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Glenn Beck

Hillary`s Position on Iraq Cloudy; Author Works Towards Honest Discussion about Race

Aired February 05, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

GLENN BECK, HOST: All right. Coming up, Rudy Giuliani is in. And Hillary Clinton says she can end the war, if she becomes president. Does she mean it, or is she just playing political games?
Plus, Sunni and Shia unrest but not in Iraq, here in America. That and more next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Tonight`s episode is brought to you by "Glenn Beck Super Bowl Highlights". See Glenn eat his weight in fudge, chili, McNuggets and shame. "Glenn Beck Super Bowl Highlights", available now on DVD.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Oh, it was shameful last night, it really was.

Now, tonight all the other shows are going to tell you, you know, the same old B.S. about Rudy Giuliani running, the campaign speeches that happened this weekend and George Bush`s budget. He wants more money for the war. Can we afford the war and his tax cuts? How far will the Democrats go to stop the surge? Blah, de blah, de blah, de blah.

With Rudy Giuliani filing today, Hillary Clinton already in full- fledged campaign mode, the campaign `08 is already upon us. Is anything really going to get done? No. Huh-uh. Why?

Here`s the point tonight. Everybody is missing the point. And if they don`t get it soon, it`s going to kill us. We`ve got to get our politicians in Washington to focus. I swear to you, the beltway more riddled with ADD than I am. Hello, Washington, focus. It`s never been about Iraq. It`s about Iran.

Here`s how I got there. I don`t know if you heard this speech that Hillary Clinton gave over the weekend. In case you missed it, here`s a little highlight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. NANCY PELOSI (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we in Congress don`t end this war before January 2009, as president, I will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Wow. That`s a pretty big promise. I mean, really? That`s a bold campaign pledge. Kind of reminded me when I first saw that scene from "Napoleon Dynamite".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EFREN RAMIREZ, ACTOR: If you vote for me, all of your wildest dreams will come tree.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: It`s great. It is. Hillary, how are you planning on ending that war and making all my wildest dreams come true?

Here`s a woman who, as I see it, voted for the war, has refused to recant her vote. Now, she`s not been an anti-war candidate. She`s been more of the invisible candidate. She`s been the pro-war candidate. The, "Gosh, I really don`t know. Let`s have a conversation about this" candidate until this weekend, when she finally became the antiwar candidate, or at least promised to be the antiwar candidate in 2009.

I don`t know. What does this show? Not just with Hillary but for all of these dopes in Washington, it shows that they have a complete lack of understanding about what we`re truly facing.

The long-awaited National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq has come out. Yes. Yes, I`ve been waiting for it in my house. How about you? It actually says, and I quote, "The president -- the presence of U.S. and coalition forces are essential in stabilizing Iraq," end quote.

Now basically what it says, if our troops are withdrawn too rapidly, the situation is going to go to hell in a hand basket, like it`s not already there, leaving all sorts of problems much, much worse, including a major regional war.

Let me boil this down for you. Sunnis versus the Shias. OK. The captains of those teams are Osama bin Laden and Iran. Imagine that happening through the entire planet. For any dope that still doesn`t understand what that means for you, let me make it everyone simpler for you. How do you feel about $10 a gallon gas prices and burkas for everybody?

The biggest problem for Hillary, and I think for about 90 percent of Washington, is they don`t either get it or they care more about being elected. I`m not sure which one it is, really.

But in Hillary`s case, I`m starting to believe that she just doesn`t give a flying crap about anything other than sitting in the same chair her husband did.

And here`s why I say this. Last week she had an opportunity to question the head of the U.S. forces in Iraq. Lieutenant General David Petraeus. John McCain sat down, and he asked him 14 questions. He said, "General, I need to get some answers here on what`s going on."

How many questions did Hillary ask during her allotted time, same meeting? Zero. Instead, Hillary decided to use that time to give him a speech.

As I see it, one of these people is just trying to look good for the cameras. The other is trying to solve the situation and find some answers.

So here`s what I know tonight. Hillary, if you know how to end the war, do it, please. Really. I`d love that. I don`t think there`s a single American who wants the war to continue.

