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Glenn Beck

Did YouTube Debate Jump the Shark?; Senators Call for Pardoning Border Agents; Credit Cards for Kids?

Aired July 24, 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, fall-out from the YouTube debate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, what will you do to ensure that my son will live a full and happy life.

BECK: This is the groundbreaking event everybody thought it would be? With 16 long months still to go, how much more can we take?

Plus, the latest on the border agents Ramos and Compean. We`ll talk to one U.S. senator who`s going to ask the president to commute the sentences of these two political prisoners.

And a new low for Lohan, Lindsay Lohan, booked on suspicion of driving under then influence, yet again. Oh, and cocaine possession, too, and it`s just days out of rehab. Who would have seen this one coming?

All this and more, tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Hello, America.

I want to spend a couple of minutes, just a couple, I promise you, on last night`s Democratic candidates debate. Believe me, I know, you`re probably like me. You could care less and you`d rather blow your head off than hear anything about this debate. But give me a couple of seconds, because that`s part of what I want to talk to you about.

What really made me just -- honestly, made me want to shoot my TV like Elvis used to do is this: all of last night`s questions were courtesy of the fine folks over at YouTube. That`s right, YouTube, the web site where you waste time at work looking at videos of cats playing the piano? Yes.

So here`s the point tonight. After last night`s debate, the presidential election has finally jumped the shark. We are still a year and half away from the `08 election, and they`re already using gimmicks and stunts just to keep us interested. And it`s not working. And here`s how I got there.

Ah, YouTube. What an amazing thing. That is supposed to be the democratic web site where anyone can post their video and broadcast themselves in a shared web experience. Wow. That`s a bit lofty, isn`t it?

I mean, you know, come on. If anything, YouTube proves that video cameras are way too cheap. We need to start putting warning labels on handy cams so people can think about what they`re doing before they tape their knucklehead friends having Wiffle bat fights.

I`m just saying any web site with 51 videos of people burping the alphabet really shouldn`t be the source of questions to the potential next president. Maybe it`s just me.

Here`s a look at one of the deep political thinkers who shared his web experience with the candidates last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Democratic candidates. I`ve been growing concerned that global warming, the single most important issue to the snow men of this country, is being neglected. As president, what will you do to ensure that my son will live a full and happy life? Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Sorry, America. We`re never going to get those last 19 seconds back ever. My life is gone, 19 seconds.

Crap like that makes the good old days of "boxers or briefs" questions seem like the Nixon/Kennedy debates, don`t they?

I love the political process, probably more than most. I`m genuinely interested, because I think our children`s lives depend on the solutions of our next possible president. But even I bolted for the remote after a few minutes of the stupid snowman wasting my time.

The snowman was bad enough. But then the candidates actually made their own YouTube music videos. Sure, John Edwards` -- I`m not kidding you -- was mostly about his hair, which got me to thinking, maybe the candidates all got together, and they decided to approach this election like the movie "The Producers".

You know, if they make the election seem as ridiculous and unwatchable as possible, then maybe they just figure that we`ll all tune out and they can do whatever they want. Though, after last night, I honestly can`t imagine what nonsense anyone could come up with next.

So tonight, here`s what you need to know. It took Fonzie five years before he had to leap a great white on water-skis to keep us from changing the channel. It took the candidates five months to stoop even lower.

In the good old day, you knew that the only channel the politicians were on, C-SPAN. You know, that way, you could avoid them at all costs. But in today`s 24-hour news universe, there`s no such luck. They`re everywhere, and they will obviously do anything to get you to watch.

Think about it. In this campaign season, candidates will spend literally $1 billion to get you to vote for them. If last night was a look how they plan on spending their money and our time, election day is going to feel a lot longer than just 16 months away.

Funny thing is, at least the YouTube clowns asking the questions last night seemed oddly genuine. It was the candidates, at least to me, that seemed silly and insincere.

Michael Graham hosts his own show on 96.9 FM, WTKK, in Boston. And Peter Fenn is a Democratic strategist and former advisor to Al Gore.

Mike, let me start with you. How is it, in the world today that we live in, we can go without two words being uttered, and they were Islamic extremism?

MICHAEL GRAHAM, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Gee, I was looking for Glenn Beck to be mentioned last night.

By the way, if you think I didn`t recognize your voice on the snowman, that is so obviously you.

BECK: I don`t know what you`re talking about?

GRAHAM: I don`t know why you`re laughing.

