Jesse Ventura Goes Head to Head With Sean Hannity

Posted by Jason Linkins, Huffington Post at 11:49 AM on May 19, 2009.

Thanks to all the Media Monitors who highlighted last night's entertaining tilt between Sean Hannity and former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura. Hannity, didn't "want to go down the old road" last night with Ventura, who's made his antipathy for the Bush administration abundantly clear. So the Fox host instead pitched a segment of "new questions" to Ventura. And then, within seconds, the conversation immediately shifted to teleprompters. Jeezy creezy. Have you heard about how our monster president became the first person to ever employ this Satanic device of Pure Fraudulence?

This is new: "George Bush inherited the negative impact of 9/11." That's apparently a new counter to the old refrain about how Obama "inherited" all sorts of turd sandwiches from his predecessor. I suppose I'm supposed to accept the premise that a President can "inherit" the fallout of an event that happens nine months into their term.

Jesse Ventura, I like the way his mind works! Hannity attempts a weird a rambling case about the Clinton administration's inattention to terrorists, and just as I am imagining the obvious rebuttal, Ventura calmly enunciates it:

HANNITY: There were a group of radicals that were at war with the United States and we weren't at war with them. We saw the first Trade Center bombing, the Embassy bombings, the USS Cole, and we think radicals that think God is going to reward them in Heaven with virgins. Jesse, how do you stop them.

VENTURA: Well, you pay attention to memos on August 6 that tell you exactly what bin Laden's gonna do.

Things get pretty much awesome from there. And a little weird. And yet very "Minnesota nice!" The conversation basically has it all: Ross Perot shout outs, Monica Lewinsky weighed against 9/11, bin Laden conspiracy theories, and Ventura refusing to accept that the interview is over. But the best moment comes toward the end when Hannity basically presents LOVING REAGAN as some sort of personal accomplishment, earned through diligence and sweat, only to have Ventura shoot him a withering "so what?" face.

Watch it:

Tagged as: video, barack obama, george w. bush, sean hannity, bill clinton, media news, jesse ventura

Jason Linkins is an associate editor at the Huffington Post, based in Washington, DC.