Unfortunately, this isn`t a war about Iraq. This is a war about a very existence, and it encompasses the entire world. This is a war about radical Islam, and the force that is behind it currently is Iran. Iran is engaging and killing our soldiers now in Iraq.

Here`s what I don`t know. How does -- how does Hillary expect to win here? I mean, the war and the presidency with her version of the "I voted for it before I voted against it" strategy?

Joining me now is Michael Allen, chief political correspondent for "The Politico".

Mike, what is -- what is her position here on the war? Is Hillary for it or against it?

MIKE ALLEN, "THE POLITICO": Well, you can be over the map. You can be both, Glenn. I think what Senator Clinton is trying to do is reassure people in her party that she may have been for it but now she`s against it.

BECK: Did she see the last election? That really didn`t work.

ALLEN: Well, but Glenn, look at the news. Look at what`s on your air. It`s clear that the American people, public opinion has changed dramatically because the facts have changed dramatically.

What`s fascinating about Senator Clinton`s position is you think President Bush doesn`t want to be out of there? Hello. Who still wants to be in Iraq in 2009? It`s not like they`re choosing it.

What Senator Clinton has not done is say how exactly she would do this. But she`s made it clear where her heart is. And Glenn, let`s be fair. That`s very, very, very important in this contest.

The Associated Press just did a very interesting story, combining their forces from Iowa and New Hampshire, talking about how Iraq is the No. 1 issue. And I can tell you, there`s not a lot of call for more troops after the surge, post-surge surge.

BECK: Does this -- I don`t even know what you`re talking about anymore.

ALLEN: Neither do I.

BECK: Does this -- how is this going to play -- I mean -- and maybe - - look, I`ve been called worse. I`m a cook when it comes to this. I`m not an expert in this, but I am a thinker. And I just don`t see the things in the Middle East getting any better, especially if we`re out of there.

How does this play two years down the road if we are at war with Iran and everything has gone to hell in a hand basket, to be somebody who is antiwar?

ALLEN: Yes, well, Glenn, that -- that is a big problem. And here you`re asking the American people to think long-term. Worse, asking political candidates to think long term. Even worse, asking the news media, besides yourself, to think about the long term. And that`s just not something that we`re programmed to do.

And there`s no question about what you`re saying, that withdrawal would be worse. I`ve had people say that if troops were to come out, there would be such a conflagration that America would have to go back in. Can you imagine what a mess that would be?

BECK: I`ve got to tell you, if you pulled the troops out and just put them on an aircraft carrier in the Gulf, because they will be going back in.

You know, it`s really funny, because Hillary is positioning herself, really, I think, as a peace candidate. And the Democrats, they did this in `72. Very bad idea. They`re positioning themselves as a peace candidate. They`ll have trouble if there`s war, which there`s going to be.

On the flip side, you have Rudy Giuliani. If there`s peace, conservatives are not going to swallow him. But I`ll tell you, he`ll be the candidate for war. He`s in a much better position, and he`s announced today that he is going to run.

ALLEN: Right, Glenn. You don`t want to be the candidate for war, but you do want to be the candidate for strength. There`s no question that Mayor Giuliani is that.

And you`re right to invoke the 1972 comparison, because as you well know, Democrats have paid for what they did in 1972 for 30 years. They`re just trying to get off it. That`s why Senator Clinton and even Senator John Edwards have voted to authorize this activity, this use of military force by the president.

Of course, the one person who doesn`t, the person who was in the state legislature in Illinois, who was against it, was, of course, your favorite, Glenn, Senator Barack Obama, who at one of these fancy Washington dinners at the end of the night somebody joked that, to watch the coverage you`d think he`d have been born in a manger.

BECK: Oh, I`m telling you. They`re going to find his roots back to King David. It is going to happen.

Mike, thanks.

ALLEN: Yes.

BECK: Now we have an ongoing series called "Missed by the Media". We try to expose how the extremists are using television and their own web sites to spread their message of hate abroad, but these are messages that you don`t usually hear here in the United States.

This clip features Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. This is from Lebanese television. It was seen on television over there in the Middle East, but you will only see it on television here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN NASRALLAH, LEADER OF HEZBOLLAH: George Bush wants to punish you because you were steadfast. When the Great Satan declares his hostility toward us and declares his hostility toward us. This is a great honor, of which we are proud. The future of Israel is death and perdition. Death to Israel!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Death to Israel!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Death to Israel!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Death to Israel!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is GLENN BECK.

