The senior Democratic senator from Michigan had some very testy exchanges with Fox & Friends' Brian Kilmeade this morning. The topic was possible troop reductions in Iraq. Levin has been leading the Dem charge in alleging that the Bush administration is orchestrating the drawdowns with an eye on the November elections.
At one point, the give-and-take went like this
Brian: "Judging by conditions on the ground, do you think the President enjoys having troops over in Iraq? Do you think he would keep them there one day past where they should be there or have to be in harm's way?
Levin "I don't think anybody enjoys having troops in Iraq."
Kilmeade. "Why would you think [the president] would keep troops there at a level level if they didn't have to be?"
Levin: "I think the Karl Rove playbook . . . "
Kilmeade:"Karl Rove, not the general, is making the decisions?"
Levin: "You're interrupting my answer here."
"Brian: "Go ahead."
Things ended on this nasty note:
Levin: "I hoped this would be an interview of me rather than an interview of you."
Brian: "I listened to you talk, I watched you read."
As liberal Dems go, I actually find Levin among the more temperate. But for whatever reason, he let Brian get seriously under his skin.
