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Glenn Beck

Was Virginia Tech Killer Really Insane?; What`s Wrong with American Society?; Simon Cowell Defends Reaction to Virginia Tech Comments

Aired April 19, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, inside the mind of a killer.

CHO SEUNG-HUI, VIRGINIA TECH KILLER: Thanks to you, I die.

BECK: What do the videotapes really tell us about the killer? And what does it say about the media for airing them?

Also, is Iran now one step closer to the bomb? I`ll talk with former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

Plus, an "American Idol" contestant shows his support for Virginia Tech.

CHRIS RICHARDSON, CONTESTANT, FOX`S "AMERICAN IDOL": My heart and prayers go out to Virginia Tech.

BECK: But why did Simon look so annoyed?

All this and more tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: All right. By now, you`ve all seen the chilling videotape that Virginia Tech killer that he sent to NBC News, but here`s the point tonight.

This guy was not insane. He was sick and pathetic, and I believe he had very little immune system to the ills of our society. Here`s how I got there.

First, I want to make this very clear. There is no one responsible for the shootings except for this dreg of society. This is what the killer put into an envelope and mailed to NBC, apparently, moments after killing two people and moments before continuing his rampage.

By the way, I want you to know, today and this break is the last time you will see this footage on this program. To show it day after day after day would be exactly what this dirt bag would have wanted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: You have vandalized my heart, raped my soul and tortured my conscience. You thought it was one pathetic boy`s life you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die. Like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: This guy is full of crap. You know, I know everybody in the media has been saying how insane he was, but I`m sorry. Why do we keep throwing that word around? Does it make you feel better? Does it make you feel better thinking he was insane?

I`ve got to tell you. It did me until I saw these tapes. I feel worse after seeing the tapes. It would have been easier to grasp if he were just crazy, but I want you to watch one part of this tape in particular. I believe it is the important part of this tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: You had everything you wanted. Your Mercedes wasn`t enough, you brats. Your golden necklaces weren`t enough, you snobs. Your trust fund wasn`t enough. Your vodka and cognac weren`t enough. All your debaucheries weren`t enough. Those weren`t enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You had everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: This guy is claiming poverty in his manifesto, and he`s just so, so poor. You know why? Why was he poor? Because -- I`m not kidding - - his sister couldn`t afford to go to Harvard and had to slum it in Princeton.

Now I know this kid wasn`t a citizen, but you could surprise me. Watching this tape he comes across as the stereotypical whiney, coddled little American brat, the type that blames everybody else for his lot in life instead of trying to improve it.

And really, what did he have to improve? His parents were still together. He was getting a good education at a great university. That alone gives this dirt bag a leg up on a lot of kids in America. And yet to him, oh, life just stinks.

We`ve been seeing this sort of thing before. It is -- in the videos by al Qaeda, the writings of the Unabomber, even in movies like "The Matrix". Anybody notice the pose that he was doing? His manifesto basically ripped off everything you`ve ever heard in any other rambling manifesto.

This guy is a product of a society where our children value fame and money above anything else. That`s what he was after. He was there just crying about the money, and now he`s got the fame. That`s why he took the time to tape himself in his angry little poses and mail it off before slaughtering a bunch of innocent people.

Well, congratulations. NBC, the rest of the media, me, I just gave him exactly what he wanted. Well, I`m doing it for the last time.

So here`s what I know tonight. This kid was not crazy. He was sick and he was calculating, and a product of this sick society, but instead of placing the blame on the school and the police and the gun shops or society, it needs to go squarely on his shoulders, but let`s take a minute and look at our society.

Our society, our civilization is in critical condition, and he`s just a symptom. We can`t afford to simply give it two more aspirin and move on to the next Anna Nicole Smith story.

Here`s what I don`t know. Will the rest of the media stop calling him insane and start looking at him for what he was, a pathetic kid and a symptom of a greater problem?

Joining me now is former FBI agent Don Clark and forensics psychologist N.G. Berrill.

N.G., let me start with you. Was the guy full-fledged nuts or am I?

N.G. BERRILL, FORENSICS PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, you know, I think he`s a little of each. I think clearly, there`s indication, based on hearing a little bit about his history, that there is evidence of some mental illness.

Now you used the word insanity and that`s a legal term, but nonetheless there`s a lot of character pathology here. And the character pathology you talked about can be attributed to not only, I guess, who he is and what his life was about and all the ills of society, you know, you kind of heap on there.