BECK: Controversial new book says both blacks and whites are to blame for the failures of civil rights. I`ll talk to the author here in a second.

Also on "The Real Story", the mysterious death of Iran`s leading nuclear scientist. Some are calling it a hit. I`ll tell you who they think is behind it and why.

Also, actor Chad Lowe stops by to tell me what it`s like to work with Jack Bauer on my favorite TV show, "24". Don`t miss it. It`s coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: You know, one of the great things about being riddled with ADD is my head is just constantly filled with all sorts of random stuff. It`s a little like your junk drawer in your kitchen but not as well organized.

So today we`re beginning a new series, a new segment where I`ll share some of the chaos that`s in my head. It`s kind of a look inside my brain. It`s not pretty. But once you move past, you know, the 80 percent of thoughts that are focused on McGriddles, there is some quality there, someplace. At least I think.

Last week, I had a conversation with Al Sharpton on the show. And we were talking about Senator Biden`s racial -- some might say insensitive remarks about fellow presidential contender, Barack Obama.

We had a great conversation. But during that conversation and after that conversation I was thinking, you know, here we are 40 years after Martin Luther King Jr. launched the civil rights movement, and we as a society are still tip-toeing around the issue.

Why is it we can`t have an honest discussion about race or racism without somebody feeling guilty or feeling like you`re going to offend somebody or somebody is going to take what you said wrong and, you know, you`re at each other`s throats? We`ve become too politically correct.

Shelby Steele is the author of "White Guilt", a book about the promises of civil rights and what we -- or how we, and I mean everybody, haven`t lived up to these promises.

Shelby, how did you -- how did you get to this point? What was the catalyst for this book?

SHELBY STEELE, AUTHOR, "WHITE GUILT": Well, I think I felt some of the same things that you just mentioned, political correctness, the inability to speak openly and honestly. It was clear to me, as someone who grew up in the age of segregation that America had made tremendous progress where race was concerned and that somehow we were never allowed to say that or count that into our thinking about race.

And so the book or the idea of "White Guilt" came out of that experience.

BECK: You know, Shelby, I don`t know if anybody else in the audience -- oh, this is just going to be a blog nightmare over the next few days. But let me just be honest and play my cards face up on the table.

I was thinking about this just last week. I don`t have a lot of African-American friends, and I think part of it is because I`m afraid that I would be in an open conversation, and I would say something that somebody would take wrong, and then it would be a nightmare. Am I alone in feeling that?

STEELE: Not at all. I think every -- I think most all white people, as I try to explain it in the book, white guilt is not a feeling of conscience. It`s the fact that white Americans are stigmatized as racists before they say a word, before they do anything. And they`re always in the position of having to resist that stigma, having to prove that they`re, in fact, not racist. And so political correctness is the language of white guilt.

It`s the language that we -- that has been devised so that whites can sometimes talk about race without getting themselves in trouble. But we live in a society where our institutions and white Americans are walking on egg shells where this is concerned, because if you are stigmatized as a racist, it can be career ending. It can ruin you.

BECK: Well, it -- I mean, how do you even have a conversation with anyone if you`re -- for instance, if you`re a conservative -- I mean, I`ve got to tell you, I`ve read Dr. King`s speech before. I believe those things.

But I think conservatives believe those things. You`ve got to go back to FDR. You read FDR, what he said about work fare. He said there can`t be welfare. You strip a man of his pride. And we`ve done the same thing with affirmative action, haven`t we? And yet I`m made to feel like a racist for saying those things.

STEELE: That`s right. That`s right. You know, black power is white guilt. We`ve used -- we`ve learned to use the fact that whites are vulnerable to this stigma.

Jesse Jackson can walk into Texaco or into Toyota and come away with $750 million without even going to court, because those corporations are so obsessed with proving that they`re not racist. That is power.

And whites sense that blacks now have this power. Blacks know they have it. So we -- our whole identity at this point is designed to keep whites on the hook, and it`s a sick and sad symbiosis. And conservatives are people who for some reason, or who I think for some reason, do agree for the most part with Dr. Martin Luther King and the philosophy of the early civil rights moment.

