Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Michael Moore locked horns on Wednesday’s episode of The View , engaging in an entertainingly heated debate over the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Things kicked off when film-maker Moore argued that bin Laden should have been put on trial by the U.S., pointing out that “we did a very smart thing putting the Nazis on trial.” Hasselbeck returned fire, pointing out that the Nazis were tried in peace time, while the U.S. was “still at war.”
“No, we’re not, actually,” replied Moore. “(We are) spending ‘billions’ of dollars of our money on something that has nothing to do with a real threat. The way we show the world that we’re different that we give even the most heinous person their day in court. If we start to say that we’re afraid to hold trials because terrorists might hurt us, we look like a bunch of wussies.”
Hasselbeck seemed genuinely angry at this point, snapping back with, “You’re telling me Osama bin Laden deserves a trial, but where, in New York City at the site of the slaughter of our own 3,000 on 9/11? Absolutely not. How dare …”
Afterwards, Hasselbeck Tweeted that the two had “passionately agreed to disagree,” and they would grab lunch together. You can check out a video of the full debate below.
While I don’t agree with all of his views, I’d have to side with Moore here: giving even the most despicable individuals their day in court (and no, not “in New York City at the site of the slaughter” as Hasselbeck emotionally screeches) is the sign of a mature, confident nation that believes in sticking to its core values. What do you think, readers?
