Fox Host Rails Against GOPers Calling Ebola Czar A Political ‘Hack’

President Barack Obama will appoint Ron Klain to lead his administration's efforts to combat Ebola, CNN reported.
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Fox Host Neil Cavuto on Tuesday tore into Republicans who have criticized Ron Klain, the man President Obama appointed to lead U.S. efforts to address the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

“I have a message for Republicans who continue to attack Ron Klain: Shut up and save it for issues that matter,” Cavuto said. “Okay, so the president’s Ebola coordinator doesn’t have any medical experience. Neither do a lot of you guys, but that hasn’t stopped you from pontificating as if you were Marcus Welby just the same.”

He noted that Republicans didn’t make a “big fuss” when President George W. Bush named Stewart Simonson to coordinate response to the bird flu.

“He didn’t have any medical background either,” Cavuto said, noting that Simonson had knowledge of the government agencies that needed to coordinate the response.

Cavuto said that Simonson was “just as much the Republican political insider as Klain today is deemed a Democratic political insider.”

“You really don’t need an M.D. to simply get this: Ebola calls for a coordinated and coherent government response,” Cavuto continued. “Ripping a guy who’s just getting started trying to get a handle on a crisis, that’s not fair; that’s not right.”

The Fox host stopped short of praising Klain, but told conservatives not to judge him before he starts his work.

“I’m not saying that Mr. Klain’s a hero, but now is not the time to be calling him or anyone a hack. Remember, just because this virus is mutating doesn’t mean simple civility and decency should be mutating with it. Because that would be sick,” he said.

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  1. Avatar for weezer weezer says:

    Well, that’s just great, Neil…except for the part about the virus mutating. I guess Fox hosts simply cannot tell the truth, no matter how hard they try.

  2. Cavuto…you’re late on this. I believe that this was already covered by Stewart, Oliver or Colbert.

  3. Avatar for pine pine says:

    I’m with you A,but sometimes these folks at faux news? realize “stupid is as stupid does”,even as those in the GOP don’t realize and Mr Cavuto was trying to "pull their coat ".to that fact.

  4. Huh. Fox News has nothing on the liberal blogosphere, which beat even the GOP in denouncing the guy as a haaaackkkkk!!!, he’s not a doctorrrrr!!! he’s not the Surgeon Generallllll!!! OBAMA DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HE’S DOINNNGGGGG!!! Within hour of being named! Oh boy did the fist-shaking outrage pour out here on TPM. Without even understanding what the guy’s role was supposed to be.

    And believe me, it pains me to agree with Neil Fucking Cavuto.

  5. I hereby request that all stories written about Fox News be formatted as chyrons rather paragraphs. For instance, this story could have been presented as text scrolling across the screen, text like:

    Neil Cavuto: Ron Klain Not A Hero But Not Necessarily A Hack. Yet.

    Did Neil Cavuto REALLY Say That?

    Ron Klain: Political Hack or Guy Getting Criticized Before His Effort To Coordinate US EBOLA Response Even Starts?

    Is Medical Expertise Necessary To Coordinate US Response To Ebola?

    Was Bush Bird Flu Coordinator More Qualified Than Klain?

    White Blonde To Discuss Abducted White Blonde On Fox Tonight At 8

    And so on.

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