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Glenn Beck

Turning the Tables: Honest Questions with Glenn Beck

Aired November 21, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Hey there, America. I`m Anderson Cooper. Tonight we turn the tables on the usual host of this show, Glenn Beck.
Week after week Glenn sits at this very table, grilling authors and actors with his so-called honest questions. So tonight it is payback time. With national radio and television shows, two live stage tours, a year, a magazine, and a blog. You`d think that Glenn Beck already had enough outlets for his opinions.

But apparently, you`d be wrong, because now he`s released a new book. It`s called "An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions for the World`s Biggest Problems." And it takes his controversial, though he calls them common sense, ideas to a whole new level.

Glenn Beck, talk show host, cable news rodeo clown, magazine publisher, man of mystery, and now author is here for a full hour of honest questions, next.

Glenn Beck, welcome to your own program.

GLENN BECK, AUTHOR, "AN INCONVENIENT BOOK": I am not afraid of you.

COOPER: What are you mad about now? What is...

BECK: I`m not mad about anything.

COOPER: There must be something.

BECK: Why? Why the hate? No, I`m not mad. You know what? I think I feel like most Americans, Anderson, are frustrated. I`m frustrated that the truth doesn`t seem to matter anymore, that you don`t even know what the truth is.

Most people would use Wikipedia. But that -- I mean, there are people -- I could pay somebody $10,000 every month to go onto Wikipedia and other Web sites and change the facts. You know what I mean? And then it becomes true.

Well, what is the truth? The truth must be told. The facts have to be agreed on. Or we can`t make any progress.

COOPER: The biggest issue facing America right now?

BECK: Maybe political correctness. I don`t know. They`re all -- they`re all so huge. But I guess political correctness would be one of them, because it stops us from telling the truth.

But I`m concerned about the loss of sovereignty. I`m concerned about global warming and what -- what`s real and what`s not and the solutions to that. Immigration. My gosh, the thing that we`ve been -- we`ve been talking about on the program for the last few weeks with immigration and what`s happening now at Laredo is a nightmare.

COOPER: Why -- why is it such a big deal for you, immigration? Why is that such a key issue?

BECK: Because I think -- I think most Americans feel the same way I do, that I love my country. It`s not some jingoistic, you know, red, white, and blue Kate Smith thing. This is -- I love my country.

We`re a different and unique people. And we`re not people who are born here, generally speaking. Our families all came from someplace else. America`s not great because everybody`s born here. They came here.

COOPER: But doesn`t immigration add to that?

BECK: Immigration does. Illegal immigration deters it. Illegal immigration destroys it.

COOPER: How so?

BECK: We`re not -- we`re not abiding by our own laws. You know, the great plaque at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty, the last line everybody seems to forget. They always concentrate on "bring me your tired, your huddled masses." Instead, "For I stand holding the lamp beside the golden door."

A golden door implies a couple of things. A, there is a door. And b, I don`t know about you. I know you`ve been to, you know, the Congo and riding elephants in India and everything else. But have you ever seen a bathroom with a golden door? It`s not a crap house, man. There`s something special here.

If we need more people, good, then let`s open that door wider. Let`s make it easier for people to come in through the front door.

COOPER: By the way, did you have to check Wikipedia to know what was on the Statue of Liberty?

BECK: I did, actually. That`s why I screwed it up. That`s why it`s kind of fuzzy but kind of right.

COOPER: I`m very impressed.

BECK: Thank you very much. Thank you.

COOPER: But you think, I mean, you literally think, from what I read on the book, you should build a wall on the Canadian border and on the Mexican border.

BECK: Well, for a couple of reasons. I do believe that if 500,000 people can come across just our southern border, you can`t tell me that there aren`t Islamic extremists or people that want to do us harm...

COOPER: So for you it`s a national security issue?

BECK: Absolutely -- well, the border is, the actual border fence, it is. Between drugs, the drug cartels, the Zetas, the new Marxist- Leninist...

COOPER: What are Zetas?

BECK: Zetas are the -- it was a paramilitary group that we trained to help go in and take the drug cartels down. Money doesn`t talk. It screams. They turn -- they flipped. And now they went in and killed some drug cartels and took them over.

So now they are this paramilitary group that, again, we helped train. Sound familiar? That have gone bad. And they are deadly, deadly people.

I have a picture of a -- just on the other side of the border in Laredo of a -- of five heads that were actually bowled in to a dance club in Nuevo Laredo. There`s beheadings going on. It is more dangerous just across our southern border than Baghdad.

COOPER: So build a wall for national security reasons?

BECK: Yes.

COOPER: Not for impact on the economy of illegal aliens.

BECK: No. You want to take care of the other side -- it`s amazing to me that everybody talks about the wall, but nobody talks about the drive.

