Obama White House Playing Politics With National Security?

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This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," December 16, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GLENN BECK, HOST: No matter what you might read about me or this program, we try very hard to get our stories right. And we try very, very hard to make sure that it's accurate and there's no reason to make stuff up. I mean, the stuff that is out there is crazy.

This story that I'm about to give to you here in the next few minutes is probably the most outrageous story — in fact, it is the story that I have paused three times and gone back to my producers today and said, "Are you sure we have enough on this one? Are you sure we have enough?"

Because this is a story I do not want to believe, but if it is true, we're in a different world.

We know that this administration practices Chicago hardball politics. But this goes far beyond any tactic I can imagine any president — no matter how much I disagree with him, he is still the president of the United States — and I cannot believe that anyone in the White House would do this to pass his agenda.

But this morning, there was one source. Today, I'm told there are three separate sources. Michael Goldfarb at The Weekly Standard — full disclosure in case you don't know who he is, he was the communications director, right Joe? Communications director of the McCain campaign. The Weekly Standard is conservative.

But he confirmed to me today that he had a Senate aide inform him that the White House has threatened to put Nebraska's Offut Air Force base on the BRAC list — that's the Base Realignment and Closure list — if Sen. Ben Nelson doesn't fall in line with health care, they will close this base.

Sen. Nelson has denied this story this afternoon. The White House denies this story. But Goldfarb and The Weekly Standard are standing by their source and now two others.

Sen. Nelson has been against several portions of this bill from the beginning. He's still holding out for taxpayer money not to be used to fund abortions. But the left cannot allow that one to fall through as well. They need to have that in there for the progressives.

Thus, the allegation is the White House has stepped up to use now the U.S. military and the security and defense of the United States of America as a bargaining tool against Nelson.

The Nebraska base is the headquarters for U.S. Strategic Command. It is in Nebraska for a reason. The successor to Strategic Air Command, it was the place used by President Bush during the uncertain hours of 9/11. Do you remember when we didn't know where he was exactly? He was there. It's Strategic Command. It's in Nebraska for a reason.

The Obama administration is possibly — and I can't bring myself to say these words because it is abhorrent if it is true but it sure fits the pattern. They're playing politics with the national security of the United States. If it is true, that's exactly what they're doing for health care.

"Does it seem implausible?" was the question that was asked to me several times by producers. Does it seem possible? Does it seem implausible to you? A year ago, I would have said yes. Today, I bring up the three Navy SEALs that are facing court-martial for giving one of the most vile, sought-after terrorists on the planet a fat lip after they captured him.

Would you believe the president could sit on a recommendation from his general that he appointed on the ground in Afghanistan for months, pleading for more troops? More months, more months, more months — pleading. We're going to lose this thing. The troops' lives are on the line.

Could you believe even six months ago that after the slaughter of 13 U.S. soldiers on a U.S. military base on U.S. soil, when the president steps up to inform the country about that tragedy, he would spend two whole minutes talking about someone else before making the announcement, and then sending a shout-out before talking about Fort Hood?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I want to thank my Cabinet members and senior administration officials who participated today. I hear that Dr. Joe Medicine Crow was around and I want to give a shout-out to that Congressional Medal of Honor winner. Good to see you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Look what happened to Sen. Joe Lieberman. We talked to you about it yesterday. To get him to tow the line, Lee Siegel at The Daily Beast wrote that he needed to start "acting Jewish" and vote for the bill.

Liberal Democrats were calling for a recall election in Connecticut. The goofball Shakespearean want-to-be on the other channel that nobody watches, hollering, "Mr. Lieberman, just resign already!"

Lieberman's wife was attacked. Liberal bloggers called for her to be fired from her position as a global ambassador for the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation because of her husband's views.

We have seen plenty of extortion and the politics of absolute destruction from this White House. They're also capable of what I would believe — I mean, I can't believe it's not called out-and-out bribery. Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu — she was bought off with $300 million carrot for her state:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU, D-LA.: I am not going to be defensive about asking for help in this situation. And it is not a $100 million fix. It is a $300 million fix.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: The rabid progressives don't care how they accomplish their goals. The ends justify the means. This book — this guy just last week said about me, "We've got to shut Glenn Beck up by any means necessary." That's how they do their work.

But this? Using the military and our strategic command as a pawn, threatening to weaken our national security defenses to fulfill your utopian social justice agenda? To me, that borders on treason.

No one — no one — no one wants to believe that the president of the United States or any of his advisors would stoop to these kinds of tactics. But what are we supposed to believe here?

Senator Ben Nelson who, even if the story is true, would obviously deny it to protect his party and the president. Or do we take the story at face value based on the preponderance of evidence of Chicago thuggery we have already seen?

I don't have time to tell you about the story about the other two guests that went into the White House and just had breakfast with the president. This is two couples now and a convicted felon in three weeks. What happened? Did everybody in the Secret Service all of a sudden have an aneurysm? Or is somebody changing the game on us?

Something is wrong — very wrong. As we get closer to the end of the year, Obama's poll numbers continue to drop. They seem to be getting more and more desperate at the White House.