But I think he was in control of his decisions. And I think that this was a meticulous plot that was hatched, certainly, months ago and started out, I guess, in his psyche, perhaps as much as years ago. And he moved -- you know, he moved to this event. He was slowly but surely moving to it.

BECK: Can I -- can I say something? This is -- this is going to sound absolutely horrible, and I apologize, America, in advance, but I`m just going to be honest with you.

Watching this guy and listening to his manifesto, it also makes you look at al Qaeda and suicide bombers and kind of have a sick sort of respect for them in comparison. They at least die for their sick twisted version of God. This guy is dying for nothing: fame and money, that`s it. He`s so narcissistic.

BERRILL: There`s an infantile quality and there`s a self-indulgent quality, but I think at the core is, as you`ve said, is a very disturbed guy. Let`s not forget that. I mean, this is a wounded individual. This is an impaired individual. This guy was not making it out there.

Although superficially perhaps you could say he had access to resources, and, yes, he was in school. But there was something grossly defective about him, clearly. I mean, he couldn`t digest his experience and turn it into something positive. This was a fellow who was empty. He was disturbed, and this was his response.

BECK: OK. Don, let me go to you. This tape has come out. NBC said today they`re only going to -- they`re only allow it to be shown for no more than 10 percent of their broadcast day.

What exactly could an investigator get out of this tape? What -- what good does this tape do for us?

DON CLARK, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, Glenn, you`ve said a lot of it, and I`m enjoying sitting here listening to you take this thing on, because we`re talking about a very sick person here. But having said that, we are also talking about a very bright person.

I mean, this operation -- and I`ll call it an operation for the lack of a better word -- was as well put together as some of the law enforcement military operations that I`ve been involved in. I mean, this wasn`t the mind of, excuse the expression, a crazy person just throwing something together and shooting bullets. It was well planned and put together.

And so what we have got to do, Glenn, is that we`ve got to figure out a way, and as a society, to try and better identify these people and stop these type of attacks before they start.

BECK: OK. But, you know, one of the things that I think is the biggest problem is our political correctness, and we handcuff ourselves. Now I don`t want to create a state where we`re living in "The Minority Report", but, I mean, how many people knew?

The teachers were saying, "This guy is crazy." Doctors were saying, "This guy is crazy." Roommates were saying, "Hey, there`s trouble." He was stalking girls, but yet political correctness, nobody really wanted to say something.

I actually heard one of the roommates say, "Well, gee, you know, I thought maybe it was his culture that kept him quiet. Or I just thought he was like that and so I didn`t want to say anything."

I mean, we`re -- we`re sitting here in a ticking time bomb. How do you solve it in today`s world?

CLARK: Well, you know, you used the right words. Political correctness and nobody really wants to be responsible for disturbing someone else`s life, but we have got to revisit the way we protect our society. When I say we, I`m talking government agencies, law enforcement and the people, and the citizens.

Glenn, we`ve talked about with terrorism that hey, you know, let`s be diligent. You know, let`s try to prevent these things before they happen. And we seem to only relate it to terrorist-type incidents. And you mentioned al Qaeda. This was as much of a terrorist incident as anything.

BECK: But, Don, you know and I know the exact opposite is happening with those five flying imams. What they`re trying to do now is scare everybody to shut you up. They`re trying to get people to shut up and not notice the things.

This is a prime example. Here`s non-Muslims. We should be looking for things and say, wait a minute, this doesn`t make sense, this isn`t right. Let`s stop it right now.

CLARK: That`s -- that`s exactly right. We`ve got to prevent it. We`ve got to put mechanisms in place. We can`t have a college professor saying, "Look, this guy`s got to get out of my class. Something is wrong with this person. I don`t know what it is, but something`s wrong with him." And we just kind of shift it on some place.

And I`m not maligning the university, but where else did they want to send this person? Because there`s no system out there to handle it.

BECK: OK.

BERRILL: That`s not exactly true, though.

BECK: Go ahead.

BERRILL: I mean, there are some provisions in some states. The term is outpatient commitment.

And basically, what you have is when people are identified as being, No. 1, mentally ill and in need of psychiatric services, if they meet the criteria for dangerousness to self or others, they can be assigned or they can be brought to a mental health court, in some states mind you, and treatment -- treatment becomes mandatory. Now, if they fail to adhere to the court order, then they can be literally arrested.