BECK: I don`t know what you`re talking about.

GRAHAM: I honestly believe that the YouTubers did a far better job than the candidates did. Did something happen? I don`t know if it was because it was the Citadel and there was kind of that long gray line and toughness. I don`t know whether it was the silliness of the videos.

I actually -- the candidates actually tell them the truth. When they asked that question about would you draft teenage girls into the military, and they all said yes, as a former GOP political consolidate, I almost fell over. What, you admitted it? You answered the question?

So I don`t know. I think you`re missing the silver lining here behind what YouTube portrayed as actually a huge dark cloud.

BECK: OK. Wait a minute. Hang on just a second. Peter, do you believe that?

PETER FENN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Listen, first of all, Glenn, I thought you were Dennis Kucinich on the end there, and all dressed up. I was sure that was you.

BECK: I mean, please.

FENN: Listen, I was roaring with laughter here. After all, what do we expect here, Lincoln-Douglass in this kind of environment?

BECK: I mean, try to shoot a little higher.

FENN: Let me take another view. I thought the questioners -- you know, they got to the issues in an unorthodox way that brought in the AK-47 or even bigger than the AK-47 and wanted to know about gun control.

But I really thought that you had candidates who were excited by this crazy format. I mean, they were -- I never heard Joe Biden so energized or Chris Dodd.

BECK: I said to Anderson Cooper on the radio, when he was on the radio, I said, "Anderson, why don`t we just get tiki torches and an immunity challenge?"

GRAHAM: You mean -- I know what the next stage is going to be. The candidates themselves will be animated. Animated characters. For the first time ever, Dennis Kucinich will be as tall as his wife. It will be magnificent.

BECK: How can we not have the two words "Islamic extremism" uttered in a presidential candidate, from a presidential debate at this time in our world`s history? How can that not happen?

FENN: Listen, I could -- they talked about Iraq in very detailed terms.

BECK: I`m not talking about Iraq.

FENN: I understand that, but they weren`t asked about your friend, Musharraf, in this debate either.

But you know, the whole point, Glenn, is I thought you had, with as many darned candidates -- and first of all, I think we ought to do what we do with digital photography, you know. We had Kucinich on the right. We had our Frank Revel (ph) on the left. Just go in a little tighter and push them off the side.

But be that as it may, that still leaves you with six. You know, I thought there was good give-and-take.

BECK: Why are we starting so early? Nobody cares. We all want to hang ourselves.

FENN: Well, you`re wrong, Glenn. Look, the American people right now are unbelievably energized about politics.

BECK: No.

FENN: Over 70 percent of the people are paying a great deal of attention, as opposed to four years ago when only about 35 percent.

BECK: You know how they`re paying attention? Correct me if I`m wrong, Michael.

You know how they`re paying attention? They`re fashioning pitchforks and torches. That -- these people are not genuine at all. And I say that about the Republicans, too. There`s a couple of moments where you`re like, OK, that`s genuine, but most of it is the same old bull crap where they`ve erased common sense. And they`re not -- you know why you like the YouTube people? Because they were real people.

GRAHAM: That`s right. And they asked questions in a real way that I think accidentally spurred people to give real answers. I mean, I was stunned to see a guy who wants to be president of the United States, running for the president of the United States, look in the cameras, Richardson, and say, "I want to give healthcare to illegal immigrants because they`re Americans." He said that!

Now all Americans should have healthcare: South Americans, Central Americans.

BECK: Well, I got to ask you this. Did anybody see the "Wall Street Journal" today?

BECK: No. In the "Wall Street Journal", you`ve got -- this is worth looking up. It`s the op-ed piece of the "Wall Street Journal" today, where they are talking about the courageous Democrats in the Senate of Wisconsin that are now proposing that everybody gets universal healthcare in the state of Wisconsin.

It is going to cost $15.2 billion. That`s three billion more than the state brings in on all income tax, on all corporate tax and all sales taxes. When you break it down, it just doesn`t work and it shows, and they`re really seriously proposing this, they want to push it through.

It shows how it is just going to drive that state and -- and drive companies out of that state and out of doing business there. But at least these people have the courage to tell the truth about healthcare and what it`s really going to cost.

FENN: And you have a president right now who`s going to get himself in unbelievable hot water with Republican governors and Democratic governors by cutting the CHIP program. I don`t know whether that`s the...

BECK: Don`t you dear spin it like that, Peter. Cutting the CHIP program. They`re trying to raise...