Why doesn`t the war on terror -- the war on drugs work? Because -- and trust me, I`m a former alcoholic. Because a lot of people still want to do cocaine. So you`ve got to stop the desire.

It`s not just the wall. It`s hammer the bat snot out of these companies that are creating the atmosphere where people are willing to come in the cover of darkness.

COOPER: But aren`t they fulfilling a need? I mean, isn`t there some economic need for...

BECK: Come on.

COOPER: Well, that`s the question...

BECK: Come on.

COOPER: That`s the counterargument.

BECK: Absolutely, there is a need, but I can`t believe that I would be painted a hatemonger for pointing out how obscene that is, to be -- to have companies say, "I need this cheap labor or your salad`s going to cost more." Good God, man, we`re the richest country on the planet. I need a cheaper salad?

Here`s an idea. In Manhattan it`s $146,000 a year for a family of four to live. In Westchester County -- that`s where the Clintons live -- the average salary of an illegal immigrant is $15,000. They rent beds for eight-hour shifts. That`s modern-day slavery. That`s wrong on so many levels. So many levels.

They`re living in the shadows. They`re afraid. They`re coming in here risking their life to get across the border. And then we pay them $15,000 so I can have my plates washed or a bus boy?

COOPER: Every border agent, though, I`ve ever talked to down on the border says, look, you can`t just build a fence. You can build a fence 500 feet tall and 40 feet deep and people will still get across it.

BECK: Yes. That`s right. That`s why you have to stop the reason for coming in here. Stop the reason. You can`t -- if you cannot hire, knowingly hire an illegal alien, without your business either getting stiff penalties or you lose your business license, you`re not going to hire illegal aliens. And the illegal aliens are not going to come here, because there`s nothing attracting them here.

If there weren`t any beaches and sun in Mexico and there weren`t great, really great ruins or -- Mexico City is a fantastic city. If there weren`t any, you know, great things to go see or do in Mexico, would you go? I ain`t going for their jobs.

Well, if there`s not -- there`s not a reason to come across this border, the only reason why they will come across this border illegally is to get the drugs through. And that`s a whole different other story.

COOPER: So why write the book? Why -- why this book now?

BECK: Because I think that there is a real -- a real problem with people. They don`t know why these things aren`t being done. The question, for instance, the immigration chapter. Everybody says, well, what`s the solution? What`s the solution? The average person doesn`t say, "What`s the solution?" Washington is arguing about the solution.

The average person is saying, "Why is this going on? Why isn`t something being done? Why can`t we get this done? Why has this been going on for decade after decade after decade?" That`s the question.

COOPER: But it seems like -- it seems like, though, we have -- we`re not able to rule anymore. I mean, leaders do not make decisions. Leaders, you know, make proclamations -- this is National Charity Week or National Tomato Week or whatever -- but actual governance doesn`t seem to happen.

BECK: Why is that? Specifically on the border. Why do you suppose that is? I contend, and the book outlays -- puts this all out, names, dates, places. I say that it is because the three governments, the three leaders of our governments, Canada, Mexico, and George Bush, got together, and they said it is in our best interest -- this is not nefarious. It is in our best interests economically, to survive in the coming decades, that we`ve got unite. We have to be together and we have to be one big economic bloc, beyond NAFTA.

To get it done they knew they couldn`t get it done because of what it took to get NAFTA done. So what they did is they went to the private sector. And I`ve got the names from GE, Wal-Mart, all of the big companies. Campbell`s Soups. You name it. All of the CEOs. They got together, and they put together a committee that is to go beyond NAFTA to unite these three countries.

And in fact, on one of the -- one of the pages they actually talk about the ability to put things together in a way to make sure that this partnership goes forward without any obstacles from further administrations.

So in other words, they want to be able to unite these company -- these countries together, be able to move forward without those pesky elections stopping them from doing it. Well, that`s a selling out of our sovereignty.

So you`re right, Congress really doesn`t have the ability to rule anymore. Then, they`re losing it day by day, the more we don`t pay attention to the real power in our country, and that is companies, global companies.

COOPER: We`ve got to take a short break.

Up next, from puffy alcoholic to top 40 DJ to sober Mormon national radio host. The personal story of Glenn Beck and the pivot point that changed it all for him. We`re back with a special edition of GLENN BECK right after this.

GRAPHIC: What is Glenn`s favorite food? A, Graeter`s Ice Cream; B, McGriddle`s Breakfast Sandwich; C, Kojak`s Ribs; D, All of the above.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRAPHIC: What is Glenn`s favorite food? D, All of the above.

COOPER: I didn`t know it was all of the above. That was the obvious one.

BECK: Yes.

COOPER: Back now with Glenn Beck, talking about his new book, "An Inconvenient Book."

