LA TimesLA Times
FILE - Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio on March 2, 2017, in New York. Carlson's belittling of a reporter for The New York Times this week for publicly discussing how she had been harassed reveals both a toxic online culture and bad blood between the newspaper, Fox News Channel and its most popular personality. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight." (Richard Drew / Associated Press)

The conflict in Ukraine and backpedaling were the main themes of Tucker Carlson's show.

I don't think anyone approves of what Putin did.

He sounded a note just before tanks rolled over the border between Ukraine and Belarus, and bombs exploded over the capital. As on-scene reporters stressed the gravity of the situation, and American media outlets reacted with equal solemnity, one notable exception emerged: Fox News.

The top talent at the conservative news outlet sympathized with Putin as he started a war over the U.S. and its allies. On Wednesday, there was no expectation that Carlson and Ingraham would stop feeding their viewers pro-Putin propaganda.

Carlson used Wednesday's show to wave a flag for Putin instead of the U.S. The host of Tucker Carlson Tonight questioned why we should hate the autocratic and isolated Russian ruler.

The conflict was blamed on the weakness and incompetence of the Biden administration by Ingraham, as well as by a number of Republican elected officials. She was making fun of a last-ditch effort to save lives.

A woman in a purple top speaks at a microphone
Laura Ingraham speaks during the third day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in 2016. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Carlson went so far as to urge his viewers to rethink their feelings about good ol' Putin, because he said Democrats had conditioned people to hate him. Is he threatening to fire me for disagreeing with him? Has he shipped middle-class jobs to Russia? Did he cause a worldwide epidemic that wrecked my business and kept me indoors for two years? Is he teaching my children to discriminate? Is he making a drug? Is he trying to destroy Christianity?

Carlson thinks that jailing antiwar protesters is worse than submitting cable news hosts to criticism. The good guy is Putin and the bad guy is Biden. Fox News logic demands irrationally turning on your own country and supporting the enemy since Joe likes Ukraine.

The unprovoked attack was condemned by multiple heads of state, or that it prompted sanctions, but never mind. Carlson had everything he needed, as former President Donald Trump had already referred to Putin as a "genius" for his aggression in the region, just as he had spoken highly for years of the man who helped him into the White House.

Carlson said that Putin was to blame for what was happening in the Ukraine. Within minutes of the start of the war last night, the usual liars on television began using it for political gain. We are going to talk about what matters tonight.

As much as Carlson wanted people to ignore his previous week of blowing kisses at Russia's strongman, his love letters were scattered about social media. Russian state media aired his commentary with subtitles to show how Americans feel about Putin. Tucker Carlson wonders why U.S. elites hate Putin.

The pro-Russia stance of the network's hosts created quite the cognitive dissonance with Fox news operations. The network moved from mortar blasts to partisan chatter on Wednesday. Kevin Corke, White House correspondent, immediately situated the reactions of American politicians within the realm of Democrat/Republican squabbling, when host Shannon Bream threw to him.

Barack Obama said to Romney that the Kremlin was America's number one enemy. Clinton said his thinking was dated and backward.

What about reaction from inside the Kremlin? You will have to ask Carlson.

The story was originally published in the Los Angeles Times.

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