(CROSSTALK)

FENN: You two Republicans, I`m for the Schwarzenegger plan and the Romney plan. Come on, the Massachusetts plan.

BECK: Wait a minute. Conservatives are supposed to be for that. In exactly which way, Peter?

Guys, I`ve got to -- I`ve got to run. Thank you, Peter and Michael.

GRAHAM: My pleasure.

BECK: Coming up, we are following the story of injustice done to jailed border agents Ramos and Compean. Now, two U.S. senators are asking the president to commute their sentences. Is justice finally on the way? We`ve got one of the senators. He`s going to be with me next.

Plus, the "New York Times" reports that we`re going to be in Iraq until 2009. Really? "New York Times" has it wrong yet again. We`re going to be there a little longer. Like, forever. And I`ll explain in tonight`s "Real Story".

And Lohan`s fully loaded again. Two weeks after checking out of rehab, Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan is back in handcuffs for another DUI and a little something extra on the side. Stick around. We should throw her in jail. I`ll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, it came as a shock to me this morning. Lindsay Lohan is in trouble with the law. I wept like a 4-year-old girl. I did. Put her in jail where she belongs. Details coming up.

But first, happy illegal alien day to all of you watching from New Haven, Connecticut. Buenos tardes, I think. I`m not sure. I never got those right, but you`re going to have to learn which is which, coming up soon in New Haven.

Today the city became the first in the country to issue city I.D. cards to all of its residents. An estimated 10 percent are here illegally. Sure, the card will let them open up bank accounts, which is no problem in this day and age, and pay parking meters.

But far more importantly, it will act as a beacon to any other illegal immigrant who are in this country, looking for place to look past the whole illegal part and focus more on the immigrant aspect.

Meanwhile, down in Washington, where our leader`s failure has acted to, well, create this whole mess in the first place, a hearing was held yesterday over the release of government document -- documents related to the prosecution of U.S. border agents Ramos and Compean, both of whom are currently serving over a decade in prison for shooting a drug-dealer cartel member in the butt.

The judge won`t rule before Friday, but last week at a town hall forum, we got a rare look at how the president views this case when he was asked if he would promise to pardon the agents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know it`s an emotional issue. But people need to look at the facts. These men were convicted by a jury of their peers after listening to the facts as my friend, Johnny Sutton, presented them. But anyway, no, I won`t make you that promise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Weird. The same thing happened with Scooter Libby, didn`t it? That`s weird. Oh, and O.J. Simpson, too, a jury found him not guilty.

The president isn`t going to promise anything. This is far from over. After a hearing last week with senators John Cornyn and Dianne Feinstein, they have now written the president a letter urging him to commute the agents` sentences immediately.

Senator Cornyn is here. What are the odds that the president is even going to listen to you?

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: I hope so. That`s the reason we wrote the letter.

BECK: I have noticed that you didn`t attach a phone number to it. Does he have your number to call?

CORNYN: He knows how to get a hold of me.

BECK: OK. It`s a -- really, it`s an excellent letter where you lay out all of the facts. I find it amazing that just last week, as we played the audio a second ago, that he says that he`s not going to promise the American people anything. He wishes that they would -- they would listen to the jury.

Couldn`t the same thing be said for Scooter Libby?

CORNYN: Well, of course. I think, you know, the important message is, Glenn, that no one is above the law, no one is beneath the law and that we have this concept of equal justice.

So if Mr. Libby is going to be considered for commutation, I think these Border Patrol agents ought to be considered, as well, and that`s what we`ve asked the president to do.

BECK: You know, I don`t know if you know this. Yesterday, there was another -- there was another hearing. There was a court case that went through with Judicial Watch. And the Justice Department`s response was -- and I want to read this -- "We don`t believe there`s sufficient public interest that outweighs privacy interests."

So in other words, what they`re saying is, we`re not going to release any of the documents, because we don`t think the public`s right to know is as good as the privacy of the cartel member.

What happened? How is this upside down?

CORNYN: Well, that sounds ridiculous to me. I happen to believe that the public does have a right to know what government is doing. There can be some instances where the need for confidentiality is -- is present, but this kind of idea that, you know, you don`t need know as much as we need to keep it secret just strikes me as a bad formulation.

BECK: It -- it doesn`t work, and I`ve got to tell you, Senator. This is what leads people to conspiracy theories on this. If you say on one hand people just need to know all of the facts, you can`t then at the same time obstruct people from getting to those documents and seeing those documents.

