The Next Time Chris Wallace Takes a Breath, It Will Be To Kick Imus's Butt

If Chris Wallace, host of Fox News Sunday, didn't sound happy to be on the show today, it wasn't because Imus had been calling him names all morning. Having just woken up, Wallace was blithely unaware of the fact that he was a part of "Loser Guest Thursday."

Wallace interviewed Rush Limbaugh last week, and had traveled all the way to Palm Beach, Florida to speak with "El Rushbo," as he calls himself. Rush is a provocative figure with much to say, so it was fitting that Imus focused solely on attire.

"Rush is sitting there with his shirt unbuttoned down to his navel, which is troubling, and with his shoes on and no socks," Imus said. "Did that make you hot?"

No, it didn't, Wallace said. But this line of questioning is making Imus look nuts.

Prying Imus away from the wardrobe issue was difficult, but Wallace tried, and said about Rush, "Whether you love him or you can't stand him, whether you agree or disagree with him, here's a guy who invents himself, invents the whole persona, gets fabulously successful and get millions of people to listen to him!"

The comparisons between Rush and the host of this program were not lost on Wallace, who seized the opportunity to suck up. "Whether it's him or you, there are few people like that who are very special, who can go anywhere and millions of people will follow them around," he said.

Moving on, Wallace said that Tuesday's election results, easily interpreted as a shunning of President Obama, were primarily about local issues and individual candidates. In the Virginia Gubernatorial race, for example, the Republican winner Bob McDonnell was an attractive candidate who ran a disciplined campaign.

"Having said that," Wallace began. "If you looked across all the races, you see some potential problems. I don't want to overstate, but when you see Independents who were so strongly for Obama gong strongly for two Republican candidates, and when you see the complete failure of the Obama coalition to turn out...it says there are doubts about the Obama agenda, and that Obama's popularity is not necessarily transferable."

To which Imus replied, "God, can you take a breath?"

Following a commercial break and some soul-searching, Imus apologized for being rude, and afforded Wallace the chance to promote this Sunday's edition of his very fine show.

This week's "Power Player" segment will feature an with interview Jayson Blair, the New York Times reporter who fabricated, plagiarized, and made up dozens of stories during his time at the paper.

"He was subsequently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and now has become a life coach at a psychiatric and psychological clinic in Virginia," said Wallace.

Hey Chris, can we get the number for that clinic?

-Julie Kanfer