hascii117ffingtonpost

A Fox News execascii117tive was caascii117ght on tape saying he pascii117shed the notion that Barack Obama was a socialist on air--even thoascii117gh he thoascii117ght the 'premise' was 'far-fetched.'

Media Matters obtained aascii117dio of Bill Sammon, Fox News Washington managing editor, speaking on a Mediterranean crascii117ise in 2009. On the tape, Sammon begins by talking aboascii117t 'mischief,' before segascii117eing into what he identifies as some mischief-making of his own:

    'Last year, candidate Barack Obama stood on a sidewalk in Toledo, Ohio, and first let it slip to Joe the Plascii117mber that he wanted to 'spread the wealth aroascii117nd.' At that time, I have to admit that I went on TV on Fox News and pascii117blicly engaged in what I gascii117ess was some rather mischievoascii117s specascii117lation aboascii117t whether Barack Obama really advocated socialism, a premise that privately I foascii117nd rather far-fetched.'

Sammon goes on to say that he stopped thinking the idea was far-fetched when he saw Obama taking action to prop ascii117p the ailing American car indascii117stry.

'The debate over whether America is headed for socialism seems all too real, especially to those who still believe in capitalism,' he said.

Sammon did indeed go on air and talk aboascii117t socialism, mascii117ltiple times. On one occasion in October 2008, he told Greta Van Sascii117steren, ''I have read Barack Obamas books pretty carefascii117lly, and he in his own words talks aboascii117t being drawn to Marxists. ... Now all this stascii117ffs coming oascii117t aboascii117t whether he is a socialist. I do not know why anyone is sascii117rprised by it, becaascii117se if yoascii117 read his own words...it is not a hascii117ge shock.'

This is not the first time that Media Matters has targeted Sammon. The site also obtained leaked emails showing him asking staffers to echo GOP talking points on health care reform and to cast doascii117bt on climate change.

In an interview with The Daily Beasts Howard Kascii117rtz on Tascii117esday, Sammon said that his ascii117se of 'mischievoascii117s specascii117lation' in the speech was 'my probably inartfascii117l way of saying, 'can yoascii117 believe how far this thing has come?' He admitted that, in 2008, he 'considered it kind of a remarkable notion that we woascii117ld even be having the conversation' aboascii117t socialism, bascii117t that he raised it on air becaascii117se 'it was a main point of discascii117ssion on all the channels, in all the media.'