I mean, all the way with you, they`ve been -- they`ve had homeland security in the Capitol building say, "No, no, no, we`ve got some evidence that you guys don`t know about." When Congressmen asked for those documents, did you ever see them?

CORNYN: Well, they may or may not. I mean, to tell you the truth, a lot of classified briefings that I`ve had here since I`ve been in the Senate, you can learn just as much by watching cable TV and -- and reading the newspaper.

You know, and a lot of this secrecy interest really is -- goes overboard. And I think sometimes it`s just a matter of bureaucrats trying to cover their -- cover their trail.

BECK: I know Congressman Tancredo is trying to cut the funds to imprison these two guys. Is there any chance that`s going to work? How do you think this whole thing is going to end?

CORNYN: I don`t see how cutting the funds to keep these Border Patrol in prison is -- how that will work. Maybe somebody`s got a better idea that I haven`t -- that I don`t understand. I think in the end, commutation of the sentence is the appropriate way to go. You know, first of all...

BECK: Do you think it will, Senator?

CORNYN: I mean, I`m hopeful. That`s the reason why Senator Feinstein and I wrote the letter. That`s what I think the attention that you and others are directing this issue is helpful, because I think the more people learn about it, the more concerned they get.

BECK: Senator, thank you so much.

And just a reminder: there are three men serving time unjustly for simply trying to protect our borders. Even one day behind bars is too much. And as you can see, it`s been much more than one day. Support them now by ordering a T-shirt at GlennBeck.com.

Coming up, your kids and credit companies. They`re now marketing prepaid debit cards to kids as young as 7 years old. Good lesson in spending or a recipe for future disasters?

And speaking of disasters, Lindsay Lohan busted again. DUI arrest this morning, now felony charges and possible jail time. Good. Details coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, if you`re a parent like me, I`ll bet you`ve been thinking to yourself, "Jeez, if there was just some way that my 7-year-old could have a credit card." Well, the gods have been listening!

The super geniuses over at Visa and Mastercard are now ready to roll out with their new debit cards that look and feel just like the real plastic that plunged Mom and Dad into crippling debt!

While some say this plan is a great way to educate kids about spending, to me it seems more like a slippery slope right to baby`s first bankruptcy.

Edmund Mierzwinski is a consumer advocate for the U.S. Public Interest Advocacy Group.

Ed, wow, let`s play devil`s advocate here for a second. They will tell you that this is a good way to keep tabs on what your kids are spending.

EDMUND MIERZWINSKI, U.S. PUBLIC INTEREST ADVOCACY GROUP: Absolutely wrong. It`s giving the banks the opportunity to put these cards in kids` hands, is essentially like the tobacco company selling candy cigarettes to youth and then getting them hooked early. And it`s just an unbelievable idea. They`re the fox guarding the chicken coop.

BECK: I`ve got to tell you, Ed. I`m so glad that you said that about the tobacco company. Because I think it`s American Express that is now the sponsor of Barbie`s cash register. AMX or Visa is a sponsor on the game of Life. This is Joe Camel.

MIERZWINSKI: It`s the commercialization of youth. The corporate culture has integrated itself into kids` playtime. All -- all products are wanting to get into your hand as early as possible. If they can hook you at birth, they`ve got you for life is really their strategy.

And the debit card flows right into the credit card. Americans are carrying $800 billion of credit card debt. It`s an average of $10,000 per person who carries debt. Half of us use them as convenience cards. The other half carry that debt.

BECK: It is really truly remarkable to me, that 20 percent of all bankrupts that happen in America are happening with college kids. Twenty percent! The average persons leaves college with three or four credit cards and $3,000 in debt on credit cards, and about $20,000 in debt -- I mean, how do you ever get out of that?

MIERZWINSKI: What`s really sad is that a lot of students, because of the crippling cost of college, are paying for college on their credit cards.

And the student loan companies, the credit card companies are all part of the banking system. They all want a piece of the action. And they don`t care if 20 percent of the people file for bankruptcy because they raise the rates on everyone else.

BECK: You know, it is amazing to me, you know, even though Robert F. Kennedy calls me a fascist and a corporate toady, a shill for corporations. This is the debt -- I`m a capitalist, man. I love making money. I love the ability to make money in this country and the freedom to do so.

But we have unbridled capitalism. And I don`t want government butting the bridle on it. I think we have a responsibility to bridle ourselves and say, no, I can market to kids, but I`m not going to.