BECK: You must be very -- you must be really popular with Bill Cosby. Because Bill Cosby, I think, is saying the same thing you`re saying and that I am saying, and that is take responsibility.

STEELE: Yes. I`ve been saying it for probably 25 years now. Bill Cosby has been saying it. And many, many other blacks are saying it. And I think there is, certainly in black America, a new openness to these ideas.

Cosby has made a great contribution in that area, because he`s such a dynamic and well-known American figure. But, yes, responsibility for moving ahead has to be assumed by blacks. Otherwise, we will not move ahead.

Now, this may not be fair in historical terms. We were oppressed for four centuries, but it`s a fact, nevertheless. And our problems in the last four (ph) years have come from the fact that we`ve refused to accept that, and we`ve tried to keep making white America and American institutions responsible for us.

BECK: Shelby, great point. Not all African-Americans have done that. Some have done remarkable things on their own.

Thank you very much, Shelby. We`ll be back in a minute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: I was watching "Speed Racer" with Rafe this weekend.

(MUSIC)

BECK: The police came and asked him for help. And Trixie said.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was making a picnic lunch for us.

BECK: Some chick thing to say, which Tracy and I both agree is wrong. And he said, "Trixie, it`s our duty to help the police."

I thought, when is the last time you saw something where it was stand up for what`s right, tell the truth, help the police, pursue justice? When did we stop seeing that stuff on television? Because I can`t seem to find it now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Every day you can hear my radio program on stations all across the country, including 103.9 WTDA Talk FM in Columbus, Ohio. By the way, if you can`t find an affiliate in your area, you can sign up and listen online at my web site, GlennBeck.com.

Today`s buzz from the Super Bowl. Dave Glover, St. Louis, 97.1 FM Talk. He joins me today.

Dave, another controversy at the half-time show this year, I hear.

DAVE GLOVER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: How about that? You know, it`s almost as if we`re looking for a controversy.

BECK: I know. This one I didn`t catch.

GLOVER: Yes.

BECK: I watched the Super Bowl. Go ahead. Tell me what the controversy is.

GLOVER: Yes, Glenn, I didn`t catch it either. I watched the entire thing. I`m not a huge Prince fan, but I thought it was just one of the best half-time shows they had in a very long time.

But when they took -- when they put the sheet up, and you can see his shadow on the wall and he was playing the guitar, now some watch dog groups and some, you know, family advocate groups are saying that it was clearly phallic in nature and that he was somehow representing masturbation. And it should have never...

BECK: I`m going to hang myself. I`m going to hang myself. Can people take a chill pill and relax a little bit?

GLOVER: We`re on the same page on this one.

BECK: Let me tell you something. I saw Prince -- I`ve seen him, I think, three times in concert. Not very many men would actually admit to that, but what do I have to lose?

GLOVER: Not a damn thing.

BECK: I`ve seen him, I think, three times. The first time I saw him he did do that with a phallic symbol, and it had a big finish to it, let`s just say. I don`t think that`s what he was shooting for here.

GLOVER: Everyone since Chuck Berry has done that. So it`s not like he`s breaking ground with it.

BECK: Yes. There is also the controversy -- I actually on the radio show today had somebody call and complain about the Snickers commercial. Did you see this?

GLOVER: I did.

BECK: A guy called me up and said, "I was watching it with my 9-year- old son and to have two men making out." I said, they`re not making out, man. They`re -- it was just "Lady and the Tramp".

GLOVER: Yes. You had this stupid, awkward the man kiss going back to Andy Griffith and Jonathan Winters. And it`s old territory. Again, we`re looking for new ways to be insulted.

BECK: We are. We are. You know what? I really think there`s about 20 percent of the population in America that just wants to be pissed off about something.

GLOVER: I`m going to go higher than that?

BECK: Really?

GLOVER: I`m going to go 50, maybe over 50 percent. Sure, yes.

BECK: So the ads I saw -- and maybe this goes into that 50 percent -- I saw an editorial that said the reason why there`s so much slapstick this year is because America is just so tired of the war. This is our violence coming out.