You devote an entire chapter of this, really, to talk about you, your life, and the power of redemption. Redemption is a theme which comes up a lot with you.

BECK: Yes. It`s actually -- I mean, that`s not -- the chapter is not really about me. I hope it`s not. But it is reflective of what I`ve learned through my life on, you know, bottoming out and being able to start over again.

I mean, you know what`s amazing, Anderson? It is eight years ago I was a guy who worried about paying 790 -- or $695 a month for rent. I couldn`t make my rent.

COOPER: How many years?

BECK: Eight years.

COOPER: Eight years.

BECK: Eight years ago. Worried about that. Living in, you know, just a little apartment. I called it the United Nations because I was the only one that lived there that spoke English.

And really struggled. This country is so amazing.

COOPER: So what was the key? What was the key to turning it around?

BECK: Several -- several keys, I think. One is just taking responsibility for yourself. Taking responsibility for your mistakes. And owning up to them. And just, you know...

COOPER: You do write in the book about a relationship you had with Jack Daniels.

BECK: Oh, yes. I had a great -- I believe I personally negatively impacted the state of Tennessee when I sobered up.

COOPER: You actually, I think, have the stock charts.

BECK: Yes. The stock took a nose dive. They were like, "No, Glenn`s not drinking!"

Yes, I actually was drinking quite a bit. I used to have three tumblers a night about that big, just huge, full of Jack Daniels.

COOPER: And you would drink that every night?

BECK: Every night.

COOPER: Throughout the day or just at night?

BECK: No, see, it was a clever trick I played on myself. I wasn`t an alcoholic if I didn`t drink before 5. So at 5 p.m., I`m telling you, no matter where I was I had to be at a place where I could get Jack Daniels at 5 p.m.

COOPER: So you never did the, "Well, it must be 5 p.m. somewhere in the world"?

BECK: No. On the weekends, because it was a weekend. But -- so I played that little game.

COOPER: And for how long were you seriously drinking?

BECK: Probably ten years, eight years, seriously drinking.

COOPER: Wow.

BECK: And my doctor -- I went to a doctor, and he was doing all kinds of tests on me, and he came in and he said -- he was looking at my liver test. And he said, "What are you doing to your body? What are you putting in? How much are you drinking?"

And I said, "I don`t know what you`re talking about."

COOPER: Really? You denied it, then?

BECK: Oh, yes. And he said, "How much are you drinking?"

And I said, "A couple of cocktails a night."

And he said, "Uh-huh. Here`s your liver tests. You`ll be dead in six months if you don`t stop."

COOPER: Really?

BECK: And eight months later I was still drinking, but I was having significant blackouts. And I think my pivot point was sitting at the breakfast table with my daughters having breakfast. And I used to make up stories about Inky, Blinky, and Stinky, the three little mice, and I would tell them a different story every night.

And the kids came down, and I was sitting at the table. And they came down and they said, "Dad, Dad, tell us the story about Inky, Blinky and Stinky that you told us last night." And I couldn`t remember it. And not only could I not remember it, I didn`t remember putting my children down. And it was the first time and last time I lied to my children.

And I looked at them, and I said, "You tell me. I want to see how much you were listening. You tell me the story."

And I listened to them tell me a story that I had no recollection. And I -- all the time they were telling me, I thought to myself, "What are you doing? You`re missing your children`s childhood. Whole sections of your life gone forever." And that was my bottom.

COOPER: And you got married again. And the success -- how is your marriage successful now, whereas your first marriage wasn`t?

BECK: My...

COOPER: Is it successful because your first marriage wasn`t?

BECK: Well, you`d have to ask my wife if she would consider it successful. I would. But she -- when I asked her to marry me, she was smart enough to know. She said, no.

And I said, "Well, dig this, you could have a little slice of this every night if you wanted it." And she said, no. And I said, "How come?"

She said, "Because we don`t have God in our life."

And I said, "We`ve got enough God in our life."

And she said, "We`ve got to be pursuing God together. Otherwise, we`ll never make it."

And I couldn`t do organized religion and...

COOPER: So you weren`t religious?

BECK: No. I actually went to school for theology, and I mean, I was very religious. I just didn`t believe in organized religion. I thought it was about power and manipulation and everything else. I mean, you know, they`re going to make up rules? I can do that in my underpants, sitting watching a football game on Sunday. You know, why not? And so didn`t have an organized religion.

But we went on a church tour, because my wife said, "Your kids don`t know anything about God."

And I said, "Of course they do." So I took them out, took them out for a night of dinner and made a little list, and I said, "Hey, kids, what are we? What`s our whole family based on," thinking that they`d say God.

And the first one they said was, "Well, we`re based on fun."