BECK: OK. Don, N.G., I wish we had more time. Thanks.

Coming up, is society evolving in the wrong direction? It seems like everything is spiraling downward and the Virginia Tech is just the latest example.

Plus, "American Idol`s" Simon Cowell sets the record straight. Was the awkward eye-rolling really the eye rolling really about being an insensitive jerk? I`ll let you know.

And the disturbing images of the Virginia Tech killer are everywhere. Should they have been released? We`ll take a look at the media`s role in all of this, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RICHELLE CAREY, HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: I`m Richelle Carey with your Headline Prime news break.

And breaking news from Tennessee, about a half hour ago Mary Winkler, a preacher`s wife, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. She killed her husband with a shot gun. She could get sentenced to three to six years. She`s out on bond until the sentencing hearing. That is next month.

And here`s the latest from Virginia Tech. The victims will be remembered on campuses across the commonwealth tonight. Virginia colleges and universities are holding simultaneous candlelight vigils.

And tomorrow is a day of mourning across Virginia, with a moment of silence at noon. Thirty-two people were killed Monday. Gunman Cho Seung- Hui committed suicide.

And Virginia Tech`s marching band visited Montgomery Memorial Hospital to serenade the victims. Nine victims are still in the hospital with gunshot wounds. Virginia Tech is awarding all of the student victims posthumous degrees.

And some victims` relatives are upset NBC released video from the gunman. The network defends its decision, but they will limit how much they show.

I`m Richelle Carey.

BECK: A few weeks back, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice referred to the violence and the unrest in the Middle East as the region experiencing "birth pangs." I agree with the thinking behind that statement, but if I may be sold bold as to disagree with Condi Rice in calling her a little short-sighted. There, I said it.

It`s not just the Middle East that is experiencing these pangs. I believe it`s our entire civilization. You know, as a woman gets closer to giving birth, her contractions or her pangs get more frequent and intense until she finally has a baby. We are experiencing the same thing but on a global scale.

The 9/11 attacks, the war in Iraq, terrorist violence from Chicago to Casablanca, even global warming, the degradation of our popular culture, increasing racial and political divisiveness and this week`s deadly Virginia Tech shootings, they are just some of the recent pangs. And they are coming more quickly these days, and can you deny that their severity is intensifying?

Here is the $64,000 question. What exactly are we giving birth to? With women, birth pangs result in the beauty and promise of new life, but with culture, and our civilization, could it be something far, far darker?

Dr. Gail Gross, she is a psychologist and child development specialist.

Dr. Gross, when I was a kid, and I think almost everybody, including people who were 25 years old, can say when we were growing up, America and the world won`t like this. What happened to normal American life?

DR. GAIL GROSS, PSYCHOLOGIST: You know, we`ve gotten into this technological revolution. Everything is external. Very little is internal. We`re really having a spiritual emptiness, a vacantness, really, if you will.

And our children don`t have the safeguards. The cultural safeguards are missing. Families are working, divorce. Churches and temples are busy raising money but nobody is watching the kids.

Nobody really has an answer, and so nobody wants to deal with the problem.

And everything has become very temporary. We`re like a disposable society, so even our values have become temporary. If I feel that you feel a different way than I feel, I may change my perspective in mid-air before I even say what I`m thinking.

And that is what`s happened as a culture. Even news and television programs that are supposed to be reporting things have become entertainment, and into ratings problems. And community problems come as a direct result of watching these programs.

BECK: You know, it`s amazing, because I mean, here I am in the media. This is my first year in television. I`ve been doing radio for 30 years this year. But television is so much different, really, than radio, and I have -- I have noticed that our attention span is about five seconds.

We were -- last week we were all over Don Imus. I haven`t heard a word about Don Imus this week. This week it`s this. Next week it will be something else.

And it doesn`t seem like even the media is following these stories. It is just get them out, get them in front of people, get the ratings and move on. And we`re losing track of what all of these things mean. Would you agree with me that every event is a signpost, and we should be looking at where we`re headed?

GROSS: You know, it`s that sound bite. Really, some of our ADD in children we`re now discovering is related to these programs that just shoot out things at the children. And we`re telling parents not to put children until they`re 2 or 3 or 4 in front of the TV because they`re really not being able to make the same kind of connections that they make when they interact, rather than having things thrown at them.