GLOVER: I saw that, too. I must really -- I must really not be that smart, because I never put together "The Three Stooges" quality with, you know, the malaise about the Iraqi war.

BECK: You know, it`s not that, Dave. It`s that we don`t have a life. It`s not that we`re -- we`re just not looking to make an issue out of absolutely nothing. I think that`s what it is.

GLOVER: I`ll be honest. Sometimes articles like that do make me question my intelligence. I think is it me? Is it me?

BECK: And here`s what I always come up with. Wow, it just is me. I guess I`m smarter than everybody else.

Dave, thanks a lot.

GLOVER: All right, buddy.

BECK: Back with "The Real Story" in just a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Welcome to "The Real Story." This is where we try to cut through the media spin and figure out why a story is actually important to you.

Yesterday, most of us were watching the Super Bowl, but the hottest action wasn`t on the field in Miami. The real story is that I`ve been telling you right here since last summer the Islamic extremist holy war is heating up, and the temperature is as hot as something that has not been seen since biblical times.

From the shores of the Persian Gulf to those of England`s Thames to our own Lake Michigan, violence is escalating and putting us on the brink of World War III. Now, if for some reason you`re still in denial, I beg that you listen to this.

What used to be a theory is quickly becoming a terrifying and irrefutable fact! Iran`s president, Ahmadinejad, has just I guess gotten bored with yesterday`s big game so he planned his own Super Sunday. Next Sunday, February 11th, he`s going to reveal some of Iran`s giant achievement in science, including a cure for AIDS. Really? Supposed to be herbal, they say. Something tells me it`s probably going to look a lot like a machete. And news also going to be announced of their nuclear progress.

The real story is Iran is getting dangerously close to achieving nuclear capability. Too close for some of their neighbors, like Israel. Reports surfaced yesterday that Iran`s leading nuclear scientist has died under "mysterious circumstances." U.S. intelligence sources reportedly cite very strong intelligence that he was assassinated by the Mossad, the Israeli security agency.

Israel denies any involvement in this, but I`ve got to ask the question: Why would anyone in this country say that out loud, even if we had the proof? If Iran should get a nuke, whether they buy one from the Soviets or make one of their own, Israel knows that their target number one, and we`re not far behind. I couldn`t blame them if they did take aggressive steps to ensure their own safety. You know, by taking out Iran`s leading nutty professor, I`m OK with that. I just wish we have the same kind of commitment here in this country.

Former Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu told us on this program that Israel would begin making moves just like this to safeguard their nation before spring. OK, question is -- it`s almost spring -- are there more of these moves to come from Israel? Stay tuned.

Now, of course, you don`t really have to go to Iraq to be witness to radical behavior or sectarian violence firsthand. All you have to do in this country is head over to Dearborn, Michigan. It is the Arab capital of the United States and in the early stages of Muslim sectarian violence. It`s looking more like downtown Baghdad every day.

The real story is Sunnis and Shiites clash on an increasingly regular basis in Dearborn. Violence and vandalism have struck three mosques and over two dozen businesses there, making the non-Muslim residents and the Muslim residents long for the good, old days of street gangs and turf wars.

Now, usually the press loves to call me crazy when I point out a story like this -- I`ve been doing this story for over a year now -- but it seems this time that the folks over at the "New York Times" must be coming around, because this real story comes off of yesterday`s front page of the "Times." Hey, boys, thanks. You`re a little late to the party, but nice to have you here, just the same.

You see, the real story here is that, since the execution of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni -- he`s a Sunni -- a split amongst the Dearborn Muslim community has grown increasingly confrontational. When it comes to violent protests and the Muslim sectarian split, as goes Baghdad, so could Dearborn. I`ve been telling you to watch Michigan as an eye of the Islamicist storm here in America, and we will continue to bring more on this story, if and as it develops.

Now, from our story in the foot-in-the-mouth file, we have to turn to England. On January 20th, the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, spoke at a conference where he was, you know, as pompous as really only the British could be. His policies are so leftist that his chums have even given him the nickname Red Ken.

He said that London is the world`s most international city. It has among the most harmonious relations between its communities in the world. It has benefited greatly from globalization and based its community realizes on classic liberal principles, where you should be able to choose to do whatever you like, provided it doesn`t interfere with other people. Really? Hey, Ken, I wonder, you know, if cutting somebody`s head off counts as harmonious relations that don`t interfere with other people.