And then the next one was that we`re based on happiness. And by number 11 -- I still have the list. It`s hanging in my house. Number 11, when I said "Kids, really, honestly. I mean, what is it that, you know, we base our whole life on? What could it possibly be?"

COOPER: You were going to...

BECK: I was trying to give some hints, and my daughter finally says, "Oh, oh, I know, we`re non-violent."

COOPER: Non-violent.

BECK: Yes. And at that point we hadn`t yet killed our first man, so she was accurate. So we started doing the church tour and, you know, changed -- that changed my life.

COOPER: OK.

BECK: That is faith. Adherence to something bigger than me. Buying in that I am going to bow to the will of something bigger than me.

Just following the Ten Commandments faithfully every day changed my life. In 2000 -- 1999, November of 1999, I couldn`t find a job. I was living in a horrible place. You know, living -- life was a wreck.

2000 I got baptized, I got married, and here I am today. Boring the snot out of America five days a week.

COOPER: We`ll -- we`ll be bored more in just a minute. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Hey, we`re back with a special presentation of the GLENN BECK SHOW, talking today about "An Inconvenient Book."

For a guy who wears some very, shall we say, trendy clothes, I found it interesting that you actually don`t allow fashion magazines in your house. Why?

BECK: Don`t allow fashion magazines in the house. I`ve got three daughters.

COOPER: What ages are they?

BECK: I`ve got a 20-year-old, a 16-year-old, and an 18-month-old. And I just don`t want -- there`s no way to compete on that. There`s no way...

COOPER: Because of body image? It ruins...

BECK: Absolutely.

COOPER: It just screws with people`s heads?

BECK: Yes. I mean, I have a chapter on body image, on the dangers that we are pumping into our house all the time with the -- with Hollywood and the fashion magazines. Your kids are consuming this. Whether boys or girls, this is what they`re supposed to look like.

COOPER: And it`s sexualizing children. I mean, in this culture. That`s what we do.

BECK: Anderson, how many pedophiles do you have to see on television? How many times do you have to see this? And hear people say, "I`m so outraged. What are we going to do?"

And then, yet, did you see the Halloween costumes this year? Did you see the sexy costumes for 10-year-olds? You know?

I got out of music radio because of that. I did a teen beauty pageant. It was like "Seventeen" magazine was doing some local thing, and they wanted a judge. So I went and judged it. I was so horrified at the kids coming out acting sexy, not even knowing what it is, acting sexy because they`d seen it on TV or that`s the way the models move.

COOPER: So how do you get your kids? I mean, besides not having fashion magazines, how do you get your kids to appreciate their own image? To appreciate...

BECK: The first thing you do is you don`t say, "I`m so fat." You don`t say, you know, "Mom," you know, saying "I`ve got to lose weight, I`ve got to do this, I`ve got to do this, oh, this makes me look fat," whatever. Stop saying it. Even if you think it, stop saying it.

Having a dad around that is always saying to his wife, "Oh, you`re so beautiful" is important, especially if, you know, she ain`t all that great or you`re not all that great, and having her say that. But more importantly, instead of saying, "Oh, you`re so beautiful," picking some other attributes of your wife or your husband to point out, as well.

COOPER: Do you think, you know, people look at Lindsay Lohan, they look at Britney Spears, Paris Hilton.

BECK: Yes.

COOPER: They never seem to look at the parents and what the parents - - I mean, I look at Paris Hilton and think what sort of parents did she have? I mean, in fact, I know what kind of parents she has. I mean...

BECK: But you know what? The society, our society is all geared -- I walked into a Gap. I`m sorry. Another store that shall not be named that rhymes with "the crap."

And this -- this 20-something is standing there, helping my daughter buy jeans. And it`s the kind of jeans that are, you know, why wear jeans? Why not just wear kneepads? And is so low cut.

And I said, "Excuse me. Do you have something that rises a little higher than that?"

And she looked at me and she said, "No. These are perfect for your daughter."

And I said, "Excuse me, no, thank you. That`s not. She`s not going to wear those."

And I was belittled in the store by the customer -- and they bonded. You know what I mean? Don`t do that to me. Why is it that, as a parent, I have to sit here and try to find somebody that will sell a decent pair of clothing for my kids? You can`t find it in the mall.

COOPER: We`re going to be right back. Glenn claims that he`s solved both global warming and our dependence on oil, and he did it all in just 40 pages in this book.

BECK: And no UFOs.

COOPER: We`ll find out what he`s proposing next. Maybe a couple UFOs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: We`re back with a special presentation of the GLENN BECK SHOW. I`m Anderson Cooper.

Tonight we`re talking about Glenn. We`re talking with Glenn also about his new book, "An Inconvenient Book." The title, it`s got an oddly familiar ring to it. I feel like I`ve heard something like it before. So let`s talk about global warming.

