Women, Sean Hannity reports

We all know Fox News is fair and balanced, but not everyone knows that they tend to sympathize with conservatives. Perhaps that's how they managed to land an exlusive interview with Sarah Palin, who coincidentally is also a conservative.

On Tuesday, September 16, Sean Hannity, the more-right leaning host of Hannity & Colmes, interviewed Christine Pelosi, who was promoting her book Campaign Boot Camp. Christine Pelosi is the daughter of Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to become Speaker of the House. Hannity believes Sarah Palin will soon be the first woman to become Vice President. He has even referred to himself as the conductor of the anti-Obama express, so much for keeping personal opinions out of journalism. The majority of the interview was about Sarah Palin. During the beginning of the interview Hannity brought up remarks by Joe Biden, which said that if Sarah Palin was elected, it would be a huge step backward for women. Let's have a look at excerpts from the transcript:

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Hey, Christine.

PELOSI: ...this is not a good choice for American women.

HANNITY: Joe Biden said that if she is elected vice president, it's a backward step for women. Do you believe it would be a backwards step for women even though you disagree with her politically? Is that a backward step for women?

PELOSI: I think it's a backwards step for women's rights if you have in place the McCain administration that (INAUDIBLE) people pay for equal work.

HANNITY: I didn't ask you about women's right. I asked is this — is this a bad thing for women if a woman for the first time in American history becomes the president of the United States? Is that a bad thing for women like your mom became the first female speaker of the House?

Pelosi, not keen on contradicting Biden, did not repeat verbatim the Senator's remarks. Hannity went on, determined to let nothing get in his way of the truth. Here are his comment and questions.

HANNITY: Is it a step backwards if she wins? And stop playing, stop playing Clinton games here.

HANNITY: Is it a step backwards for women if she wins?

HANNITY: Good grief. Can you answer a simple question?

HANNITY: Why can't you say it's a good thing for women?

HANNITY: All right. So it's a step backwards if she becomes the first vice president because she's not a liberal like you and your mom?

...and finally:

HANNITY: ...but here's Governor Palin, because she's conservative, although she's — considered herself a pro-life feminist, she's attacked in ways that women have never been attacked in politics, that no man would be attacked, and if you're a real feminist and not a liberal feminist, you would stand up for her in that regard even though you have political disagreements?

By the time Pelosi got around to plugging her book, Hannity cut her off and went to a new segment.

Sean Hannity reports: liberal feminists, not really feminists. And he's not the only one that thinks so:

And as for the unprecedented sexism Sarah Palin faces, he must suffer from memory problems. Media Matters has compiled a very tidy list of sexist attacks against Hilary Clinton and other female political figures/organizations by conservative "journalists" like Sean Hannity. Here's one sexist attack he should remember, it happened on his show. Fox News Contributor Dick Morris said on Hannity & Colmes: "When a woman wants to be president, she shouldn't complain based on gender," and, "This is what Hillary Clinton always does -- whenever she gets under fire, she retreats behind the apron strings."

The Daily Show also compiled a bunch of Fox News clips that would seem to contradict Hannity's charge of unprecedented sexism:

But Sean's interview with Pelosi's daughter was just a warm up, two days later, his show aired his exclusive interivew with Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin, victim of sexism.

He asked hard hitting, unbiased questions like:

HANNITY: Is Senator Obama then using what happened on Wall Street this week? Is he using it for political gain? Is there a danger of a presidential candidate is saying to the world that America's situation of economic crisis is the worst that we've seen in decades — which was words that he was using yesterday — is there a danger in terms of the world hearing that?

There was also this lively exchange:

HANNITY: You don't want to start a war with Russia —

(CROSSTALK)

PALIN: We do not want to start a war with Russia.

Well, at least we can rule out war with Russia, no word yet on the rest of the world though.