How to End a Fox News Interview Abruptly: Call Fox 'A Wing of the Republican Party'

Now here's one of the few good reasons to go on Fox News. Thomas Ricks, a member of the Center for a New American Security, author of several books on the military, and a Pulitzer Prize winner, went on Fox to talk about Benghazi. But his interview didn't last long. Asked why Sen. John McCain seems to be backing off his threats to block U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice from being made secretary of state, Ricks said, "I think that Benghazi generally was hyped by this network especially and that now that the campaign is over, he's backing off a little bit. They're not going to stop Susan Rice from being secretary of state."

Fox: When you have four people dead including the first US ambassador in more than 30 years, how do you call that hype?

Ricks: How many security contractors died in Iraq, do you know?

Fox: I don't.

Ricks: No, nobody does, because nobody cared. We know that several hundred died, but there was never an official count done, of security contractors dead in Iraq. So when I see this focus on what was essentially a small fire fight, I think number one, I've covered a lot of fire fights, it's impossible to figure out what happens in them sometimes. And second, I think that the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political partly because Fox was operating as a wing of the Republican party.

Fox: All right. Tom Ricks, thanks very much for joining us today.

Ricks: You're welcome.

It's fantastic anytime someone goes on Fox News to say that Fox News is operating as a wing of the Republican Party. It's exponentially more fantastic when the person going on Fox News to say that Fox News is operating as a wing of the Republican Party is not some token liberal, but rather someone introduced by Fox as a distinguished expert on foreign policy and the military.

The question, though, is if Ricks will be punished by never ever being allowed to go on Fox again, or if they'll try to ambush him on the air in the future. (I'm guessing he'll have thought of that possibility, and be ready.)