The real story? London is Ground Zero when it comes to living in PC denial of very real, homegrown terrorist threat. Get in the game, old chaps. You know, it`s a little late for lofty speeches and tea time.

First off -- well, let me start here. What kind of name is Ken for the mayor of London. The prime minister`s name is Tony. Isn`t that bad enough? And now we`ve got Ken? You know, with guys named Tony and Ken, they sell you insurance. They don`t rule Britain. What`s next, "Queen Amber"?

Anyway, just days after "Ken" made that little idealistic speech to his mates over in England, the Birmingham police force uncovered a plot to capture, torture and behead a British soldier, who also happened to be Muslim. They arrested nine. And Heaven only knows how many others have been involved in that plot alone, one centering on a kill list of 25 targets who were British Muslim soldiers.

See, hands-off multiculturalism sounds great in a speech, but it kind of sticks in the ear in the fact of facts. A study conducted by MI-5, Britain`s intelligence agency, states that as many 16,000 British Muslims, or 1 percent of the Muslim population in Britain, support Islamist terrorists attacks abroad and at home. It also suggests that up to 13 percent of Britain`s 1.6 million Muslims defended the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11th, and 26 percent of Muslims in Great Britain admit that they have no loyalty towards Britain.

Perhaps most shockingly is that an estimated, no less than 3,000 British-born Muslims have passed through Al Qaeda training camps. And speaking of Al Qaeda, these killers have just instructed terror cells in Britain over the weekend to carry out a new series of kidnappings and beheadings exactly like the ones that nearly cost a British combat soldier his life.

Gone are the days of sophisticated plots aimed at killing thousands. It`s guerrilla warfare time. As one source put it, all you need for a beheading is a bit of courage and a sharp knife.

Before those terrorists find their next victim and that sharp knife, I pray that we find our courage.

Here with her thoughts is Melanie Phillips. She`s the author of the new book "Londonistan." Melanie, you heard me read the statistics. How severe is the terror threat within Britain today?

MELANIE PHILLIPS, AUTHOR, "LONDONISTAN": It`s astonishingly severe. You read some of the statistics. Our security service said that it`s monitoring some 200 groupings of British Muslims who are intent on wreaking terrorist outrages in Britain, 1,600 individuals who are ready to go as terrorists, and no fewer than 30 major plots of which, as you have said, the plot in Birmingham is but one example.

And now the plot in Birmingham to kidnap and behead a British Muslim soldier takes the threat onto a new stage altogether. We have not stopped having the threats of major bomb outrages, but in addition we have this nightmarish new scenario that people stand to be kidnapped, no doubt forced to grovel on video, ring out of the population the desire for our government to change its policy, and then finally to behead these unfortunate people.

We are in a really serious security situation in Britain.

BECK: Melanie, you know, it`s interesting to me that Al Qaeda, they had a problem with Al-Zarqawi because he was killing Muslims, and it became unpopular. Now Al Qaeda has just issued a statement this weekend and said, to those terror cells in London, kill them. Find the Muslims and kill them. What has changed here?

PHILLIPS: Well, I think what has changed in part is the determination and skill of the British security forces, who finally got their act together and are thwarting these plots. But also, I have to say, that these Islamicists are very shrewd.

They know that, in Britain, there is a kind of hysteria about the Iraq war, hysterical denunciations of Tony Blair for supporting President Bush, a ferment of hatred of America and of Israel. And when people have been kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq, I`m afraid it`s Britain and America that get the blame by the British public, or a large proportion of them.

And that, if you have a population which is showing such weakness, it is not surprising that the terrorist masterminds are going to exploit that weakness and produce more of the same.

BECK: Melanie, we over here in the United States, we`re in denial. We`re behind you by several years. For the first time I`ve seen it at least in the "New York Times" -- and it was on the front page -- and nobody is talking about it today -- is this connection in Dearborn to exactly to what is going on in Baghdad, and yet we`re a country in denial, and we are handcuffed by political correctness. Am I overstating the issue here?

