Joy Behar and Barbara Walters Politicize Bin Laden Death: Just Cancel 2012 Election Now

Published: 5/2/2011 12:50 PM ET

View co-hosts Joy Behar and Barbara Walters on Monday immediately politicized the killing of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. After giving credit to Barack Obama for the successful strike, supposedly straight journalist Walters giddily announced, "I would hate now to be a Republican candidate thinking of running." [MP3 audio here. ]

Liberal comedienne Joy Behar played off a months-old comment by token conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Behar crowed, "As Elisabeth always says, they should just skip the next election."

As the crew sat next to guest Brian Ross, Hasselbeck refused to join in: "Wait a minute. I think it is insane to politicize this event right now and I refuse to partake in that."

Earlier in the show, Hasselbeck showed the most class, declaring, "But, I have to credit the Obama administration for continuing this pursuit and taking the baton from the Bush administration. Neither of these men wanted to bear this burden. Neither of them would ask for this. But to go ahead and act on it is outstanding."

A transcript of the exchange, which aired at 11:22am EDT on May 2, follows:

11:03

HASSELBECK: But, I have to credit the Obama administration for continuing this pursuit and taking the baton from the Bush administration. Neither of these men wanted to bear this burden. Neither of them would ask for this. But to go ahead and act on it is outstanding.

11:22
...

BARBARA WALTERS: And great credit to this President.

BRIAN ROSS: It was a brilliant operation.

JOY BEHAR: We love our president! We love him.

ROSS: And he made a choice not to drop bombs there because he was afraid it would obliterate any evidence they'd killed him.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Yes, he did.

ROSS: So he made the choice to send in the U.S. Navy Seals.

BEHAR: And he would have hurt other people probably. This way it was very-

WALTERS: I would hate now to be a Republican candidate thinking of running.

BEHAR: They should- As Elisabeth always says, they should just skip the next election.

HASSELBECK: Wait a minute. I think it is insane to politicize this event right now and I refuse to partake in that.