actually try to take on the law of gravity in Washington.

GRAY: It wouldn`t surprise me.

BECK: Pat, thanks a lot, talk to you soon.

Back in a flash.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right, this is the part of the show where I bring you stories that are stories for all of the wrong reasons. Now, normally I would take something from the news and tell you the real story behind it, you know, why it should actually be important to you, not the media spin.

But tonight, I want to show you the other side of the news, the stories that aren`t stories at all any place else. I want you to take a look at your front page of your newspaper today or remember back to what it was. What were the headlines today?

They were probably a bunch of stuff on Israel and Hezbollah, maybe some Iraq news sprinkled in, but it`s what you didn`t see today that really interests me: There is nothing on the front page today about gas prices.

Do you remember just a few months ago -- I mean, everybody was all, "Oh, my gosh, gas prices are so high! We`re all going to die! Big Oil is the devil! Let`s look into their profits." Remember all of that? Well, maybe you haven`t noticed, but gas is now at a record high, over $3 a gallon, never been more expensive than it is today.

Or what about this story? Remember last month, illegal immigration top story every day, couldn`t get enough of it? "We`ve got to solve this! It`s an international crisis!" Well, did we solve the problem? Did we solve it and I just missed it somehow or another? Why is it no one is talking about illegal immigration anymore?

Look, here`s the real story: America, just like me -- and I have been diagnosed riddled with ADD -- our attention span`s like five seconds. Something is not breaking, if it`s not developing, if it`s not just in, you lose interest.

And you know what happens when we lose interest? The media loses ratings and money. The media and politicians, honestly, I don`t think they care about actually solving problems. Solving problems doesn`t bring in campaign contributions or ratings.

You want proof? Let me show you how fast I can solve a couple of the country`s biggest issues right now.

First, let`s do gas prices. You really want to solve gas prices once and for all? OK, here`s what you do. Step one, fix the system so politicians can make decisions without worrying about losing campaign contributions from people who disagree with them. Step two, build more oil refineries. Hey, how about a nuclear power plant from time to time and coal-to-oil facilities? That`s the key. And three, drill for oil everywhere we can, yes, including Alaska.

Next, what do you say we try immigration? This one`s a piece of cake. Here`s what you do. Build a fence along the north and southern border. Fine the bat crap out of the companies who are hiring illegal aliens. And, step three, cut the red tape to make it easier for people to come here legally, you know, to do all those jobs Americans just won`t do.

There, solved in, what, 30 seconds, Kevin? That`s it.

Now, let me make a prediction. The Middle East is going to be the next big story that we`re all going to get sick of, oh, I don`t know, right about now. I mean, do you really even care? This is horrible to say, but it`s true. Do you really care how many more missiles were launched today or what new diplomat is going to the region? I`ve lost interest.

Mark my words: Unless something big happens, this story is going to end up just like gas prices and immigration. Remember, it is always about power and ratings.

Next, story two. The next one is coming from Wisconsin. And I want you to listen to this guy`s opinion on 9/11, and then I`m going to tell you the real story here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN BARRETT, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN LECTURER: Me, after having studied the facts for 2 1/2 years, the most probable hypothesis is that this was new Pearl Harbor, an inside job designed by intelligence agencies and probably authorized and commanded by Vice President Cheney.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK, all right. So, you know, you`re thinking another nut job, what`s the big deal? Well, if I told you this particular nut job is slated to teach an introductory class on Islam this fall at the University of Wisconsin, would you care? Yes.

Let`s say your kid is about to go to school there. You would probably right now be joining in on the uproar that`s taking place against the university, but that`s not the real story.

Here`s the real story: This is all about political correctness. And listen. Hear me out. I don`t have a problem with colleges allowing people to talk about extremist views in the classroom. I really don`t. Isn`t that what college should be? College should be the place where our kids can, you know, be around nut jobs for a while so they`re prepared for the nut jobs they`ll meet in the real world.

My real issue here is colleges only seem to hire people with extreme views on one side of the argument. Think about it. Do you think any college would ever hire anyone who wanted to teach that all Islam was evil? Imagine the outrage that that would cause. It would never happen.

Look, colleges should teach our kids how to think for themselves, how to search for answers, not what those answers are. And if you want to let them hear extreme views of both sides, I`m cool with that, you know? But when you let them only hear the side of the argument that`s convenient for you, our kids are no longer learning, they`re being indoctrinated.

Donald Downs is a professor at the University of Wisconsin, side by side. Mr. Downs, how is the faculty reacting to Mr. Barrett`s comments?