PHILLIPS: Not at all. This is why I called my book "Londonistan." Because Londonistan is a phrase that describes, not just what`s happened to Britain, the madness in Britain. To me it`s a state of mind that reflects much of the free world. It afflicts Britain; it afflicts America. It`s a state of mind in which the designated victims of a war upon Western civilization come to absolve some of the lies and ideas of their enemies.

BECK: Thanks, Melanie. That is the "Real Story" tonight. We`ll be back in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Let me play the audio. And I want to ask you if I read this right.

TONY DUNGY, COACH, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: I`ll tell you what, I`m proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African- American to win this. That means an awful lot to our country. But, again, more than anything, I`ve said it before, Lovie Smith and I, not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches showing that you can win, doing it the Lord`s way. We`re more proud of that.

BECK: That sounded like a -- or was it just a drunk fest by then? It sounded like a pretty big ovation when he said, you know, as Christian coaches, we did it the Lord`s way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, no, I think it was. I think you could actually...

BECK: Was it drunk fest? Or people were actually happy about that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a really, really religious drunk fest, Glenn.

BECK: OK, all right. All right, God! Woo!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Well, it`s Monday night, and you live in the East Coast. That means two things. First, you`re freezing out of your mind. And, second, there`s a good chance that you`re about to flip the channel because "24" is about to be on. That`s OK. I love it, too. I`d watch it over this crappy program.

Emmy award-winning actor Chad Lowe has joined the cast now as Reed Pollock this season, and he`s with us. How are you, sir?

CHAD LOWE, ACTOR: Hey, Glenn. Good to see you.

BECK: Good to see you. Are you a good guy or a bad guy, do you know yet?

LOWE: I think that kind of just depends on your perspective a little bit.

BECK: I don`t know. I think rounding Muslims up, bad guy.

LOWE: Well, you know, I mean, given the circumstances that "24" has created...

BECK: Yes.

LOWE: ... I don`t think that he has a thing against Muslims. I think he`s just doing what he thinks is best to save the country. Listen...

BECK: No matter how you spin that, I just don`t think that`s a good idea.

LOWE: I`m not saying I condone it. I`m not saying that`s my plan, but...

BECK: Japanese bombed us. Wasn`t really for rounding them up, either.

LOWE: I`ve got to play the character. And I got to play him without judgment. And I try to keep my personal judgments to myself.

BECK: Sure. Sure OK.

LOWE: And I think if I were -- if it were me, I don`t think that would be the plan that I would be advocating, perhaps.

BECK: Yes, I don`t think so. You know what`s amazing, though, is if you listen to some of the Muslim groups that have come out, they are giving "24" a hard time yet again. But to me this is the quintessential show that shows the reality of Islam. There`s killers, and there are good guys. I mean, one of the guys who`s in this season, rounded up by the government, put into one of these camps, shouldn`t be there. You know, it`s a nightmare scenario, and yet he chooses to help. Guys were beating him up; he chooses to help. He`s a hero in the show, as well.

LOWE: I think both sides are equally represented, in a way, because you have the president who`s advocating on the show, he`s advocating that the Muslim community will be our best allies. And then you have the other set, obviously, run by Tom Lennox, who -- I am his deputy chief of staff -- has this alternate plan, which is much more, obviously, kind of conservative and maybe even fascist.

BECK: Yes, I wouldn`t say that`s conservative. That`s almost nuts.

LOWE: Depends on your politics.

BECK: No, I don`t think so. I`m a conservative. I don`t think that`s -- that`s not a conservative value, "Let`s round everybody up." Did you ever watch the original "Star Trek"?

LOWE: I was a fan. Yes, I can do it all, live long and prosper, Romulans, Klingon, I know them all.

BECK: You always knew when William Shatner turned to somebody and said, "Ensign, you come to the surface with us," dead."

LOWE: Dead.

BECK: That guy is dead. As an actor, when you saw yourself written in, going, "No, I`m not going to the surface, am I?" You knew you were dead.

LOWE: Well, if I read that I`m doing a scene with Kiefer, for instance, if my character meets Jack Bauer, there`s a good chance, given my character`s position, there`s a good chance that I may end up not seeing the light of day.

