Respectable media organization Fox News, home of countless many credible pundits, faced backlash after two of its talking heads, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters and Stacey Dash, made inappropriate on-air commentary on two separate programs. Commentating on President Obama's Oval Office address last night in response to terrorist threats and national security, one contributor called Obama a "total pussy" while another added it appeared "he could give a shit" (which was intended to mean "care less"). Both of these comments were uttered on live television, and the two have since been suspended.
In an impassioned diatribe on Fox Business Network's Varney & Co., Peters casually dropped the "total pussy" slur when asked by Stuart Varney how he felt about Obama's speech. "Well, first of all, he keeps speaking about 'we can't give into our fears.' You know, 'don't be afraid,'" Peters said while Varney hissed "yass, yass" as he spoke. "Look, Mr. President, we're not afraid. We're angry. We're pissed off. We're furious. We want to see you react. We want you to do something." (In fact, Obama outlined specifically what is being done on the part of the United States.)
Then he added, "You're afraid. I mean, this guy is such a total pussy. It's stunning." Stunning, indeed.
In a separate incident on Fox's Outnumbered famed Fox News contributor and former Clueless star Stacey Dash also threw in her two cents with a bit of vulgarity. "His speech was an epic fail. It was like when you have to go to dinner with your parents, but you have a party to go to afterwards, that’s what it felt like," she said, perhaps evoking precisely what Dionne might say. "I did not feel any better. I didn’t feel any passion from him. I felt like he could give a shit—excuse me, like he could care less."
Bill Shine, Senior Executive Vice President of Programming for Fox News and Fox Business, released a statement on Monday afternoon. Per the Daily Beast he said, "FOX Business Network and FOX News Channel do not condone the use of such language, and have suspended both Peters and Dash for two weeks."