You know, in Rome, when Rome was falling, the emperor that was the most popular emperor was the one that gave the most and best entertainment, and it escalated in violence. And that`s really what`s happening here. You`re seeing a need for entertainment.

As I said, even news has become entertainment, and even news is fighting for ratings. And it really is a problem, because media has become the third parent in the room. And parents are working, and kids aren`t being watched.

BECK: I don`t know. In many cases, I think they`re the first parent in the room.

GROSS: Yes.

BECK: A lot of people are letting the TV guide and shape their children`s lives.

The shooter in Virginia, they say that he was depressed and, you know, a lot of people are depressed. Is society -- I mean, we can put -- you can put kids on medication. I mean, how many people are on Prozac in our society? You can put people on medication, but isn`t our society or our culture almost an anti-Prozac at the same time?

GROSS: No. You know, if you need medicine, you really need medicine, and in this case, I don`t know this child, of course. But what we do know about mental illness is that it can be very responsive very quickly to medication and therapy and behavior modification.

BECK: But what I`m saying -- wait a minute. What I`m saying here is, look, I`m a guy who took Prozac. I have had bouts with suicide. My mother committed suicide when I was 13 years old. So I get the whole suicide thing and actual clinical depression.

What I`m saying is our kids are depressed more than they ever have before, and that is because our society is pumping emptiness out.

GROSS: You`re right. I mean, we have an epidemic of impulse control problems and that`s absolutely right, and children are getting information on options that are very violent.

Even a healthy person watches one hour of violence and is more likely to respond in a reactive way violently if they`re upset. So think of kids who are watching hundreds and hundreds of hours of violence.

BECK: Yes. Gail. Thank you very much.

Coming up next, Simon Cowell explains his awkward eye-rolling during that moment of silence. I`ll have all the details from last night`s "American Idol".

Plus, has the media gone too far of its coverage of the killer`s manifesto? I`ll ask our own Nancy Grace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: One of the more ridiculous controversies stemming from the Virginia Tech tragedy played out on "American Idol", of all places.

Simon Cowell was caught on camera rolling his eyes at contestant Chris Richardson. Nothing new there. Simon rolls his eyes a lot.

However, to the audience at home it appeared that Cowell was rolling his eyes in response to Richardson`s statement of sympathy for the victims of Virginia Tech. Now here`s what really happened and how "American Idol" explained it last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON COWELL, JUDGE, FOX`S "AMERICAN IDOL": You sing nasally.

CHRIS RICHARDSON, CONTESTANT, FOX`S "AMERICAN IDOL": Obviously.

But I would like to say to my friends at Virginia Tech. I have friends up there, and just be strong.

COWELL: That`s what he just said, Paula.

RYAN SEACREST, HOST, FOX`S "AMERICAN IDOL": Yes. Well said, absolutely.

COWELL: And I just want to absolutely set the record straight. I didn`t hear what Chris was saying. I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I would never ever, ever, ever disrespect those families or those victims, and I felt it was important to set the record straight.

SEACREST: And we all know that, Simon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: so how did it all get blown out of proportion? Joining me now, former "Idol" finalist and host of "Idol Chat" on the TV Guide Channel, Kim.

How are you?

KIMBERLY CALDWELL, HOST, TV GUIDE CHANNEL`S "IDOL CHAT": Did you miss me?

BECK: I did. How are you doing? I know you had surgery.

CALDWELL: Yes, I`m doing good. I actually didn`t wind up having to have surgery.

BECK: Really?

CALDWELL: I took a couple weeks off for my voice.

BECK: I was hoping...

CALDWELL: But thank you very much for my flowers.

BECK: You`re welcome. I was hoping they would remove the whole voice box. But they...

CALDWELL: You wish. Only on your luckiest day, Glenn.

BECK: So Kim. Simon looked like, I didn`t see the episode last night, but he looked like he was about to cry.

CALDWELL: He looked very genuine, you know, and kind of nice for the first time ever. I knew as soon as I saw that, I knew that he was rolling his eyes at Chris, and I knew that someone would take it out of context and say that it had to do with the Virginia Tech incident, and obviously it did not.

He set the record straight. And, you know, hopefully we can all move past it. But obviously, you know, everybody`s hearts go out to the families and victims of Virginia Tech.

BECK: It is amazing to me how you can see something and, quite honestly, if the media had something else to do -- or didn`t have something else to cover this week, I mean, he could have -- I mean, let`s put it this way.