I understand that no one at the G.E.-owned NBC is interested in anything but propaganda anymore for health care or green energy. Oh no, there's not a conflict of interest there. The New York times is toeing the line as they hold out for their bailout money. But someone, somewhere, must be interested are in journalism besides this program and The Weekly Standard.

Is there anyone who would like to report on this, report on this story, the possible White House extortion techniques?

Probably not. Well, not unless Tiger Woods is sleeping with one of the sexy female air persons at Offut Air Force Base, then they will cover it.

Oh, by the way, in an update from a story last night, speaking of people sleeping with other people, do remember the story of Joe Lieberman I just told you about again? The woman going after his wife — I told you about her yesterday. She dated for two years Andy Stern. Our sources say she just left when she met him. And by the end, she was just a leftist. By the end, she was a guerilla activist. What a surprise.

Up next, the editor of The Weekly Standard who first reported on this story and some pushback on it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO 10/26/2009 CLIP)

BECK: Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama, two lovers sitting in a tree, B-E-A-T-I-N-G.

What is it that Barack Obama promised on the campaign trail? Oh, that's right, I remember: A new kind of politics. Well, America didn't think new politics would be even worse than the old politics.

But here is what the new politics is: You don't agree with the administration? Well, I tell you what, you know what I'm saying? You want to stand in the way of reform? No longer is it a gentlemen's disagreement that can be debated. No, no, no, no. You're going to play ball or you're going to get a beat down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: This is the most outrageous story, I think, that we have reported on and we have reported on outrageous stories. And because this story has not — the homework on this has not been done on me or my staff. This is not our story that we're breaking. This one is from Mike Goldfarb. He is the online editor of The Weekly Standard and the former deputy director of communications for McCain in 2008.

So let's address that first: People will say you're a political hack. Why should we believe a guy who was a communications director for the McCain campaign?

MICHAEL GOLDFARB, ONLINE DIRECTOR, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: Well, I've got a perfect track record. You know, I have never made up a story before. I hope that will be enough.

BECK: OK. Mike, I talked to you this morning. I don't remember when it was — 10:00 when I first heard this story. And it fits the M.O. that we have been seeing.

But you have changed your story from this morning. You said to me that you felt it was — your source said it was Rahm Emanuel. Did I mishear you? Have you changed the story? Because now, the story is that it's just the — someone in the White House. Can you tell me what happened?

GOLDFARB: Look, what happened was I got a call yesterday. And a source of mine at the Senate told me that Ben Nelson's office had gotten a call threatening to put Offut Air Force Base on the BRAC list if he did not play ball on this vote.

Subsequently, I put that up quickly. He told me, "Look, this is obviously a naked play by Rahm Emanuel." And that was the exact quote I had in the story. As interest in this story continued, I went back to my source and got more details. And the one thing we know for certain is that the White House put in a call —

BECK: Hang on. Back in a minute. Back in a minute. Hang on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Back with Mike Goldfarb. He's the online editor of The Weekly Standard and former deputy director of communications for McCain 2008. He broke the story today that says that Sen. Ben Nelson is being threatened by the White House now to either sign on for health care or lose Offut Air Force Base which is Strategic Command.

This is not just any Air Force Base, this was Strategic Air Command. If you grew up when I did, you know exactly what this base is. It was put there strategically for reasons and is the place that George Bush went to for 9/11.

OK. So Mike, you were saying that you do know that the White House made the call.

GOLDFARB: Yes.

BECK: According to your source?

GOLDFARB: Yes. And look, as my source told me — he said look, this was clearly done by somebody who didn't understand the BRAC process. It is actually not a very credible threat. The BRAC process won't begin again until 2012, 2013.

But clearly, they wanted to exert some pressure. And I think it's evidence of a couple of things: One, the desperation of the White House. Nelson has not signed on to this yet and they are using whatever they can to push him to do it.

But also, look, it is part of a pattern we've seen where they played politics with national security most of the year. They delayed the Afghanistan troop decision because they didn't want to rock the boat on health care until finally it was no longer possible. And they wanted to have health care done a month ago long before they made that decision.

They have done the same thing with Gitmo, exactly. And —

BECK: But I think they put Illinois at risk, quite honestly.

GOLDFARB: And they have done it on Iran sanctions, which have been pushed off into the new year so they can try and resolve this health care mess.

So they are doing all kinds of things with national security to try and get health care.

BECK: But we have also seen the beat downs of the Chamber of Commerce. He won't play ball. We saw it with Humana — they went after Humana. I'm just trying to look at some of the other things. We have the Chrysler bondholders — they got a beat down.

I mean, anybody who won't play ball gets a serious —

GOLDFARB: You know they ask citizens to turn in their neighbors and send e-mails to, you know, Flag.gov at Whitehouse.com or wherever it is. They wanted people to send e-mails reporting, you know, neighbors who are making suspicious statements about health care.

And obviously, went to war with Fox News which — but you know, the sort of the funny thing here is this is not a very credible threat they have made to Nelson. They lost the war against Fox News.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: I'm sorry, Michael. It doesn't matter if it's credible or not that they could do it. The fact that they threatened it — it is our national security. There comes a point — anyone in the White House — there comes a point where you have crossed far too many lines. This is on the lunatic fringe if this, indeed, happened.

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