Ed Schultz Flip Flops On Keystone

Not so long ago – a month almost to the day – Ed Schultz raised eyebrows on the right by calling on President Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. That such a call would come from within MSNBC, the epicenter of Obama apologism, was surprising. Not to mention someone like Schultz putting pragmatism above rank partisan politics.

But said pragmatism wasn’t to last long. Schultz has now reversed himself on Keystone. Here’s the transcript via Newsbusters.

ED SCHULTZ: Well, we’re getting into the say anything, do anything phase of the keystone XL pipeline. See, all the smart people saying we got to have it. We must not be very secure right now. Holy smokes. If we don’t build this pipeline, we’re not going to be very secure. You see, conservatives, what they’re doing right now is that they are exploiting a foreign policy situation overseas to get something that they really want and they really don’t know a whole hell of a lot about. They are shamelessly using the crisis in the Ukraine to push for the keystone XL pipeline. I say not so fast. The conservative noise machine again is incorrectly saying the completion of the pipeline would weaken Russia?

SCHULTZ: Now, if this crowd is pushing for the pipeline, well, that’s the first thing that would bring me to the conclusion that it’s a really bad idea. …

SCHULTZ: This right here, the Keystone XL pipeline that would go over the Ogallala aquifer is one of the biggest energy risks this country will ever take. Ever! Ever! It is going to be one of the most disastrous things, if it does leak, because it is irreversible. Mr. President, say no to this project. I turn this night, on this program. I was wrong. But after researching both sides and listening to all the experts and seeing what’s out there, I don’t think America needs to take this risk.

When you’re less a principled observer of political events than a brawling, braying entertainer this sort of vacillation isn’t unusual.

It would be one thing if Schultz arrived as his left-wing politics by way of sincerely held conviction. But Schultz’s career has been built on the back of being a mouth for sale. Disagreeing with President Obama isn’t a good career move in the progressive media world.