BECK: So how is it -- like, if your wife says to you, "Oh, honey, let`s buy a car. You going to go out and buy a car now?" I mean, you`re on "24." Does any person, besides Jack Bauer, buy a car or a new house?

LOWE: Well, the good news is, I`m divorced now, so if my wife were to say, "Buy a car," I would say, "Get one for your boyfriend."

BECK: Whatever. Go for it.

LOWE: But, listen, if Jack Bauer tells you to do something, you better listen. That`s the point.

BECK: Yes. Do you have any idea -- because I have -- you know what? I don`t even want to. Have you noticed that people are torn when they talk to you about "24"? Because I`m finding myself torn. I`d like to know more, but yet I don`t.

LOWE: Yes, I find that often. There are those who are begging me to tell them what happens, and then there are those who don`t want to hear a word about it. It`s like, you know, Christmas morning. They don`t want to know what their gifts are. They don`t want to spoil the surprise.

So, yes, there are a lot of people who absolutely don`t want to hear a word. And as soon as I try to explain to them what I`m doing -- in fact, I was watching the show very recently with a very dear friend of mine. And I said -- the character came on -- I forget the character`s name at this point. The character came on, and she said, "Oh, he`s the bad guy. He was awful last year. He was trying to kill Jack. He`s awful." I said, "Well, that`s Jack`s brother." She went, "No, don`t tell me that. Don`t tell me that." I said, "Oh, sorry." So I have to be careful.

BECK: Were you a fan of the show beforehand?

LOWE: Yes, I was a big fan. And I`ve been a fan of Kiefer`s. I mean, he`s been doing such great work for so long.

BECK: He`s amazing.

LOWE: He`s just a solid guy. He really sets a great tone on that show. He`s a great leader, great work ethic. And I`m a guest. I`m a guest in their family, basically. And they`ve really made me feel very, very welcome.

BECK: Let me tell you something. At any time, you could hear, "Go to the surface."

LOWE: I could. I may be hearing that soon, I don`t know. But do you want me to tell you?

BECK: No, I don`t.

LOWE: I`ll tell you what happens. Listen, OK...

BECK: Chad, we`ll be back in a minute with your e-mail. Stick around. Thanks.

LOWE: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Time to answer some of your letters and e-mails. Dan from Encino writes, "Glenn, your question to James Cromwell as to whether he keeps his own waste was one of the strangest, most distasteful questions we`ve ever heard on television. You should have done your research before the show and not brought this up, especially when there was no basis for it. He came to your show in good faith and he must have gone away humiliated."

Actually, Dan, I agree with you. It was somewhat distasteful, but James Cromwell thought it was amusing. And he left here happy. I mean, after the show, he went on and on about saving it. It was -- and please don`t question my research skills. Riddle me this, Dan: Cromwell is a vegan. Vegans don`t eat delicious baby back ribs or sweet, savory bacon. Anybody who, you know, doesn`t enjoy that stuff has to be crazy enough to save his own poop, right? I either read that or dreamt it. I`m not positive, but either way, I do my research.

Preston from Salt Lake City writes in, "Glenn, when somebody asks me, you know, what do you want to watch on TV? I usually say, instead of `Seinfeld` or `The Simpsons,` `Glenn Beck.` Then everybody looks at me like I`m on drugs. Isn`t that sad?"

Preston, actually it is sad, sad that you would prefer to watch me, a rodeo clown riddled with ADD, than watch "The Simpsons" or "Seinfeld," both of which really are much more entertaining than this crappy show, unless you are on drugs, Preston, as your friends have suggested, in which case this show is great. I mean, just last week, I asked an Oscar-nominated actor if he saves his own waste. I mean, you don`t see the pinheads on "60 Minutes" ask that. No. And, trust me, it would have been a lot less offensive if you were high.

Speaking of things that you`ll enjoy while intoxicated, in the latest edition of my magazine, "Fusion," which is now available, we take a look at Vladimir Putin`s relationship with the axis of evil. You do not want to miss this, if you`re somebody who`s following events with Russia and Iran. Please, order by February 16th, and you`ll get the latest issue of "Fusion" magazine.

That`s it. We`ll see you tomorrow on the radio program and then back here tomorrow night, you sick, twisted freak. We`ll see you then.

END