MIERZWINSKI: That`s absolutely right. And by the way, there is a web site, TruthAboutCredit.org, where we talk about how to get out of credit card debt and how to avoid the card trap.

And credit card companies are also marketing actual credit cards on college campuses today, and they`re looking at giving away Frisbees and footballs and T-shirts to take applications.

BECK: Ed, thanks a lot.

MIERZWINSKI: Thank you.

BECK: And coming up next, remember the flying imams? They sued the airline passengers who alerted authorities about the imams` creepy behavior. We`re going to have the "Real Story" on the legislation decided to -- designed to protect the people who speak up when they see something strange, and why it will likely never become law, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Why Lindsay Lohan is not in jail is beyond me. By now, you know the headline. She was caught with cocaine after being pulled over for drunk driving this morning. I guess the ankle monitor didn`t really do the trick, huh? This time, though, it may cost her more than just another stint in rehab, details in just a big.

But first, welcome to the "Real Story". A big, front page headline in the "The New York Times" this morning declared that the U.S. will be in Iraq until -- are you ready for this? -- 2009! For anyone who`s shocked by that, I`ve got some really, really bad news for you. The real story is we`ve been planning to be in Iraq a lot longer than that.

I`d like to introduce you to our new American embassy in Baghdad. When it`s completed in the next couple of months, it will encompass 27 buildings on 104 acres. That`s about two-thirds the size of the National Mall in Washington and the same size as the Vatican.

But wait, there`s more! It will house over a thousand people. It will have a pool, a rec center, food court, a cozy 16,000 square foot apartment, for our ambassador, and it`s own water and electricity supply because, you know, the Iraqi infrastructure -- not that reliable.

It will also have the distinct honor of being the largest U.S. embassy anywhere on planet earth. But hey, if this were just about dropping another $600 million in Iraq, I wouldn`t be telling you about it. But it`s not. There`s also the matter of Balad Air Force Base, about 40 miles north of Baghdad. With 20,000 troops, 15 square miles of space, and over 27,000 takeoffs and landings a month, Balad`s air traffic is on par with that of most major U.S. cities. And it`s likely to become one of four "superbases" on the planet, where all of the U.S. forces will consolidate once they`re off the front lines.

They say you can measure someone`s true intentions by what they say -- not by what they say, but by what they do. When it comes to Iraq, our actions are speaking a heck of a lot louder than our words. A few months back, when the artist renderings of the base -- that I just showed you -- when they first came ,out and they first became public, the government said please don`t show those. They said it was for security reasons.

Yeah. I think it`s because they prove the truth. Like Germany, like the Philippines, like Japan, Iraq is in our long-term strategic interests, and we have no intention of leaving -- possibly, ever.

Jed Babbin is a former deputy undersecretary of Defense and author of a great book, "In the Words of Our Enemies."

Jed, did you laugh when you saw "The New York Times" story today?

JED BABBIN, FMR. UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, I laugh at virtually everything "The New York Times" prints. But this one really did bring a little bit of a chuckle. Obviously, we`re going to be there for a very long time. I mean this whole embassy deal has been very public for a very long time. Why is it a big surprise? Maybe "The Times" just doesn`t read, I don`t know, "The Washington Post"

BECK: Yeah, look, I mean, you have to look at people like -- what`s her name? The anti-war activist, that tries -- Cindy Sheehan, and say, "Cindy, this is why Nancy Pelosi is not pulling everybody out right away, because everybody knows you don`t spend almost three quarters of a billion dollars on the largest base -- I`m sorry, the largest embassy in the world, and then just walk away.

BABBIN: Sure. Obviously, we`re planning on things being bad there very long. What does it tell you, that you have to build such a huge embassy with all that internal infrastructure. Obviously, the living environment in Baghdad is not something we expect to improve any time soon.

BECK: Right. I mean, I have no problem that we have a pool in there, and everything else.

BABBIN: Sure.

BECK: Because you`re not going to be able to leave the compound. It is 80 football fields inside. But what people have to understand is, that speaks volumes of what we`re doing over there and what our long-term plan is. The base, do you look at this as the new Ramstein?

BABBIN: Well, it could very well be. It depends on what we put on it. But basically, the base, if it gets built -- and the Democrats, I think, are now trying to stop the funding for it. There`s legislation that up in the House this week to do that.

BECK: Really?