CALDWELL: Right. I know.

BECK: If this -- if Simon Cowell were me and that same mistake happened, I`d be out, and there would be no explaining it. We live in a country now where you can`t just say you`re sorry: "Wow, I made a mistake", or "Gee, look what really happened." The truth rarely matters.

CALDWELL: Look at Imus.

BECK: Yes, exactly right.

CALDWELL: There you go.

I know. Well, hopefully, you know, we can all just move past it, and it won`t be a big deal. And you know, I mean, Simon does need to watch when he rolls his eyes, though. And he needs to watch when he is rude, you know?

BECK: No, he doesn`t. He`s Simon Cowell. America, that`s what he does, and you like it when he does it.

CALDWELL: I don`t, but, whatever.

BECK: How -- how bad did this get at "American Idol"? Was this a really -- do you know? Do you have any inside...

CALDWELL: I mean, I actually personally wasn`t there that day, but I don`t think that it was as big a deal as everybody is kind of making it out to be now.

BECK: Yes.

CALDWELL: I don`t know. I`m not really sure.

BECK: And the big news, I saw on "USA Today", the hair guy is gone.

CALDWELL: Yes. Sanjaya is his name.

BECK: Yes.

CALDWELL: And he`s a very sweet boy and everything, but I personally think that he stayed a little too long, a lot too long. And, you know, I`m personally glad that he`s gone and now we can really do the competition.

BECK: All right. Kim, I am glad you`re back and I`m glad you`re feeling better.

CALDWELL: Thanks, Glenn.

BECK: All right.

CALDWELL: Take care, hon.

BECK: Up next, Iran moves another step closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon. I`ll explain in tonight`s "Real Story". Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

BECK: All right, welcome to "The Real Story."

Three days now have passed since Virginia Tech shootings, and it seems to me we`ve all moved past the stages of grief, and outrage, and we`ve moved right into blame. Isn`t it great? "It`s the gun store`s fault, you know. No, no, Glenn, it`s the counseling center`s fault. Oh, please. It`s the school`s fault. No, the movies did it."

Stop! The only one who is at fault is the guy who pulled the trigger, end of story. By focusing on the blame, we`re missing the bigger point here. School shootings are not the problem; they`re a symptom of the problem.

The world has a serious illness. And unless we start to address that, unless we fight against the actual disease, then the school shootings and suicide bombings and child molesters are all going to get worse. They`re not going to stop.

First step to recovery is admitting we have a problem. And, Glenn to Earth, "We`ve got a problem." You know, it seems to me we put Band-Aids on massive, bleeding wounds, and then we`re shocked when they are infected and they don`t heal.

Iran is a perfect example of this. We try to wrap Iran up in these U.N. bandages, and then we`re surprised that they just haven`t decided to play nice all of a sudden. Last week, I told you that the tipping point with Iran would be when they start to ban U.N. inspectors. Well, guess what, America? The real story tonight: While we`ve been focused on Virginia, that is exactly what they`ve done.

A secret U.N. memo -- and leave it to the U.N. to have memos that are secret that I can now talk about on national television -- but, anyway, it reveals that, not only is Iran now running over 1,300 centrifuges and beginning to enrich uranium, they`ve also now prevented U.N. inspectors from visiting the construction site of their heavy-water plutonium plant.

This is a huge step backwards, because if that ban on inspectors extends to their uranium facility -- and I have no doubt that`s what Iran is setting up for -- then we have lost our last line of defense. Once those inspectors are gone from the uranium plants, then, unfortunately, so is any hope of solving this through diplomatic sanctions.

Next, has anybody realized that it has been weeks since we`ve last talked about the emergency war spending bill? Last I checked, -- now, I realize I may not just be Googling this correctly -- it doesn`t look like we`ve actually passed anything yet. A lot of people are out there saying, "Oh, no big deal. Don`t worry about it. Pentagon has enough money to fund things through July."

Yes, those people who are saying that, probably the same people who can`t balance their own checkbook, because that`s not exactly how it works. Let me break it down. Let`s say you have $500 in your bank account. Sure, you could announce that you`re able to pay the heating bill until July, but you`d have to shift all of your spending to do it. So even though you might not be cold, your cable`s going to be shut off, you`ll default on your mortgage, your car is going to be repossessed.

