George Will’s First Comments on Fox News: ‘The President’s Rather Enjoying’ the Shutdown

October 4th, 2013 7:06 PM

As NewsBusters reported Tuesday, George Will has joined Fox News.

In his first comments on the network, Will said on Friday's Special Report, "The President’s rather enjoying this [shutdown], and if the emblematic statement of the first Obama term was 'A crisis is a terrible thing to waste,' this term defined after just nine months is 'A crisis is a beautiful thing to create'” (video follows with transcript and commentary):

BRET BAIER, HOST: Let's bring in our panel tonight. We welcome to the team syndicated columnist George Will, Charles Lane, opinion writer for the Washington Post, Kirsten Powers, columnist for the Daily Beast, and syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer. George, welcome to Fox.

GEORGE WILL: Thank you.

BAIER: Anybody who has been covering Washington or following Washington has read your columns for years. We’ve seen you on ABC’s This Week, your commentary there, and we know you and your old friend, Dr. Krauthammer, are huge baseball enthusiasts. For us this is a home run. So welcome.

WILL: Thank you.

BAIER: What about this, this back and forth with Speaker Boehner today, referencing this quote in the Wall Street Journal and then the President's comments?

WILL: Well, the President’s rather enjoying this, and if the emblematic statement of the first Obama term was “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste,” this term defined after just nine months is “A crisis is a beautiful thing to create.”

To understand his behavior in early October, you have to understand the disaster of September when he suffered two huge obstructions both involving core presidential powers: the power to use appointment and the power to use military force. And he suffered both at the hands of Democratic senators.

He wanted Larry Summers to head the Fed, the most important appointment he'll make in the second term. Democratic senators stopped him. He wanted the power to threaten or wage a strike against Syria. Democratic senators disproportionately stopped that. So he needed to change the subject and this has helped him do it.


How absolutely delicious to see Krauthammer and Will on the same set.

I can't wait to see the beautiful music they make together in the coming months and years.

Stay tuned.