BABBIN: If it gets built, I think it will be probably a new Ramstein, with just as big a hospital, and it will provide a lot of flexibility for the force, whatever force we have in the Middle East.

BECK: To me, again, it speaks volumes that this stuff is just underneath the surface. That you`re not really hearing a lot about it. This is -- these are the legs of the table, you know what I mean? This shows, I think, our real intention on both sides of the aisle, that this is in our strategic interest. We`re not going anywhere in the Middle East.

BABBIN: Well, both sides of the aisle are not on the same part of the table, if you will. We have a situation, again, where the Democrats are now trying to cut off funding to build Balad Air Force Base. And the folks in the Senate, Jim Webb, is apparently going to introduce a bill there to try to stop it. So, if it gets built, you`re right, it will be a big commitment.

BECK: Do you really think we spend three quarters of a billion dollars on an embassy and then walk away from it?

BABBIN: I think we very could, in the atmosphere, in this House of Representatives, and in this Senate, I think that could very well happen, Glenn.

BECK: Unbelievable.

BABBIN: Because people are off their rockers.

BECK: Thanks, Jed.

Next, every time you hear that there`s a threat of a terror attack, you can take it to the bank, that that night, if you come home and turn the television you`ll hear something like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, DIR., HOMELAND SECURITY: Our edge is technology -- and the vigilance of the ordinary citizen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This incident does recall the need for us to be vigilant at all times.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We constantly work against this everyday. We need the vigilance, not only of our officials but of the American people.

CHERTOFF: Now, one of the principle ways, of course, we try to protect against that is with vigilance.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: We ask that the public remain vigilant. If you see something, say something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: That kills me. You can combine all the security cameras, and the police dogs, the CIA agents and still don`t even come close to equaling the importance of the public in keeping us all safe. Billion dollar satellites didn`t thwart a massacre at Fort Dix. An alert Circuit City employee did.

Unfortunately, if some in Congress -- Democrats -- if they get their way, the real story is that public vigilance will be nothing but a relic from the past. A bill that will protect citizens from being sued if they act in good faith by alerting authorities of something suspicious is quietly being lobbied against by Democrats like Harry Reid, John Conyers and Patrick Leahy because "it might invite profiling."

You know that is nothing more than a simplistic argument meant to tug at the heartstrings of good Americans. If I see someone waiting for a plane with a wick coming out of their shoe, I`m not looking -- not at the color of their skin, but for a cop. It`s not about profiling. It`s about common sense. And common sense, at least to me, means we shouldn`t be vilifying the vigilant.

Congressman Peter King is with us.

Congressman, last time you were on this program with me, you said you thought this thing was going to pass. Do you really still believe that now?

REP. PETER KING (R) NEW YORK: Well, it passed the House. Right now a majority of senators want it to pass. Right now, it`s in the conference committee as part of the overall Homeland Security bill, and there are Democrats doing all they can to kill it. They don`t want it to see the light of day.

BECK: This is not a partisan thing. It had bipartisan support when you put it together. Now, it has become a partisan thing with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Why?

KING: All I can think of, Glenn -- believe me, I tried to figure this out myself -- is that the left wing, the liberal base of the Democratic Party, whenever you want to take really tough stands against terrorism, even common sense stands against terrorism, they rebel against that. They`re saying this is going to lead racial profiling. They`re saying that somehow it`s going to be discriminatory. All of which is nonsense.

The bill says that you have to truthfully report, in good faith, any suspicious activity which could be criminal or other terrorist crimes. And that`s it.

BECK: Congressman, you know, and I know, that if you can be sued for pointing something out, nobody`s going to say anything at the airport. Nobody`s going to do it. Why would you take the risk?

KING: It will have a tremendously chilling impact. It`s going to -- you know, because people will be afraid of losing their homes, or losing their life savings, all because they do what everyone in government has told them to do since 9/11, if you see something, say something. Because -- you`re right, you can have all the FBI agents you want, all the police you want. We need the eyes and ears of tens and tens of millions of good Americans who report suspicious activity. That`s what saved us in Fort Dix. That`s what is absolutely essential and for some reason this hardcore liberal base of the Democratic Party is fighting all they can to keep this out.

BECK: Nancy Pelosi had a news conference last week, just prior to Democrats cutting this out of the Homeland Security legislation.

She said, quote, "We promised you answers, we promised you a safer America, hopefully this legislation will fulfill the rest of the promise."