Yes, the war effort still may be able to go on until July, but only if the military shifts funds around, delays training, repairs, just to pay the heating bill. I don`t know about you. Last people I really want to have making life-and-death decisions based on money, the military. And beyond that, the very last people I want controlling any checkbook: our politicians.

Now, I know what you`re thinking. I`m just -- I`m just reading, oh, this guy is a conservative whack job, Ethel. Yes, let mow give you the nonpartisan real story, straight from the military. Quote, "These actions carry consequential effects, including substantial disruption to installation functions, decreasing efficiency, and potentially further degrading the readiness of non-deployed units."

Boy, slowing down the readiness of the rest of the units? That`s exactly what you want to hear, especially coming off the real story about Iran gearing up.

Washington, would you please grow up? You can make this about politics all you want. You can jam in your pork projects and set your arbitrary dates for surrender, but what you can`t do is deny that the political games you`re playing right now are going to hurt the defense of our country.

The difference between all the pinheads in Washington and the rest of us that sit in our underpants and watch television is we don`t just talk about supporting the troops, we actually do it, because we understand that we have a lot more to lose than just votes.

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers, General, how are you, sir?

GENERAL RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN: Glenn, I`m fine. How are you?

BECK: You know, I`m so sick of Washington, and I don`t know if you can comment about Washington anymore, but you`re sick of them, too, aren`t you?

MYERS: I probably shouldn`t comment, since I live in Arlington, Virginia, but I happen to be in Kansas City right now, and it`s a nice place to be right now.

BECK: Yes, I bet it is. Do I have it wrong on shifting funds, that this is going to hurt our troops? I mean, I`ve got family members over in the Middle East. The last thing I want to do is hurt them. Is this going to hurt them, if we don`t come to some conclusion here soon?

MYERS: No, I think you have it about right. It is the perception, because the Defense Department has a large budget, that they can accommodate delays and things like supplementals.

But actually supplementals, as you know, do fun the operations in the Middle East. And so, when the funds aren`t forthcoming, it is very difficult to shift money around in various accounts. So my understanding, in talking to some of my friends over there in the Middle East, that they`re now starting to have a real shortage of funds, and in some cases no funds, to carry out some of the things that are hopefully going to ensure success in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

BECK: General, will you agree with me that there are only two options here, to fight it to win or to just pull the troops out, that there is no - - there is none of this game-playing that we`re in right now? I believe slowly choking this thing off is immoral to do. Would you agree or disagree?

MYERS: Well, you know, I think General Petraeus, who was just recently confirmed by the Senate and sent over to replace General Casey, I think he says, you know, please, give me the time to do what I need to do.

BECK: Right.

MYERS: And I think he`s said as much. And, of course, we`re talking about the situation in Iraq now. I mean, there are no guarantees, but things look to be going a little bit better. I mean, it`s far too early to make any calls, but in terms of security in Baghdad, which is one of the objectives, it`s going a little bit better. And this would be a bad time not to let the strategy play out, because I don`t think we have alternatives. This would be bad for us.

BECK: I want to show you what Harry Reid said, and if we can play this, and you tell me, sir, why you believe what he said is bad or what he`s offering is bad. Here`s what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: The president, with the legislation that we have, that he will soon get, does more for the military than what he sent us. We believe he must search his soul, his conscience, and find out what is the right thing for the American people. I believe signing this bill will do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: OK. I mean, if I watch this, and I`m not really paying attention to what is in the bill and what the president has asked for, et cetera, et cetera, I say, "Hey, well, he`s making a good point, he`s got more in it." Why is this a bad bill?

MYERS: Glenn, I`ve got to tell you that I have not seen the bill as proposed. I know the president met yesterday with congressional leaders. I just worry that any more delay on this or any more partisan approach -- and on both sides, by the way, not one side of the aisle or the other...

BECK: Oh, I agree.

MYERS: ... but a partisan approach to serious national security concerns is just not the right approach for our country, given the challenges right now.

BECK: Let`s talk about the challenge with Iran. Man, I`m spooked by these guys, because I think that they`re poking us, they are, with this secret U.N. memo that has just come out. They`re starting to renege with the inspectors and starting to kick the inspectors back. They have continually poked us. They`ve poked our allies. They`re not really afraid of us at all, are they?

