If there was one thing it seemed most Americans could agree on this weekend it was that former President George H.W. Bush was generally a good man who had the country’s best interest at heart.
And yet, somehow, the hosts of The View still found a way to turn his tribute into an argument on Monday morning.
Things started off cordial enough with moderator Whoopi Goldberg noting how the remembrances from Presidents Clinton and Obama have helped remind us “how you can still not agree with somebody but be respectful of somebody.”
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“He seemed to be coming from a loving, kind place also,” Joy Behar added of the elder Bush. “That's what I’m gleaning from what they're talking about, that he was loving.”
“He was also known for his humility as president,” Meghan McCain added, noting that as our last combat veteran to be elected “he was there to serve the people.”
The unspoken contrasts with America’s current president continued as Abby Huntsman highlighted Bush’s 73-year marriage to Barbara Bush, who died eight months earlier, and his dealings with the media. “I loved his relationship with the press because we talk about that a lot on this show—they were tough on him, it's not like they were easy—but he had such a respect for what they did,” she said.
This led Behar to bring up another aspect of Bush’s legacy that has not gotten as much attention over the past few days.
“As a candidate he said, ‘Those who think we're powerless to do anything about the greenhouse effect are forgetting about the White House effect.’ Then he signed into law the Clean Air Act amendment of 1990, one of the most sweeping environmental statutes ever.”
She then made the Trump comparison explicit. “This president that we have now is trying to unravel everything that he did and Obama did, and if I ever become a one-issue voter, it will be about pollution and the greenhouse effect and the fact that—”
And just like that, she was interrupted by McCain. “Can we focus on the president, please? I don’t want to talk about Trump.”
“Well, I do for a second, so excuse me!” Behar said. “Excuse me a second, please!” When McCain said she was not “not interested in your one issue,” Behar replied, “I don't care what you’re interested in because I’m talking!”
“Well I don’t care what you’re interested in either, Joy!” McCain shot back as Goldberg hastily threw to commercial.
When the clip appeared on the show’s Twitter account, the nasty exchange between Behar and McCain was magically missing. It’s almost as if it never even happened...