Congratulations to the Democrats for finally putting in the rest of the proposals from the 9/11 Commission, but, God help us, how can you say this, when you`re taking out common sense at the same time?

KING: Glenn, you cannot have a Homeland Security bill if you`re not protecting the people, who in good faith come forward, and report a suspicious terrorist activity. It`s absolutely absurd. It`s a disgrace.

And by the way, even on the 9/11 bill, itself, we adopted much of the 9/11 Commission`s recommendations before this. And they have left out very key parts in their bill. I would still vote for it, though, if they include this language in there, which protects good Americans who come forward.

BECK: We`re counting on Joe Lieberman, to get this through the Senate now, aren`t we?

KING: Joe Lieberman is -- Joe Lieberman is the best. He is standing like the rock of Gibraltar. He is absolutely terrific. He`s a great ally to have. He`s a person who does not think in terms of Democrats and Republican. To him it`s Americans versus terrorists. He`s on the side of the Americans.

BECK: Peter, keep us up to speed on this. Congressman, I appreciate it.

KING: I will.

BECK: And Joe Lieberman, fight the good fight. Continue to do it. "Real Story" tonight, that`s it.

Coming up, I`ll tell you what Michael Jackson and these prison inmates in the Philippines have in common. I don`t even begin to understand this story. Maybe you will, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, just because Rosie O`Donnell is off the show doesn`t mean that "The View" is any less lunatic. Take a look at today`s coffee klatch, as the ladies discuss the news of Lindsay Lohan`s latest arrest for driving under the influence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA WALTERS, HOST, "THE VIEW": I like Lindsay Lohan. She`s a good actress. I thought she was a nice girl. I still do -- and this is sad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she`s a great girl. I think that any time success comes so young to kids, it`s a difficult thing to handle. And none of us really know what that`s like.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m sure she`s really trying to make an effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: What`s up, Crazy Town? What are you talking about? She`s a grownup. There`s no more "A" for effort. Lindsay Lohan -- first of all, Barbara, not a great actress. Have you seen her movies?

Whether or not she`s a sweet girl, she`s obviously in trouble here. And as far as making an effort goes, could we stop giving the trophies to the losers? How much effort does it take to not get behind the wheel after you`ve been drinking? Not a lot, I`m thinking. This is Lohan`s second DUI. This time she was also allegedly caught with a little cocaine.

So, I say we save our sympathy for people who deserve. You know, like those that Lohan might hurt the next time she fills herself with booze and drugs before taking a joyride. Maybe it`s just me.

Julia Allison is the editor-at-large for "Star" magazine.

Julia, a little harsh?

JULIA ALLISON, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "STAR": No. Glenn, Glenn, you`re right. Come on. Are you serious? Lindsay Lohan, let`s have sympathy for her? She could have killed someone. I don`t think this is something we should take lightly. And to dismiss it, oh, she`s a good actress. She`s a good actress who is about to commit manslaughter.

BECK: You know what, I had a guy call me today, and I felt bad afterwards. This guy called me from -- I don`t remember where it was, Virginia, I think. I`m a recovering alcoholic. People who are drinking, I guess they think they`re going to get sympathy from alcoholics. He called me up and said, my life stinks, and I don`t know what -- I said, did you go to AA? Oh, I don`t know. I`m going to think about that. I`m not sure. But I`m thinking about killing myself.

I`m like -- you`ve got two choices. If you`re an alcoholic, you have two choices. You will either kill you, you`ll die, or somebody else around you will die because of alcoholism, or you are going to choose to live. Lindsay Lohan is choosing to be in jail. And quite honestly, choosing to either kill herself -- or someone else.

ALLISON: Or someone else, exactly. Honestly, listen, if these young Hollywood starlets, and it`s with Paris, Nicole, now Lindsay and -- boy, I`m sure Britney is not far behind. If they want to hurt themselves, fine, but don`t you dare get into a car and endanger someone else`s life.

BECK: I have to tell you, I pray every night -- and I mean this sincerely, I get down on my knees every night and say, dear, Lord, please, can we have a Hollywood black-out?

ALLISON: Protect Lindsay Lohan -- no, no!

BECK: No more Lindsay Lohan stories, please.

ALLISON: Well, it`s horrible. I mean, she didn`t take rehab seriously at all. "Star" magazine reported more than two weeks ago that she wasn`t taking it seriously. She was bringing in various contraband drugs, she was text messaging during her rehab meetings. I mean, you and I know, that`s not taking it seriously. She`s not going to deal with her problem in an effective manner by doing it that way.