MYERS: Well, they don`t appear to be, but, you know, the United Nations has spoken. I think the world has spoken that this behavior by Iran and by their political leadership is absolutely unacceptable, and you`ve got to be worried when a country that sponsors terrorism is in a quest for nuclear weapons, and that`s one level.

The next level is, what is the impact it`s going to have on the region, in terms of nonproliferation of nuclear weapons? Are people going to be comfortable with nuclear arms in Iran? Will Saudi Arabia be comfortable with that? Will the rest of the Gulf states be comfortable with that? I mean, it raises some real issues about future security in that region and, for that matter, the world.

BECK: General, thank you, and thank you for your service to our country, sir. That is tonight`s "Real Story."

And up next, has the media gone too far with the coverage of the killer`s manifesto? We`re going to ask our very own Nancy Grace, next. Don`t miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. By now, everybody has seen the pictures and the videos of this heartless killer, the ones that he sent to NBC just prior to his murderous rampage on the Virginia Tech campus. Earlier today, the chief investigator of the case had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. W. STEVEN FLAHERTY, VIRGINIA STATE POLICE: We appreciate NBC`s cooperation. And they`re cooperating with all of the authorities, though we`re rather disappointed in the editorial decision to broadcast these disturbing images.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: In response to that statement, NBC released this, this afternoon: "The decision to run this video was reached by virtually every news organization in the world" -- yes, but you were first -- "as evidenced by the coverage on television, on Web sites and in newspapers. We`ve covered this story and our unique role in it with extreme sensitivity, underscored by our devoted efforts to remember and honor the victims and the heroes of this tragic incident. We are committed to nothing less."

You know what? Let me translate bull crap-to-English. NBC, this show, this network, every network, yes, we`d all do the same thing by showing you this video. I`m just not sure who`s to blame for that. Is it us or is it you? We want the ratings. We got 23 pages of written statements with 28 video clips, 43 photos of a killing machine in combat gear. And don`t lie: You wanted to see it.

So if you want to believe that NBC wrestled with a moral dilemma of whether or not to show these videos and pictures, go ahead. Whatever gets you through the night. But the truth is, the media couldn`t wait to put this footage on the air. And, honestly, you couldn`t wait to see it.

As for me, I`m done. I was with you. I wanted to see it, and I did play it. I played the tape at the beginning of the show, but that was the first and the last time. Ratings are one thing, but I refuse to get them while giving a mass murderer the fame and glory he craved.

Nancy Grace hosts her own show right here on CNN Headline News, like I need to tell you that. It`s the number-one show on the network. Nancy, you have decided not to run the clips of this guy anymore, right? First of all, thank you.

NANCY GRACE, CNN HOST: That is correct, Glenn. We are not running it anymore.

BECK: OK.

GRACE: But here`s the reason. The reality is that everyone wanted to see the clips, just as an old trial lawyer like myself wants to look at the evidence and see what we can learn from it.

BECK: Right.

GRACE: Are there clues that we can learn? Can we figure out who, what, where, why and when? The reality is, this guy is so full of hatred all the ramblings are alike. If you hear the very beginning, the middle, the end, it`s all hateful and bitter. We really don`t learn anything more about the murders.

BECK: OK.

GRACE: So why continue to hurt the victims?

BECK: Well, you know, it kills me. I actually saw NBC`s explanation. They said, "We promise that we will only take up 10 percent of our broadcast day with these clips." And I thought, "Oh, gee, wow, only 10 percent." I did the same thing. The only thing I learned from these clips is, I don`t believe this guy was "insane." I think there was a lot more going on here.

GRACE: Listen, if you know how to set up a tripod, and record yourself, and you are cool, calm and collected during a mass killing, to kill a couple of people and then go mail a package to NBC studios in New York, you are not insane. He is obviously full of hatred, and bitterness, and spewing it everywhere, and I`m not having him spew it on our show tonight.

BECK: But he also is -- he`s just looking for fame. That`s all -- I mean, it`s so clear.

GRACE: Well, you can say that about a lot of killers, Glenn, and I`m glad that we are reporting on it. A lot of people are saying that running these clips at all is giving him the publicity he wants to. Hey, you know what? If you don`t want publicity for murder trials, why do we even have open courtrooms? Why don`t we shut the public out totally? So I don`t buy that argument either.

