Carville criticizes Liz Cheney's defense of birthers: “She refuses to say this is ludicrous”

From the July 21 edition of CNN's Larry King Live:

Video file

Citation From the July 21, 2009, edition of CNN's Larry King Live

KING: All right. The issue of Barack Obama's birth certificate is now attracting attention again.

Check out this YouTube video from a recent town hall meeting held by Republican Congressman Mike Castle.

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM YOUTUBE.COM)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I want to know why are you people ignoring his birth certificate?

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is not an American citizen. He is a citizen of Kenya. I am an American. My father fought in World War II in the greatest generation in the Pacific theater for this country. And I don't want this flag to be changed. I want my country back.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That lady is ticked.

What do you make of this, James?

CARVILLE: Well, that lady is a -- a poor thing to -- that, you know, reads all of this -- this goofy stuff that you hear on one of our rival networks -- this kind of goofy stuff that you hear.

I mean how many times that -- do you have to go through it, I mean, birth announcements in the paper to the birth certificate or anything else?

But this is kind of an -- indicative of what the Republican Party is about. They've got every kind of -- you know, they've got people that -- that don't believe people landed on the moon. There's nothing I can do about that and anybody else can. I don't know, you know (INAUDIBLE)...

KING: Liz, do you buy any of this?

CHENEY: I think that the Democrats have got more crazies than the Republicans do. But setting that aside, I think that -- you know, one of the reasons I think you see people so concerned about this, I think that, you know, this issue is people are uncomfortable with having, for the first time ever, I think, a president who seems so reluctant to defend the nation overseas; a president who sits through completely venomous screed by Daniel Ortega and then his only response, when the United States has been hostilely attacked, is to say, hey, you know, basically, I was only three at the time.

CARVILLE: That's so...

CHENEY: And, you know, we've seen this -- James, don't interrupt me.

CARVILLE: Sure...

(LAUGHTER)

CHENEY: We've seen this again and again and again, where this president seems to sort of want to...

KING: But what does...

CHENEY: ...create moral equivalence.

KING: ...that have to -- are you saying that...

CHENEY: I think it makes people...

KING: Are you saying because he's a Kenyan?

CHENEY: No, I'm not saying that.

KING: Oh.

CHENEY: I'm saying that people are fundamentally uncomfortable...

KING: The question was about (INAUDIBLE).

CHENEY: ...and they're fundamentally, I think, increasingly uncomfortable with an American president who seems to be afraid to defend America.

KING: All right...

CHENEY: Who seems to be afraid to stand up for what we believe in.

KING: All right, James, do you want to answer that?

CARVILLE: Yes, I do.

CHENEY: And I think that the kind of thing that you saw...

KING: All right, let him answer, Liz.

CARVILLE: Again, you know...

CHENEY: ...is indicative of sort of a general...

KING: James, go ahead.

(LAUGHTER)

CHENEY: ...feeling of discomfort.

KING: Again, Liz, let him answer.

James, go ahead.

CARVILLE: Yes, I guess we're supposed to -- a volume of words I certainly lost.

(LAUGHTER)

CARVILLE: But again, these people...

CHENEY: I'm quality too, James.

CARVILLE: ...again.

CHENEY: But go ahead. Sorry.

CARVILLE: You're right. I've been accused of hurling facts around.

Let me hurl a fact around. These people are poor -- these poor pathetic people are believing stuff, just like -- just like Ms. Cheney tonight. She refuses to say this is ludicrous because she actually wants to encourage these people to believe this. It's just a simple thing. This is a nutty thing. There's nothing to this. I disagree with this president's policies.

They can't say that. They can't say that because...

CHENEY: James, I am...

CARVILLE: ...they're scared they'll lose the...

CHENEY: ...I -- James, sorry...

CARVILLE: ...this sort of nut wing of their party.

CHENEY: Sorry, James.

KING: We're out of time, guys.

(CROSSTALK)

CARVILLE: That's their problem.

CHENEY: I am more concerned -- James, I think that there's plenty...

KING: We're going to have you back.

(LAUGHTER)

CHENEY: ...to be concerned about with this president.

CARVILLE: Right.

CHENEY: And I think that...

KING: All right...

CHENEY: ...we've got to look forward in terms of...

(CROSSTALK)

CHENEY: ...the things that he's doing to the country going forward...

(CROSSTALK)

KING: All right. Thanks, guys.

CHENEY: ...the direction he's going to take us in.

KING: James Carville and Liz Cheney.

CNN transcript.

Hat-tip to Salon.com's Joan Walsh.