Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth': Hannity Segment Devolves Into Finger-Pointing, Name-Calling Schoolyard Fight

Radio show host Bill Cunningham and Fox News analyst Tamara Holder appeared on the Sean Hannity program Thursday night to discuss whether U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder had committed perjury when he testified before Congress on government surveillance programs.

But rather than having a mature and respectful conversation about a very serious topic, Holder and Cunningham let the discussion descend into a schoolyard “no-you-shut-up” fight.

“You are judicially challenged and you’re one of the stooges of the left that will always be there to excuse away criminal behavior,” Cunningham said, jabbing his finger at Holder. “You suffer from Bob Beckel-itis, which is an incurable fatal condition of liberalism that caused people like Eric Holder to be the consigliere of Barack Hussein Obama.”

“I really hope that when you speak to a judge, you don’t point your finger in the person’s face the entire time,” Holder said, jabbing her finger at Cunningham. “Your finger does not make your point.”

“Who’s finger is in my face right now?”

“Mine, because I’m telling you to shut up.”

“You shut up! Know your role and shut your mouth.”

Well, that escalated quickly.

They're giving each other the (index) finger.

Hannity made a feeble attempt to corral the two. It didn’t work.

“[Eric Holder's] like a piano player in a whore house, not knowing what’s going on on the second floor,” Cunningham continued. “Let’s face it, Tamara, he is a stooge man for the radical left.”

“What is your obsession with stooges? Aren’t stooges like little elves?” Holder shot back.

“I’m sitting next to you!” Cunningham responded. “You’re a liberal stooge, and an excuse monger for the Obama administration.”

“Never mind,” an exasperated Holder said.

“What are you going to cry?” Cunningham mocked. “You going to cry?”

“No, I’m not going to cry.”

Hannity tried to wrap up the segment by having the two adversaries shake hands. Again, his attempt to calm his guests was unsuccessful.

“I don’t shake hands with trolls,” Holder said.

You can see the exchange here [via Mediaite]:

Later, on Friday, a separate Fox News panel discussed the fight and Cunningham’s “know your role” taunts.

“Is this what we’ve come to?” Fox host Martha McCollum said. “Is this civil society?”

“He not only crossed the line, he obliterated the line,” said Juan Williams. “How was she supposed to respond except in personal terms, to try to defend herself? I think it shut down the conversation. That doesn’t help.”

“I was surprised she didn’t get madder,” said HotAir.com editor-at-large Mary Katherine Ham.

Ham then raised an important point regarding Cunningham’s behavior.

“It looks like he doesn’t have a problem with women in that particular role,” she said, noting both Holder’s sharp criticisms of other Fox guests and the fact that Cunningham is married to an appeals court judge.

“So maybe this is not a reflection of his feelings, but you got to be careful when you’re on the air.”

You can watch the Holder/Cunningham post mortem here [via Mediaite]:

Still, Holder’s reputation for being tough on Fox guests and Cunningham’s marriage aside, do you think he crossed the line?

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