Garofalo: "The way the mainstream media portrays the Palestinians is totally unfair"

On the Sept 21st show of Real Time, Janeane Garofalo called Bill Maher out on his and the mainstream news' Israel bias. Earlier in his show, Maher interviewed the former head of the CIA's Bin Ladin unit, Michael Sheuer, about OBL's motives, OBL's low approval ratings, and OBL's new beard. But it wasn't until Maher discovered that his hard-on for Israel was not shared by Sheuer when it started to get interesting. (min 03:50)

MAHER: So, I guess we're always trying to figure out why this man and the people that he has inspired are trying to attack us. And I believe what you say. And I think it's more about our policy than about our way of life. But would you grant me this, that as long as there's an Israel in this world -- and I'm a big supporter of Israel -- as long as America backs it, the kind of Muslims that take their religion that seriously that they would strap on a suicide belt are always going to be out for us and are always going to be trying to kill us.

SHEUER: I think we can reduce it very seriously, sir. I disagree with you on Israel but ah...

MAHER: In what way? You're not a supporter.

SHEUER: Well, I -- I hope Israel flourishes. I just don't think it's worth an American life or American dollar.

(applause)

(boos)

Prepare for two and a half minutes of back and forth banter. The anti-Israel/pro-American stuff Michael Sheuer says upsets Bill Maher. The pro-Israel/pro-Israel stuff Bill Maher says upsets the baby Jesus. Check for the fun series of Maher's stunned expressions.

At around minute 07:10, Maher comes back from commercial to the round table thing he does and asks, "So did anything Mr. Sheuer said upset anybody as much as the comments on Israel upset me?"

GAROFALO: Well I actually -- no, what upsets me is that any substantive conversation about Israel gets stopped because of something similar that you did. You immediately had an attitude when he's saying something that's--that's actually very viable. That our support of Israel to the detriment of the Palestinian people and to the detriment of the American people is not wise, and it's been responsible for a lot of problems. And the way the mainstream media portrays the Palestinians is totally unfair, and you shut him down with your tone of voice and everything, right, sort of right away and he was --

MAHER: What are you talking about? He said -- he said, "Defending Israel is not worth an American dollar or American life." That wasn't just attitude. That's actually my belief, that it is worth--

GAROFALO: No, no, no. I understand what you're saying, and that sounds harsh -- because I think of myself as a global citizen not just an American citizen so I don't think one life is worth more than another...

MAHER: Okay...

GAROFALO: Wait, wait, wait--

MAHER: They wouldn't like you in Israel.

(laughter from the audience)

GAROFALO: But the thing is our policy toward -- our Israeli policy is very dangerous for us. And for them. I don't think the right wing of the Knesset represents the Israeli people any more than the right wing of this government represents the American people.

[Tarboush tip: Alexis]