PROF. DONALD DOWNS, AUTHOR, "RESTORING FREE SPEECH": Well, as far as I can tell -- of course, I haven`t spoken to the 3,000 people that teach here -- I haven`t heard anyone who agrees with his thesis whatever.

BECK: Yes, but, you know, the University of Wisconsin, Madison, when I hear "Madison," it really is like "Seinfeld." Did you watch "Seinfeld" when they used to say, "Newman"? That`s the way I feel America feels when you hear "Madison." It`s like, "Madison."

DOWNS: I use "Seinfeld" in class all the time.

BECK: Yes, yes. You know, the thing is, do you really truly believe that universities would hire somebody that wanted to have the opposite view and was published, it was somebody who was out there saying this is what I really truly believe, that white people are the superior race? Would you hire that person?

DOWNS: Right. Well, two comments. First of all, I thought we were going to disagree on this whole issue, and what you just said I actually don`t find myself disagreeing with.

BECK: Really? You should get out of the University of Wisconsin quickly.

DOWNS: I think we need more intellectual diversity on campus, and I`ve been taking that line for a long time here. I do think we have more than the public acknowledges, but I do think it is an issue.

And I can say this, as well. Back in the `90s, the group that I`m associated with protected the academic freedom rights of conservatives not to be oppressed by the speech code that we had on campus. And eventually we led a movement that abolished the faculty speech code in the classroom.

BECK: Now, see, you know what?

DOWNS: And had a right-winger been targeted like Barrett has, we would have taken the same position.

BECK: But you know what? Here`s the problem. It is really, truly a diversity of opinion problem in the universities. Let me ask you this: How many conservatives have received an honorary doctorate from your university?

DOWNS: Well, I don`t really follow the honorary doctorate issue here, so I can`t answer that.

BECK: I believe -- I could be wrong -- but I believe somebody like Rush Limbaugh has not received an honorary doctorate anywhere. And I wonder, here`s a guy who`s got a great mind, but he`s a conservative. How come he`s never been asked to teach? I mean, he could probably teach at Jerry Falwell`s school. But how come the University of Wisconsin wouldn`t say, "Here`s a great conservative mind, let`s have him teach"? You wouldn`t do it. You wouldn`t.

DOWNS: I can`t answer that. And if the department did hire Limbaugh to be a lecturer, I would certainly support that. And, by the way, when it comes to Barrett, I`m not defending...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: It wouldn`t happen. You know it, and I know it.

DOWNS: ... I`m defending Barrett`s vested right as a lecturer with a contract not to be fired under the circumstances as they`ve been presented. And would do exactly the same thing for Limbaugh, and I assume most of my faculty colleagues would, as well.

BECK: Would you recognize with me, sir, that when I`m putting my tax dollars in, and I`m sending my kid to school, I mean, you can`t get anybody to teach in college university the theory that God created the heavens and the Earth. You can`t get them to teach with passion, but I can`t stop universities from finding people who are passionate about George Bush blowing down the World Trade Centers.

DOWNS: Yes, that depends on the campus. And to the extent that we are one-sided that way, I think that is a problem. I`ve already said that, Glenn.

BECK: OK. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Let`s go "Straight to Hill" now, Erica Hill, the anchor of "PRIME NEWS" on Headline News.

Hi, Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hey, Glenn.

BECK: You look good. Are you feeling good?

HILL: Thanks. I`m feeling great. Yourself?

BECK: I`m always feeling good. This is the special time of day. Do you know what I`m saying?

HILL: Yes, yes, like a musical moment. "My time of day."

BECK: You are some sort of weird Broadway freak, aren`t you?

HILL: I love Broadway shows.

BECK: Do you?

HILL: I do.

BECK: Do you know you`re in the wrong city? You`re in Atlanta.

HILL: I know.

(LAUGHTER)

BECK: I mean, I`m in New York here...

HILL: Well, I`ll tell you what. The next time I`m home and we get all the family together in Connecticut, then we can all go into the city and see a show, too.

BECK: No, that`s going to happen. I`m counting on us getting together. No, I`ll be by the phone waiting for that one, that call to come in from -- I`ll wait for my wife to say, "Honey, Erica`s on the phone." Oh, yes.

HILL: "She`s just down the road."

BECK: Right. All right. So what`s happening in the news?

HILL: All right, first of all, this is just not going away, this unrelenting heat wave across the country. California really seems to be taking the brunt of it right now. Temperatures there now being blamed for at least 56 deaths. We`re talking records here, too. Eleven days, I believe, right now of temperatures of more than 100 degrees recorded in some parts of the state. And, of course, this is causing a lot of problems with power outages, which is -- there`s a lot of talk that that`s what`s led to some of these deaths.

