Juan Williams Insists He Isn’t Liberal, Just a “Foil”

12 Jul, 2012 by Matt Vespa

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Juan Williams hit it off with the I-man on the July 11 broadcast of Imus in the Morning. : Apparently, Williams, who was fired by NPR in 2010, is the “foil” for the conservative personalities on Fox News. : When Imus asked if Fox News was “right wing,” Williams responded with “given what I’m up against, I think that’s the way it comes across. If you’re arguing politics with Krauthammer and Brit Hume or Eric Boiling or Dana Perino—everybody’s on the right so you say, hey, wait a minute there’s another way to think of this. But, in general, I don’t know I would define myself as a liberal. I know most of the audience wouldn’t: –But obviously,: that is my job to be a foil for strong right-wing views.”

However, while midway through the interview when Imus and Williams were talking about the real criticisms with Fox News,: Mr. Williams reiterated that Fox News does disseminate serious content with journalistic integrity, especially in their six o’clock slot [Special Report], but then made a bizarre statement concerning how he was able to be on the network due to his: conservativeleanings. : This coming from a man who claims to be “foil” for “right wing views.”

DON IMUS: That’s my point. That is the point I was going to make, that you sort of clumsily made, the point is that if you look at Megyn Kelly, although she can freak out once in a while but not very often. But if you look at Megyn Kelly and you like at Shep smith —oh my god–I mean Shep smith can turn into a commie sometimes. If you look at those news programs — or Bret Baier — those are news programs. I mean–I would say what it is. But I mean when somebody derides and disparages fox news, they really mean Hannity or they mean some of these other nuts, you know.

JUAN WILLIAMS: Well Sure

IMUS: I can’t tell you how it irritates me. And I have no dog in this. I don’t care.

WILLIAMS: If you want to put it that way, we’re like brothers; yeah you’ve got a dog in it because I’m your dog on this one.:  I mean I’m there; I’m there every day. So I wouldn’t exist. Now Let’s just put the shoe on the other foot.: Imagine — imagine for a second that my job was to come in and to be a personality on, let’s say, another major cable news network and they say oh you know what? He’s pretty conservative, because I’d be pretty conservative over there, i don’t think I’d get past the parking lot because they don’t want any personalities that aren’t —you know—with the program.: But on Fox I exist. I’m one of the team.

On the one-hand, Williams insists he’s a liberal foil, but that he’s too conservative for CNN or MSNBC. That’s quite an indictment from a liberal about how far Fox’s competitors are.