Howie Kurtz writes:

Two weeks ago, MSNBC talk show host Joe Scarborough introduced a guest, attorney Mike Papantonio, to point a finger at the “Rat of the Week.”

Papantonio slammed a wood-preserving company called Osmose, saying it makes a dangerous product used in playground equipment and has “figured out how to poison our children and make a profit in the meantime.”

What Scarborough didn’t say is that Papantonio is his law partner, and that their firm has filed a lawsuit against Osmose. Instead, he urged viewers to demand that the government recall the company’s product.

After an inquiry by The Washington Post, the former Republican congressman said last night on his program, “Scarborough Country”: “I should have known that Mike Papantonio was involved in that case and should have asked him that question, so you could have had the full story. . . . I’ll be the first to admit it: I made a mistake. And for that, I’m this week’s Rat of the Week.”

But taking his cue from the man he was hired to emulate — Fox’s Bill O’Reilly — Scarborough’s contrition didn’t last long. In an ass-saving move disguised as “equal time,” Scarborough had on Jim Hale, a spokesperson for Osmose:

Hale was granted an appearance on the show Tuesday in what Scarborough called an effort “to clear the air.” But Scarborough was dismissive during the contentious interview when Hale mentioned the host’s connection to Papantonio and the lawsuit’s existence. “It may be shocking to you that Papantonio is my friend and law partner, but our audience has heard that a thousand times,” Scarborough said.

Lemmesee…

Uses his position for personal gain. Only amits error once he’s caught. Fakes contrition, then lashes out at his opponents.

Remind you of anyone?

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 13th, 2003 at 8:49 pm by Radley Balko and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.