And this -- this, to top it off! I mean, it`s like -- you can`t make this stuff up!

BECK: Danny Bonaduce, when he was on the program, we were talking about Paris Hilton, or something. And he said, no, I`ll tell you who to watch -- and he called it like Babe Ruth, when Babe Ruth pointed out --he called it. He said, you know the next celebrity that`s going to be dead, Lindsay Lohan. This was like eight months ago.

Let me ask you this question: Why is it these people who have all this money and all this fame, and the drinking problems, don`t seem to have a number to a cab or driver?

ALLISON: Great question. Exactly. Where are all the drivers? They can certainly afford them. Right? Why don`t they call them? Listen, I think it comes down to this. The reason that she continues to do this kind of thing. No one has told her "no". Not her mother, not her father, not her agents. No one. The only person who can tell her no apparently is going to be a judge.

BECK: Either that or the grim reaper.

ALLISON: Right. Exactly. You know, it`s just -- oh, it`s so sad.

BECK: Julia, thank you so much. You`re probably the only person who could have made this story entertaining for me.

ALLISON: Oh, thanks, Glenn.

BECK: I mean, that. Thanks a lot.

All right, time to go from a girl who`s wasting everyone`s time, to another who`s trying to save everyone some waste. Another awkward uncomfortable segue here; 14-year-old Savannah Walters is taking it upon herself now to save America billions of gallons of gas. That`s right, billions. She is today`s "CNN Hero".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, go ahead, when you`re ready.

SAVANNAH WALTERS, CNN HERO: Yeah. I`m worried about the future because I don`t want to live in a yucky world where there is no clean water to drink, and no clean air to breathe.

If we drill in the Arctic Refuge, we`re going to hurt lots of animals and people. It`s just not fair.

I`m Savannah Walters and I`m teaching people to pump up their tires to save the Arctic Refuge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was on a photo assignment in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Ever since then, I`ve been involved in environmental activism. One night the phone rang, and this little girl said, "I`m Savannah Rose Walters. And I`m nine years old and my mom said I could call you."

WALTERS: He`s the one that told me that Americans waste millions of gas a day by driving on under-inflated tires. And I said, "Why don`t they just pump them up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, why don`t you ask them to? And so she did.

WALTERS: I got permission to go and put tire gauges flyers and balloons on everybody`s car in the local train station, explaining to people how they could pump up and check their tires.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My first reaction was, why didn`t I think of that? And I think that was only the beginning of her education of me.

WALTERS: Do you know how to check your tires? So, easy. You want to look for the PSI and that`s pounds per square inch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh-huh.

WALTERS: If you pump up your tires, your tires will last a lot longer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh. Good to know.

WALTERS: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 33?

WALTERS: That`s about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, hot doggy.

WALTERS: OK, you can keep the tire gauge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to check this once a week?

WALTERS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Thank you very much.

WALTERS: Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Savannah Rose is doing what she`s doing because she wants to do it. And she understands that she needs to do it for things to get better.

WALTERS: It`s just about protecting the planet and wanting to live in a clean world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: I just want to tell you, just because I thought last night`s YouTube presidential debate was -- a tad ridiculous, it doesn`t mean I completely hate YouTube. I don`t. There`s a video making the rounds right now that you are not gonna believe.

It comes from, of all places, a Philippine prison, right onto YouTube. What you are about to see are actual inmates. And what they are doing is part of their rehabilitation. Cruel and unusual punishment? You decide for yourself.

(BEGIN MUSIC VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL JACKSON`S "THRILLER", SPEAKING PART.

BECK: Look. Watch this next scene. Look how many people are involved here. It`s like a Communists -- it`s like when they rolled the tanks out for the parade, you know what I mean?

It is absolutely unbelievable. I don`t know how this works for your rehabilitation. I guess it makes you feel good about yourself, that you can reenact a Michael Jackson video, which would make me question everything I know, quite honestly. But you get to do it in a nice orange jumpsuit. These are -- these are killers. These are killers, they`re thieves. Look at the size of this. Well, there you go.

(END MUSIC VIDEO CLIP)

Don`t forget, if you want to know what`s on tomorrow`s show, or if you`d like a little more in-depth commentary on the news of the day -- you can sign up for my free daily e-mail newsletter at glennbeck.com. We`ll include the link to this video, too. From New York, good night. Peace out.

END