BECK: OK. Hang on just a second. Did you struggle with it all? Because I got up this morning, and I was driving to work at 6:00, and I`m thinking -- I had not seen the tapes yet. And I`m listening to the radio, and I`m hearing them. And part of me said, "I can`t wait to see these tapes," but the other part was, "I don`t want to play them. I think I`m giving him exactly what I want." Did you struggle with this decision at all?

GRACE: Well, I originally wanted to air them, until I found out what was in them, and I learned they don`t advance the case any further at all. All our show would then become is a pulpit for him to preach and yell and rant...

BECK: Yes.

GRACE: ... and then just spew his bitterness and that`s not what we`re about.

BECK: Were you at all struck by, when he said he was like Jesus and he was, you know, dying so other people could, you know, pick up the cause, et cetera, et cetera, and I thought to myself...

GRACE: Yes, I was struck. I was struck like a kick in the pants, like a kick in the teeth, that he would dare compare himself to Christ. But if you take a look at all of his ramblings, that was just one of so many that didn`t make sense. He had this complex, me against you, and he basically hated everyone.

BECK: Right. No, but I was meaning was, the fact that he was -- do you believe that the media can help create any more of these people? There are probably -- I mean, there`s got to be thousands of people that are as nuts as this guy was that could now watch this over and over again and say, "Wow, I can become famous, and I can do these kinds of things, and that guy makes sense." Do we play in the media any role in something like that?

GRACE: Glenn, I don`t think the media creates a monster. I think they expose it.

BECK: I would agree with you that we do expose it, but you don`t think we play any role at all in what -- I mean, what we are as a culture? I mean, don`t get me wrong. We`re not forcing it on people. Everybody wants to consume it. This is what they want to eat, but we`re feeding them.

GRACE: Glenn, no offense, but you`re giving yourself way too much credit, dear friend, really. You`re giving yourself all types of power to create monsters out there.

Listen, after all the years I prosecuted real monsters, believe me, the media did not create the monsters. They`re there already. Watching news reports may give them a new idea, but the monster is already there, waiting to be let out.

BECK: Nancy Grace, thank you. Don`t forget you can catch Nancy tonight, 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. We`ll be back with a final thought in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right, let`s get to the e-mail.

In Tampa, Brad writes, "Glenn, I heard you talking about Mitt Romney`s fundraising the other day. Have you looked at this endorsement count on TheHill.com?"

Brad, I mean, that`s tempting, sure, but I`m trying to have a life. It is, yes, no, it`s still 2007, so I have time, but it is my job, so, of the major candidates, here we go. Hillary Clinton has 27 endorsements from senators or congressmen; John McCain has 26; Edwards 14; Giuliani 13; Obama 12. But Mitt Romney tops the list with 28.

Now, I know what you`re thinking. "Yes, but if they`re all from Utah," well, actually, in fact, while the Democratic candidates have most of their endorsements from inside their home states -- for example, 22 of Hillary`s 27, or 81 percent, come from New York -- but none of Mitt Romney`s come from Massachusetts. What a surprise. And only two of his 28 come from Utah, with his endorsements coming from 15 different states.

But, honestly, with this Congress, I think this is something that I would use all those fundraising dollars to hide. Instead of asking for endorsements, I`d ask them to publicly say, "I hate his guts," but that`s just me.

Thomas in Pennsylvania writes in, "How come gas prices are rising over $2.80 and the media hasn`t the mentioned it? The media needs to put some attention onto the issues and make these oil companies change. This pressure has worked in the past, and it will work now."

Yes, Thomas, gas prices are up, $2.87 a gallon nationwide, but, you know, I get it. It`s 30 cents hike in the last month, but really the things that, you know, I worry about the media not covering -- look, if we don`t pay attention to the constantly brewing firestorm in the Middle East, particularly in Iran, you`re going to be begging for the days when gas was only three bucks a gallon.

Tom writes in with his media correction. "Virginia Tech was not the worst mass murder in U.S. history. 1927, Bath, Michigan, Andrew Kehoe killed 43 people with explosives. He blew up a school. Check it out."

Actually, you`re right. The worst mass murder at a school was Andrew Kehoe in 1927, who actually killed 45 people that day. Kehoe was the treasurer of the school board, and he first blew up his house, then the school, then his car, with him in it. He apparently spent months lining the school with explosives to punish the town. What did he want to punish them for? He thought taxes were too high. Yes, you thought you were mad at, you know, for writing that check to the IRS earlier this week.

From New York, good night.

END