BECK: I don`t know. Oh, my gosh, that is almost the name of the Al Gore...

COOPER: Yes. Do you buy it? Global warming.

BECK: Yes. How can you not buy...

COOPER: Is the earth getting warmer in your opinion?

BECK: Absolutely it is.

COOPER: Is man to blame?

BECK: Don`t know. Maybe. Maybe. I can`t imagine that...

COOPER: Most scientists say yes.

BECK: Ooh. Most scientists say yes. Wow. You got me there. That`s why you`re on "60 Minutes."

No, look. Could we play a role? Absolutely. The bigger question is what do you do to stop it, if it is?

First of all, does man play a role? Possibly. But then, Anderson, explain to me where the giant dinosaur SUVs were, because I just read a book to my son about dinosaurs. It was in there. The first paragraph in the book, the first line of the book is "Millions of years ago when the earth was much warmer and wetter." And I just laughed.

And my son looked at me and I`m like, "Never mind, you`ll understand this once you understand global warming." I mean, the earth constantly changes.

COOPER: But most scientists -- I mean, the consensus...

BECK: Oh, don`t start.

COOPER: I have to tell you this because I just did "Planet in Peril."

BECK: That`s right.

COOPER: The consensus, though, is that...

BECK: Which surprisingly didn`t piss me off.

COOPER: Really?

BECK: It was very middle of the road.

COOPER: I mean, it wasn`t saying Florida`s going to be swamped or anything like that ...

BECK: May I? May I do this? This is -- I don`t know. There you go. This is the map of Florida, and the little red dots are where all the celebrities live. If they really believe in global warming, why would you live where the red dots are? Just...

COOPER: But your argument is -- basically is that we don`t have the capability of altering the -- whatever warming is taking place and, therefore, we should be focusing on things we can do now?

BECK: Yes. Stop with the fricking light bulbs. It drives me out of my mind. Stop.

COOPER: You don`t have the different kind of light bulbs in your house?

BECK: Let me tell you something. If they ever ban light bulbs and say, "Hey, we`re going to ban light bulbs. Everyone`s got to have fluorescent," I`m going to buy so many incandescent light bulbs that for generations my family will be the only one...

COOPER: But what`s wrong with trying to...

BECK: Because it`s worthless.

COOPER: You know, if it`s -- well, I mean, in the book you`re arguing, saying it`s worthless, but at the same time you talk about trying to wean America off oil, you know, our dependency on oil from dictators.

BECK: Absolutely. This is -- look, here`s the thing on global warming. Government is never going to solve it. America can solve it. Technology can solve it. But only when capitalism is unleashed. When you build a better whatever, then it will replace that technology.

Believe me, you can build -- for instance, ethanol. You want to make -- you want to make another fuel? Great. I am in on it. Why wouldn`t we go with sugar, like Brazil?

COOPER: Right.

BECK: Ethanol takes 80 percent of the oil that you`re burning, that you would have burned, to make it.

COOPER: Right. Two thirds of a gallon of gas to make a gallon of ethanol.

BECK: It`s ridiculous. It`s ridiculous.

The other part of it is China. China is currently sending us toys like Bert and Ernie dipped in lead paint.

COOPER: A date rape drug.

BECK: Date rape drugs. Here kids, play with this. Do you really think the Chinese are going to go, "But let`s worry about that invisible gas"?

COOPER: But energy independence is important to you?

BECK: I`m willing to say maybe man plays a role, and we should be responsible stewards of our -- of our planet. I mean, I love this planet.

You know, somebody came to -- you know, during the last election season, somebody came to my door, you know, a college student with a petition. "Do you love clean air and water?"

I just didn`t want to talk to anybody. And I said, "Nope." And I closed the door.

My daughter was sitting behind me. I didn`t know. And she went, "Dad. You don`t love clean air and water?"

I had to sit down and say, "No, no, I just wanted to get rid of this guy."

COOPER: Right.

BECK: I love clean air and water. Everybody does. So be responsible. Be responsible citizens. Do what you -- do what you can.

On top of that, now let`s link with the people who don`t buy into global warming at all. We can get everybody if we say, hey, don`t you also want to get off foreign oil? Wouldn`t you like to do that? Great. Well, then let`s compromise a little bit.

You show me the environmentalist, which -- the founder of Greenpeace, one of the original guys of the original environmental movement, also said nukes, nuclear power plants, clean energy, the way to go.

Every -- Johnny Depp`s always preaching to me about France, listen to France. Eighty percent of their energy comes from nukes. Why aren`t we building that? Because there`s a different agenda, I believe.

COOPER: How big a problem do you think is -- I mean, is America addicted to oil? Do you agree with George Bush on that one?