BECK: California, build new power plants! I`m telling you. Clean nuclear energy. Hello?

(LAUGHTER)

You know, I have to tell you, because we`ve only got a couple of seconds here. Erica, I`m a little nervous for what I`m about to do.

HILL: Uh-oh. I`m nervous, too.

BECK: I have a one-on-one, face-to-face -- we were going to put him in another studio, you know, earlier, like we do with all guests usually. I have a one-on-one, in-studio conversation with Al Sharpton, kind of related to the heat and power thing. I`m a little nervous. Have you ever met him?

HILL: I`ve never met Al, the Reverend Al.

BECK: Say a prayer for me, will you? I could lose my mind in just under 30 seconds. Erica, thanks. See you again.

HILL: Best of luck, Glenn.

BECK: You bet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: You know, the Reverend Al Sharpton and I, I`m pretty sure we probably disagree on just about everything, but I have a feeling that we are going to become fast buddies. Just a hunch.

Reverend Al Sharpton was in St. Louis Tuesday voicing his concern over power outages and energy rates that customers are paying. Sharpton also voiced his concern over reports that there hasn`t been an equal response to restoring service, particularly in the working-class neighborhoods. Biggest request: for the company to roll back prices 10 percent for all customers.

Reverend Al Sharpton, I`ll tell you what. If you go with me and say, "Let`s start building nuke plants or other oil refineries or whatever we`ve got to do to find new energy," I`ll join you on the roll it back 10 percent.

REVEREND AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Well, I`ll join you on that. I mean, I think we`ve got to find (INAUDIBLE) but I definitely think -- I think it`s a very serious thing that people in St. Louis and, for that matter, New York and other places have suffered. And the utility companies, especially Ameren in St. Louis, actually have not taken off the table an increase in service rates, lest not roll back until we consider those that lost money during this blackout.

BECK: Let me give you a choice. We could continue to talk about this, which I`ve got plenty of time -- you know, we could talk about this - - or, you know, as I sat down and tried to come up with what I wanted to talk to you about, I have so many real questions that I would like to ask you that I don`t think -- I don`t think anybody`s stupid enough to ask you. May I go that route?

SHARPTON: Well, I would not deny you being stupid, if that`s what you choose to be, but I have a funny feeling that you used the term "stupid" as your way of asking some very good questions.

BECK: No, asking pointed questions in today`s politically correct society are so charged, nobody says this stuff.

SHARPTON: Well, I think that would be good. Let`s do it.

BECK: Have you ever gotten up in the morning, and turned on the television, and saw a story, and said, "Come on, race played no role in that story."

SHARPTON: Sure.

BECK: You have?

SHARPTON: Oh, yes.

BECK: Can you give me an example?

SHARPTON: I have gotten up many mornings and have seen -- let`s put it this way -- celebrities that have gotten in trouble that I wouldn`t even attend the trials because I didn`t think it had anything to do with race.

BECK: Can you give me an example?

SHARPTON: I didn`t go to O.J. Simpson`s trial.

BECK: You didn`t think race played a role in that?

SHARPTON: I think that the reaction to the verdict was very racial. But if you noticed, I had nothing to say -- and Johnny Cochran and I were good friends -- at all during the trial. And it had nothing to do with whether I felt O.J. was guilty or not. I did not think the trial itself was based on racism.

BECK: Do you believe -- because I...

SHARPTON: I think the reaction was.

BECK: Well...

SHARPTON: Oh, yes, the reaction, I think, was very much based on racial lines.

BECK: Well, you and I could probably do 10 minutes just on that.

SHARPTON: All right.

BECK: Let me ask you this question. I believe that many people no longer listen to people like you because they associate you with coming out and playing a race card. And so...

SHARPTON: Well -- go ahead.

BECK: This is the question. I believe that the charge of racist is becoming today`s charge of communist, where Joe McCarthy played that card so hard that it became a joke. And now racist -- I mean, who`s not a racist now? It seems like everybody is a racist.

SHARPTON: But I think, Glenn, that if you really look back, they said that 50 years ago. People told Martin Luther King, "You just bring it up too much."

BECK: No...

SHARPTON: Same thing. King had to write a book...

BECK: You know, you know, hang on just a second.

SHARPTON: ... why we can`t wait to answer exactly what you said. You know why? Because America never wanted to deal with race.

BECK: No, no, no, I have no problem dealing with race. Look, I grew up in Seattle. I`m as white as you can get. I don`t know what real racism is.

