Jake Tapper Should Let Imus Produce "This Week"

There will be no On Tap with Tapper: the job of hosting ABC’s Sunday Morning show This Week went to Christiane Amanpour. But our guy Jake Tapper, ABC’s Chief White House Correspondent, will host until July, and invited the I-Man to participate in the show’s venerable roundtable.

“What are you, nuts?” Imus barked. Ever the persistent reporter, Tapper insisted Imus should come on This Week because he has “wisdom to share.”  

No, Jake, we can assure you he doesn’t.

Tabling the roundtable issue (for now), Tapper and Imus agreed it has been a historic few days in America. “A lot of people didn’t think this thing was ever going to pass,” Tapper said of President Obama’s health care bill. “And they did it. It wasn’t the prettiest, smoothest landing…but they got the votes.”

As for whether Democrats bribed Rep. Bart Stupak to get him to vote their way, Tapper said the ardently pro-life Stupak had actually backed himself into a corner by insisting that a bill prohibiting the use of federal money to pay for abortions go even farther.

“He wanted it so no one could even offer it through the exchanges, which is beyond what federal law right now permits,” said Tapper, referring to the health insurance exchanges people will be able to buy through the government.

Back to Imus: Will his refusal to appear on This Week impact future appearances by Tapper, an I-Fave, on this show?

“There’s no quid pro quo with me,” said Tapper, who tried to entice Imus again by disclosing that George Will would be his neighbor on the roundtable. Wrong move.

“I hate George Will,” said Imus, who threatened to punch Will if he saw him. On second thought, “I’ll bring Bernie.”

Imus would also like to punch some members of the House, most of whom he believes have hideously low self-esteem, are criminals, or have Senatorial aspirations.  Now that health care reform has passed and the polling seems to be turning in its favor, Imus wondered if the GOP would still retake Congress in this year’s midterm elections.

“Certainly the Democrats are going to lose seats,” said Tapper. While the administration “closed pretty strong” on health care, Tapper believes unemployment numbers will play a “compelling” role come November.  

Back to Imus: In his absence/outright refusal to go on This Week, he offered Vicky Ward, John LeBoutillier, and Matt Taibbi as new roundtable guests.

“It’s always a push and pull,” Tapper lamented. “You want to have new guests, new blood, and at the same time, the audience and the network will tell you people like familiarity.”

Disgusted by the wussification of his guest, Imus emphasized the importance of the “new,” saying, for instance, he loves “his homey” Glenn Beck, but he’s sick of the chalkboard.

At which point Tapper keenly observed, “That’s the first time in history Glenn Beck has been called anybody’s homey.”

-Julie Kanfer