BECK: Look at that. That was a "60 Minutes" pose, too. And he throws in the "Do you agree with that evil George Bush?"

COOPER: I didn`t say evil.

BECK: Let me just get some water on my forehead so I can sweat just a little bit, too. George Bush, what do you mean? There`s no connection with me and big oil.

Yes, I think we have a real problem. However, I find it very interesting that the biggest oil companies, the three big oil companies, they have a smaller lobbying budget than GE does.

GE, the parent company of NBC, that just happened to do the green week, all because it`s a public service. Really? Really? The same company, GE, that just bought up all these carbon credits that are worthless, unless the United States Congress passes legislation to make carbon credits worth something? That group of people?

They`re not insidious. They`re just good stewards of the earth. But the oil companies, they`re insidious. I mean, let`s talk about agendas here. Let`s just at least be fair.

COOPER: Does GE do radio at all?

BECK: Thank God, no.

COOPER: Stay put, America. We`re back in 60 seconds. More Glenn.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: We`re back with more Glenn Beck, talking about global warming.

In the book what`s interesting, though, is you do propose solutions to virtually all these things.

BECK: Yes, yes. Not just a problem book. I`m a problem solver. I`m a uniter, not a divider.

COOPER: You`re a uniter and a divider, which is much greater.

BECK: That`s weird, isn`t it?

COOPER: Yes, it`s incredible.

BECK: It`s great if you can do the gig.

COOPER: So what`s the solution for global warming?

BECK: Do nothing.

COOPER: Do nothing?

BECK: Do absolutely nothing. I mean, go buy those light bulbs.

COOPER: You`re not going to drive a hybrid car?

BECK: I -- oh, you know, I might just to save -- to save gas. And you know, I don`t like -- I just saw a hybrid bus, a school bus. That`s great. I mean, I drive behind buses, and I see those fumes coming out. It`s not bad to do those things.

What I mean by do nothing, I mean first do no harm. Let`s be doctors. First do no harm.

Government is not going to be the solution. They`re lying to you about the bill. The bill is anywhere -- I can`t remember. From $5 trillion to $26 trillion to be able to implement some of this stuff.

But right now environmentalists are doing the same things that they proposed in the 1970s when it was global cooling. In I think it was "Newsweek" magazine in 1975, they said -- and it`s in the book. It`s a great quote. That what we need to do is put soot on the solar -- on the polar icecap to melt the icecap. Well, jeez, I`m glad we didn`t do that.

And it talked in the article about how there are no politicians. They just don`t think there`s the will to really take this global cooling seriously. Well, now they`re proposing to shoot pollution up into the air in balloons. You know what? Let`s not do that.

In fact, I`d like to stop doing the next brilliant idea that they just started in California, and that is environmentalists have decided to dump iron into the Pacific Ocean in hopes that it will grow plankton.

COOPER: Really? I had not heard that.

BECK: You hadn`t heard that, had you? Yes. Just started that. That`s a good idea.

Let`s not experiment with the planet. Let`s do the things that we know we can do. Let`s get off of oil as much as we can. I want a president that says, "Let`s do a moon shot. Let`s dump scientific money. Let`s innovate. Let`s invent. Let`s build the power plants that we know how to build."

COOPER: Because it`s only through new technologies, new developments that some of these other things will change.

BECK: Right. Yes. And it`s got to be massive.

I mean, Anderson, you know that off the coast of Florida, in between Florida and Cuba right now, China is drilling for oil. Again, China doesn`t care. They`re going to be -- just when China really comes online in the next few years -- they`re already the world`s biggest polluter. And they don`t care. They`re not going to care about an invisible gas.

COOPER: It is disconcerting when you talk to those who say, "Look, we`ve got to do something immediately on climate change."

And you ask them specifically, "What can be done?"

They`re talking about shutting down all coal plants in the United States and all coal plants in China. That`s just not going to happen. China`s building two new coal plants a week. Period.

BECK: Here, you want to change? You want to do a couple of things. You want to get off foreign oil. You want to regain our standing as the innovator and the country that is always on the cutting edge?

You want to really make sure you solidify that? You want to make sure that China doesn`t pass us? Don`t close down the coal plants until you`ve invented the replacement. And make that technology, make that power source something so great that the rest of the world needs to buy it from us.

COOPER: How much of this is political correctness, that people are afraid to, you know, talk about these things or come to some sort of consensus because of...

BECK: Well, I think -- you know, I`m so surprised because it used to be that conservatives were the ones that were always -- you know, you didn`t -- you don`t drink, you don`t dance, you don`t whatever. Now it`s the liberals.

You`d better not smoke. You`d better not emit pollution. You`d better not really say your opinion on certain things. I mean, you want to talk about shutting people down? It`s the extreme left. It`s not Democrats. It`s the extreme left that is really starting to frighten.