But I went down to Memphis, Tennessee. This is about two years. And I had one of the most remarkable experiences with a group of white people in Memphis, Tennessee, where I heard phrases and words come out of people`s mouth I`d never heard before. It was like walking into a time tunnel, 1950, and that was racist. That was real racism.

SHARPTON: And when was this?

BECK: Two years ago.

SHARPTON: Which is why you still have to have people like me that will deal with that.

BECK: No, but wait a minute. Hang on. I believe that when you`re playing -- and I`m not saying you in particular, but when people in your position play the race card over, and over, and over again, people like me no longer listen to real charges of racism, and it becomes the little boy who cries wolf.

SHARPTON: I think that that is a risk we take, but I think the problem becomes that a lot of times people like you may not think about that, maybe if when I heard wolf, I had responded, that people wouldn`t may become in situations that I have found questionable.

The fact is, if you are a victim of what is unfair in America, you have no choice but to deal with racism. You think we like to get up every morning and have to race hell and have to march? We do it because there`s no other way to bring attention to these problems.

BECK: Right. But what I don`t hear enough from is responsibility. I don`t hear enough of Bill Cosby coming from the message.

SHARPTON: I have been -- and so do most of the (INAUDIBLE) I know -- supportive of -- Cosby does my radio show all the time. It doesn`t get coverage on shows like this.

BECK: Oh, oh. Sir, I will have Bill Cosby on at any time saying the things that he says.

SHARPTON: No, I`m saying that people do not cover that we support Cosby. People call us about race. I preach every week, wherever I`m preaching in America, about social responsibility, about what kids ought to do. That`s not covered.

BECK: All right. Sir, would you come back? I`d love to continue this conversation.

SHARPTON: Any time, Glenn.

BECK: Thank you very much.

Now over to Nancy Grace, a look for what`s coming up on her show tonight. Nancy, of course, fired up about Andrea Yates, as am I. The verdict, Nancy?

NANCY GRACE, CNN HOST: Glenn, she held down her children, her five children, one by one, and drowned all five in the family bathtub. Now, a Texas jury deliberated for days before they came back with an NGBRI, not guilty by reason of insanity. As soon as she is stabilized on medication, Glenn, she walks. Is that justice?

BECK: No, if she actually walks. Nancy, thanks.

Remember, you can catch NANCY GRACE right after this program at 8:00 and then again at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, Ticketmaster`s lined were jammed, people camped out for hours. Tickets were going for thousands of dollars on eBay. Yes, it`s Maliki mania in full swing. The prime minister from Iraq showed up with his posse to a joint meeting of Congress, and this is what happened. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOURI AL-MALIKI, Prime Minister, Iraq (through translator): Let me be very clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: He`s going to be clear here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL-MALIKI: This is a battle between true Islam for which a person`s liberty and rights constitute essential cornerstones and terrorism, which wraps itself in a fake Islamic cloak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Oh, you`re exactly right. Thank God, thank Allah, thank Tom Cruise. I don`t care. Thank somebody that somebody other than me is finally saying this. If I may go a step further here, it`s a battle that`s going to be won within Islam by Islam. And finally Iraqis have the right to wage that war freely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL-MALIKI (through translator): Do not think that this is an Iraqi problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: You know, let me tell you something. I don`t think it is an Iraqi problem. Everybody else seems to lately, but I don`t.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL-MALIKI (through translator): This terrorist front is a threat to every free country in the world and their citizens. What is at stake is nothing less than our freedom and liberty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL-MALIKI (through translator): Confronting and dealing with this challenge is the responsibility of every liberal democracy that values its freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Whoa, whoa, hang on just a second. "Liberal"? I mean, I guess if you`re in the Middle East, we are a bunch of liberals, but...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL-MALIKI (through translator): Iraq is the battle that will determine the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: That is the most important thing he said today. As much as politicians want to turn this into a way to squeeze a few more votes out of a swing state, remember the reason why we`re there, to change the face of the Middle East with democracy, to crush the head of the snake with the most powerful weapon that we have in our arsenal, crush Iran, and stop the Middle East from being a breeding ground for terror.

You know, it`s honestly, it`s a little like Kid Rock`s tour bus is a breeding ground for syphilis. Got to stop it. Democracy, unfortunately, not the weapon in that case.

Of course, not everybody understands this, starting with this dope here, I mean...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The chair notes a disturbance in the gallery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Nice shirt. I mean, you know, it`s a rite of passage for protestors to scream nonstop slogans when other people are just speaking. You know, it`s one of those things you just do.

The nice thing about the current crop of war protesters: You don`t even have to talk to one. You just, you know, pull up to the back of a Prius and read their bumper sticker, same deep thought.

END