Rosie O'Donnell Addresses Controversial Photo of Daughter Wearing Soldier Costume

This is a partial transcript of "The Big Story With John Gibson," July 2, 2007, that has been edited for clarity.

JOHN GIBSON, "BIG STORY" HOST: Rosie O'Donnell is the "Big Outrage" once again tonight. The notorious former "View" co-host managed to turn off even her own fans last week by posting a photo of her four-year-old daughter wearing an ammo vest, posted on Rosie's blog. Now Rosie's addressing the outrage that followed the controversial posting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSIE O'DONNELL: That photo of my daughter, I have never seen such an uproar. Let me just say this: buycostumes.com, U.S. Army soldier costume. That's what it is, folks. U.S. Army, which we are proud of the U.S. Army. We support the U.S. Army. We don't support the administration that sent them to this unjust war, but we support the warriors. We want them home safe. Is that clear enough for you people at "Access Hollywood"?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIBSON: Do you believe it? Rosie, it's not the costume Vivi was wearing that got people upset. It is the fact that you are a pacifist anti-war type who used your own daughter to get people to think about your anti-war message. That's what I think people are upset about. Why does Rosie not address that? With me now is Townhall.com managing editor Mary Katherine Ham.

So, Mary Katherine, what is — Rosie has spoken out. I mean, it's hard to keep straight what she's said and what she hasn't. Has she blasted people who let their kids play war?

MARY KATHERINE HAM, TOWNHALL.COM MANAGING EDITOR: Well, I don't know that she has gone that far. Rosie is saying she supports the troops. I think the bottom line is she does support the troops. She just doesn't want them to shoot at anyone, ever, or to fight a war.

I mean, Rosie a couple of months ago was talking about Iraq and Afghanistan and talked about how it was illegitimate for us to go to Afghanistan, which even far lefties have conceded was a legitimate reason to go to war after the Taliban had shielded bin Laden. So I think she is illustrative of a whole segment of the American population that unfortunately thinks we're not facing a threat at all. And so I'm not sure that's supporting the troops if you don't want them to do anything.

GIBSON: Now, Rosie's kid plays war. Rosie says it was supporting the troops. Or was it in fact a bulletproof excuse?

HAM: Right, she seems to have stepped back quite a bit. It may be an exercise in futility to try to understand Rosie and her finger-paint blog. But I doubt that she gets a kick out of watching her kids play soldier. I have a feeling there was more to it than that.

GIBSON: Well, she said — and this is what surprised me — the kids run around the house with guns shooting each other with water guns and playing soldier and there was just something about — well we're looking at pictures of her hanging upside down — just something about Rosie and it struck me that maybe that would have been something she would have objected to had she been in somebody else's house, and yet she didn't seem to care if her own kids did it. I don't know if she didn't care or she just didn't have the energy to try to stop them.

HAM: Well I thought that, too, but this is classic Rosie. I mean, a couple years ago she was blasting Tom Selleck and the NRA and then her personal bodyguard showed up looking for a conceal-carry permit to protect her and her children. So everything is OK for Rosie, I guess.

GIBSON: Do you think it hurt her? I mean, there was a lot of objection on her own Web site.

HAM: I think it may have hurt her a little bit with her very anti-war fans who really believe that it is objectionable to let your kid dress up like a soldier, aspire to be an American soldier. There are people who believe that and I think they're probably upset with her.

GIBSON: Townhall.com managing editor Mary Katherine Ham. Thank you very much, Mary Katherine.

HAM: Thank you.

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