It`s not just political correctness. It`s political -- as I explained in the book. It`s political correctness the way the Soviet Union invented political correctness. It was then -- political correctness comes from the Marxists in the former Soviet Union, where if you would say something, if you were inconsequential, they`d kill you. But if you were a trendsetter, if you were a leader, they`d put you in a reeducation camp.

Well, gosh, doesn`t that seem familiar, when people who are influential are either destroyed or they go into rehab? And then they come out two weeks later with a new understanding of whatever it was. What a bunch of bull crap that is. You know what I mean?

We have to be able to talk to each other. We have to be able to disagree with each other. We have to be able to move forward on these things.

COOPER: We`re going to talk more about political correctness.

Up next, Glenn loves to say it`s not about left and right, it`s about right and wrong, that this country`s basically built on two political parties that don`t seem to like each other very much. So how does Glenn propose we get past that? Huh? Huh? You`ll hear his solution next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: We are back with Glenn Beck, talking about "An Inconvenient Book."

The chapter you call "Political Games" caught my eye. You basically, essentially argue that what`s going on in Washington is a big game of Monopoly. Everyone`s trying to get as much power, as much money as possible.

BECK: Yes.

COOPER: Hasn`t it always been that way, though?

BECK: I think -- I think what happened is we used to have some differences. You know what I mean? People used to stand for something.

COOPER: No longer?

BECK: I mean, look, I`m a conservative. I`m not a Republican. I could give a flying crap about the elephant. I cared more about the elephant that almost strangled you to death in the water. I mean, I was like, "Look at that elephant. It`s great and powerful, too. Run, Anderson, run." The other elephant I don`t care about.

And I don`t think most Democrats care about the donkey. Or they shouldn`t.

Because these guys have taken us, both the left and the right, the Republicans and the Democrats, have made us stop talking to each other. Because oh, that`s got to be a dope-smoking liberal hippie over there that just wants to take us to the Soviet Union. And that guy wants to...

COOPER: But you get accused -- but you get accused of being part and parcel of that, of being talk radio and being divisive...

BECK: Of course. Of course -- of course, I do. But if you actually listen to what I say...

COOPER: Oh, I don`t do that, actually.

BECK: I know. If you actually listen to what I say, A, I fully disclose that I am a conservative. I come from a conservative point of view. But there isn`t anybody who has hammered the Republican Party harder and longer, as somebody who voted for George Bush, than me.

When George Bush made that turn and started giving us prescription drugs and everything else, I`m like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I could get this from the Democrats. And at least they`ll tell me they`re going to give me this."

COOPER: It`s interesting, though, because on TV we watch people swap wives on reality TV shows, but an actual swapping of ideas, genuine discussion, is not something we`re really encouraged to engage in. By our politicians or by the media.

BECK: See, that`s part of, I think, the political correctness. The idea, if I make them hate you and you make them hate me, then I don`t have to really come up with a solution, because I`ll say it`s their fault.

COOPER: Right.

BECK: And they can say it`s my fault. And so we don`t have to have any solutions. And that`s why we`re getting -- that`s why we`re getting nowhere. When America just wants solutions.

The other thing is, Anderson, and I think this is very clear. You look at John Murtha. I mean, here are the Democrats, who have told us that they were going to stop the war. And I can give them that one, that they couldn`t get that one done. OK.

But they were going to be the most ethical, and they were going to cut all this pork spending and all of this...

COOPER: The earmarks.

BECK: Yes, the earmarks. "We`re going to stop all that."

I`m watching -- hello, my name is Glenn, and I`m a loser. I`m watching C-SPAN one day, and I look up, and I se Murtha on the floor, and he actually tells another congressman, "If you block this, you will never get another earmark in your district ever again." And I thought, what happened to the most ethical group of people?

And you know what? You can`t solve it by putting the Republicans in, because the Republicans will do the same damn thing.

COOPER: We went around trying to call -- call every member of Congress, every member of the Senate, trying to get them to -- to disclose their earmarks. Like a handful of them would do it. None of them would do it.

BECK: Why? Why? You know what? Because they don`t think they answer to us anymore. They don`t think they need to answer.

They need to go back -- you know, Anderson, the best thing that happened to me in the last year, that really shows me how genius our Founding Fathers are. I`m, you know, thinking about all the crazy, you know, black helicopter, we`re-all-going-to-die kind of thoughts that I usually entertain myself with in my off hours.

And I`m walking down the streets of New York, and I stop dead in my tracks. And -- because I`m thinking, how do we get out of this? How do we change all of this? What is the mechanism to change all of this? Without, you know, revolution or whatever.

