The enemy of my enemy is my friend, per the ancient adage. And thus, as Democrats aggressively marked the anniversary of the January 6 riot to condemn Donald Trump, MSNBC took a moment to praise Liz and Dick Cheney and Karl Rove for taking a stand with the Democrats in condemning the riot. As if other Republicans didn't.
The Cheneys were the only two Republicans present in the House for the Pelosi-organized observance of the riot anniversary. And Rove penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed condemning the riot and insisting the Republicans must not minimize it, which concluded:
"There can be no soft-pedaling what happened and no absolution for those who planned, encouraged and aided the attempt to overthrow our democracy."
Former Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill led the hit parade in acknowledging their Strange New Respect:
"If somebody would have said to me ten years ago, you know, you're going to be on television, and you're going to be praising Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, I would say no, no, I don't, I don't think that's gonna happen. That will not happen to me ever, in any lifetime. But, here I am."
Knowing the network's liberal audience wouldn't love that thought, McCaskill's mea culpa for her praise of Cheney and Rove caused Wallace and Heilemann to burst into laughter.
Next up was Wallace herself, nodding to her audience as she said:
"I have a good sense of where our viewers are. I don't think that there's anyone our viewers hold more responsible for everything they didn't like about the Bush-era foreign policy, and/but Dick Cheney was the only person other than his daughter to show respect for the building! America was attacked a year ago today. And in that building where the attack went down, one Republican other than Liz Cheney was in the building, and it was Dick Cheney. That's how bad the Republicans are, Claire.
Many Republicans were at a memorial service for former Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia. They decided to let Pelosi's festivities be underlined for their partisanship, but MSNBC wants to pretend only Democrats love "the building."
Later, Wallace expressed skepticism as to Rove's true beliefs, given "where [he] is employed"—the hated Fox News Channel.
Then came MSNBC contributor John Heilemann, also making the obligatory bow to MSNBC's left-leaning audience:
"I know a lot of the viewers of this network hate her other positions on other things—but [Liz Cheney] is not just anti-Trump, she is anti-Trumpism.
Note: The two Cheneys were the only Republicans in the House festivities yesterday because Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican picked by Pelosi to serve on the January 6th committee, was absent. While tweeting that he was there "in spirit," he begged off, saying he was "on baby watch."
On Nicolle Wallace's MSNBC show, Wallace, Claire McCaskill, and John Heilemann in essence apologizing to the liberal audience for praising Liz and Dick Cheney and Karl Rove was sponsored in part by Carfax and Ensure.
MSNBC
Deadline White House
1/6/21
4:34 pm ETCLAIRE MCCASKILL: If somebody would have said to me ten years ago, you know, you're going to be on television, and you're going to be praising Dick Cheney and Karl Rove [Nicolle Wallace bursts into laughter], I would say no, no, I don't, I don't think that's gonna happen. That will not happen to me ever, in any lifetime. But, here I am.
NICOLLE WALLACE: And I know, I have a good sense of where our viewers are. I don't think that there's anyone our viewers hold more responsible for everything they didn't like about the Bush-era foreign policy, and/but Dick Cheney was the only person other than his daughter to show respect for the building!
America was attacked a year ago today. And in that building where the attack went down, one Republican other than Liz Cheney was in the building, and it was Dick Cheney. That's how bad the Republicans are, Claire.
JOHN HEILEMANN: Liz Cheney, I think, is out to, is out to change the Republican party in a fundamental way, where she says, anybody who's with Donald Trump, anybody who says, who adheres to the big lie, all of those people are not real Republicans. Her position seems to be a position—and I know a lot of the viewers of this network hate her other positions on other things—but she is not just anti-Trump, she is anti-Trumpism.
