Fox News' Sean Hannity headlines latest issue of Playboy

Sandwiched between pornographic pictures, the latest issue of Playboy magazine features a candid interview with Fox News and conservative talk radio host Sean Hannity.   Just an FYI for all you guys out there who... you know, "read it for the articles."

I'm a bit surprised Hannity would invite Playboy into Fox News HQ after they did this to his colleague, Megyn Kelly.

So, what sort of things might Hannity and Playboy chat about?  Here's a taste:

On the reality of Obama’s presidency: “Obama is not managing the country well. We’re talking about liberal socialism, high debt, high deficits. Twenty million more Americans are on food stamps. One in six Americans is in poverty. There’s $17 trillion in debt. These are the issues that are going to affect the country for years to come.”

On government: “I don’t know why people put so much faith in government. The system is dysfunctional. It doesn’t work. And the president has a big role in that. Obama is in a constant state of combativeness.”

On whether or not he regrets saying that Obama grew up in Kenya: “But he did grow up in Kenya, and he told The New York Times that he went to a school there and one of the most beautiful things on the planet is Islamic prayer at sunset.”

On fueling the myth that Obama is a Muslim from Africa: “I never fueled the myth. How do you come up with this stuff? He did go to a Muslim school. He writes about it in his book. He went to a Muslim school in Indonesia, or wherever it was, Kenya. I forget. Now you’ve got me. I think it was Indonesia. I’m trying to remember his biography. It’s going back so long. He admits he went to a Muslim school. It’s on his audiobook, if you want a tape of it—you can hear him say it himself.”

On the deficit: “We’ve spent all this money, and we have nothing to show for it. We’re robbing our kids blind, because it’s their money we’re taking, and they’re going to spend their lifetimes paying it back.”

On protecting our schools: “We use armed guards to protect our money, armed guards to protect our Hollywood stars, armed guards to protect our athletes, armed guards to protect presidents and elected officials. I never want to wake up and hear another school shooting has happened again. What would be wrong with putting retired policemen and retired military people in schools? You don’t even have to put them in uniform. They’d be on the front line of defense to protect our nation’s children. I support that.”

On gun control: “I don’t think any law is going to stop you from committing the evil atrocity that is in your heart. And I want law-abiding people to have the choice. You don’t have to have a weapon if you don’t want one, but those of us who do want one should have the right to have it. Our framers and our founders were very clear on the issue of the Second Amendment, and they weren’t talking about deer hunting.”

On voting for a gay, lesbian or transgender president: “I don’t want to know anything about anybody’s sex life when I’m voting for them. I want to know they can balance the budget, that they’re going to stay out of my life and ensure more freedom. Do they understand good versus evil? Do they understand that we’ve got to have a strong national defense? That’s all I’m looking for. I don’t really give a flying rip what people do privately. It’s none of my business.”

On “limousine liberals”: “I find people like Al Gore are the biggest, phoniest hypocrites of all. If global warming and carbon emissions are so bad, how does Al Gore justify getting on a private jet like we caught him on? Leonardo DiCaprio flying around on New Year’s from Australia to Vegas, and he’s lecturing people about the cars they’re driving. So hypocritical. Come on!”

On the dangers of political apathy: “There are too many people what care too much about Honey Boo Boo and the Kardashians or whomever. I’ve met Kim, and she’s nice, but honestly there’s too much of a celebrity culture. I wish people cared more about the budget being balanced, about national defense, security, rise of radical Islamists, immigration—things that I think are really going to matter and impact everybody’s lives.”

On his childhood: “Frankly, I was a big troublemaker. I don’t know how far I want to go with my honesty here, but I was taken home by the cops in the first grade for hanging on the back of cars in the wintertime. I’d get in trouble for sneaking out of the house late at night to have snowball fights. And I started smoking at a young age.”

On “sowing his wild oats” as a teenager: “Based on the Playboy definition, it’s probably the G-rated version. I used to go to all the clubs when I was young and 17 in New York. Then I worked in a couple of places as a bartender. I wasn’t Tom Cruise in Cocktail or anything, but I was pretty fast, and we made great daiquiris and piña coladas. I went through a period when I did okay in terms of dating. I was a skinny little kid, though. That was about it.”

On his career path: “I just loved talk radio when I was a kid. I wanted to get behind a radio microphone, and when I eventually did, the minute the light went on, something changed. All the stuff started flying out of me, and people have hated me ever since.”

On a “Sean Hannity fact” that would shock a liberal: “Tough one. Let’s see. Let me think. Okay, I like disco, believe it or not. When I was a bartender we played it all the time, and I still like it. I used to love Donna Summer.”

On marrying his wife: “Everybody in her life told her not to marry me. Even the minister who married us pulled her aside and said, ‘Don’t marry this guy.’ We had a big fight when we went through our pre-marriage counseling, and I said, “That’s the problem with the liberal church.’ And he didn’t appreciate it. So he ended the session. What’s funny is that he married a number of our friends at the time. This is 20 years ago. We’re the only ones still together.”

On what the Hannitys do for fun: “Nothing. I’m terrible. I didn’t dance at my own wedding. I never go out. I’m home every night. I eat cereal for dinner. The one thing I’d like to do is build a racquetball court. I’m really into fitness and staying in shape, and it gets cold in the winter and I have to hit a ball. But that’s it.”

On Bill Maher: “The last place you’ll ever see me is at the Playboy Mansion hanging out with Bill Maher. I hate him. Can’t stand him. I’m a channel flipper. I saw him the other night for five seconds, but that’s all I could take.

On his celebrity crushes: “Kate Upton? I prefer Megan Fox. She’s obviously very attractive. Angelina Jolie is very attractive. Scarlett Johansson is very attractive. But what do I know? I’m just a 51-year-old fat guy.”

On what he would do if one of his children turned out to be gay: “I love my children. Period, end of sentence, unconditionally.”

On what he would do if one of his children turned out to be a Democrat: “Well, that might be a different story.”

Click here for the full interview (but be warned: the link does goes to Playboy.com)