And I stopped dead in my tracks, and I looked up, and I actually laughed out loud, which is not something people look at in New York. They`re kind of used to people doing that. And I look up, and I thought to myself, our Founding Fathers were genius. The secret is right there. Did you ever see the movie "National Treasure"?

COOPER: The...

BECK: I loved it.

COOPER: With Nic Cage?

BECK: Yes, Nicolas Cage. OK. So...

COOPER: I`m waiting for the sequel.

BECK: OK. So anyway, talk down to me some more.

So anyway, you know, that one has on the back of the document, there`s -- they have to wear the special glasses. Our Founding Fathers didn`t go to all that trouble. They were smarter than that. They knew that it would be not noticed for a very long time.

When they wrote the Constitution, they put the secret right there, and they knew people would overlook it until it was time for them to see it. They didn`t -- it`s not like when they started writing the Constitution somebody comes up and says, "Hey, James, you`re using too big of a font. You might want to make that smaller."

The answer is "we, the people." And they made those three words huge for a reason. Because they knew, at some point, that we would be co-opted by special interests, that the parties would tear us apart. George Washington talked about it a lot. They would tear us apart and we`d lose our way.

So where is the map back to the way we should be? "We, the people."

When we recognize that we`re not powerless, when we stop listening to the people tell us that we`re so different from each other: "Oh, you`ll hate that person. That person`s bad." When we stop listening to that and we start talking to each other and we start realizing, "Holy cow, I disagree with you on policies, but on principles we`re both Americans. We love America. We want to move forward." We`ll solve everything we need to solve.

COOPER: We`re going to be right back with some final thoughts from Glenn.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: All right, Glenn. Your staff really doesn`t like you. I know we told you this is the chapter we`d talk about, your chapter on poverty. But frankly, I just couldn`t do it. So...

BECK: Look at Mr. I-Hang-Out-in-Africa, the poorest countries of the world.

COOPER: No, I just couldn`t hear your solution. So it`s rapid fire. Time to answer some questions. All right?

BECK: OK.

COOPER: How about it? Your favorite one. How much are you pulling down a year?

BECK: More than you could possibly -- not you. Because I mean, look how you`re dressed.

COOPER: Uh-huh. So you didn`t actually answer the question.

BECK: That`s weird, isn`t it?

COOPER: Yes.

BECK: Wow, that is an uncomfortable question.

COOPER: Yes. You ask that question to other people.

BECK: Oh, read the "New York Times." It`s in the "New York Times."

COOPER: I read it. I know. I just wanted to hear -- hear you say it.

If Iran is the head of the snake, who`s the tail?

BECK: You.

COOPER: There you go.

No. 1 thing you`d like to change about your life right now. Besides...

BECK: I was going to say my staff. Things I`d like to change about my life right now? I`d like to eliminate sleep.

COOPER: Really?

BECK: Yes.

COOPER: Sleep`s like the best thing in my life. What else you got going on?

BECK: That`s sad. That`s sad.

No, you know what? I don`t know what it is. Maybe as I`m getting older or whatever, but I can`t sleep and I just -- if I could eliminate sleep...

COOPER: Right.

BECK: ... do you know how many more books I could write?

COOPER: Right. How would you change your life if you become famous?

OK. You`re not sure. You can`t even imagine such a thing.

Did you get beat up in school for crying so much?

BECK: No. No, I didn`t.

COOPER: You went to one of those Montessori...

BECK: I don`t think these are honest questions.

COOPER: NO. How long does it take for you to spray on your hair? I`m just asking. Because it`s interesting.

BECK: I don`t...

COOPER: Really?

BECK: May I ask you a question?

COOPER: Sure.

BECK: Does it look like a toupee?

COOPER: Your hair?

BECK: Yes.

COOPER: No.

BECK: It doesn`t? I look in the monitor all the time.

COOPER: I don`t know why anyone would make a toupee that thin. I`m just saying. It`s probably just the lighting.

BECK: Never. You are never invited back.

Wait a minute. Go back. Pull it back to him. Pull it back to him. Look how skinny he is or how fat I am. Holy cow.

COOPER: How come I`m the only one sweating here? Look at this. I`ve got -- I`m glistening.

BECK: God was very mean to me and very good to you.

COOPER: I`m actually trying to gain weight. I`m trying to gain ten pounds. Just throwing that out there.

More dangerous to America`s future, Ahmadinejad or bin Laden?

BECK: Ahmadinejad.

COOPER: Really?

BECK: Yes.

COOPER: Will you learn how to say his name one day? I`m just asking. Seriously.

I think we`re out of time.

BECK: Oh, darn it. I wish we could have gotten more of those questions. Shoot. Thanks.

COOPER: Well, maybe next book.

I`m Anderson Cooper from New York. Good night, America. Thanks.

END