CNN "Blowhard" Glenn Beck has a winning formula: prophesying WWIII with a smile

At first glance, Glenn Beck looks a lot like all of the other uptight conservative firebreathers who think World War III is upon us and that you are going to Hell for one reason or other. He wonders aloud whether Islam is evil, doesn't want to stop global warming, avoids R-rated movies, and thinks The Sopranos are, somehow, responsible for the collapse of decency in our culture. But he's also a self-proclaimed former alcoholic cokehead who spent much of his life playing Britney Spears songs for preteens as a DJ and freely describes himself as a "blowhard." And he's kind of funny. Not to mention the fact that he's a Mormon, and they don't really believe in Hell.

Beck's show, which launched in May, airs on CNN's Headline News and is a shticky, self-deprecating mishmash of deadly serious warnings about terrorism and goofy comic bits that recall his background in talk radio. Last month, Glenn Beck was up a whopping 85 percent in viewers for the daily 7 p.m. timeslot and up 116 percent in the news demographic of 25 to 54 year olds, making him the fastest-growing personality in cable news. In September, he beat MSNBC's long-established Hardball With Chris Matthews in young viewers.

Beck sat down with Radar in his cramped CNN office to discuss the controversy over his recent interview with Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, his beef with Keith Olbermann, and whether or not he overstated his brief stint at Yale University.

RADAR: In November, you had this to say to Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress: "I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.'" You're a Mormon. Explain to me the difference between you asking Keith Ellison that question and me asking you to prove you're not a polygamist.
GLENN BECK: It was a poorly worded question, and if I could take anything back I would take back the wording of that question. Because what the question really was is: Do you understand that there is a feeling among Americans when you are faced with a Muslim, especially a Muslim who is, in my view, soft on military action, that—okay, are you a part of the good Muslims or the bad Muslims? Do you understand that there is this feeling, right or wrong, and can you address how do we know who, you know, cause the bad guys will say they're good guys, too? How do you know the difference? Because Muslims, and not all Muslims, are not standing up forcefully and saying, here's the fatwa against Osama bin Laden. So if you won't do that, how do I know?

Do you think Ellison hasn't done that?
No, it wasn't an Ellison question. It wasn't directed to Ellison. And it wasn't coming from me and it wasn't directed to him. It was more of an umbrella picture. This is the way many Americans—not all Americans, but many Americans—will feel. And I think it's the exact same reasonable question that you would ask, or that you would feel, if you were a Catholic. I don't think the Catholic Church has come out strong enough against pedophilia. They've done some things, but they haven't stood up and said, Pedophile priests are an abomination in the eyes of God and it won't be tolerated, and then done everything they could to root it out. If I were a Catholic, and I knew this priest for years, before I leave him with my 10-year-old son, I would at least want to say, You're one of the good priests, right? And that's what I wanted him to address. That's what I think Muslims need to be aware of. Until you stand up and lead the charge against those who are destroying your religion, it leaves that shadow of a doubt that only leads to trouble. Because when you inject fear, then you're in real trouble. Then people make stupid, ungodly mistakes like people made with the Japanese in WWII.

I make sure everybody is very clear of what I am politically. I want you to know, look, this is coming from a guy who's a recovering alcoholic rodeo clown with limited education, who's conservativeSo your position is that Muslim Americans need to be prepared for the stupid, ungodly mistakes of their countrymen?
I'm saying that the average Joes that are busy raising their families, they ask themselves, Why isn't the Muslim community leading the charge? Their religion is being hijacked and destroyed. And so it leaves a question out there. Well, why not? I believe that Islam is being used by people who want political power, who have taken the words of the Koran and applied them in the most horrific sort of way. Just like the people who go shoot abortion doctors in the name of Jesus. They take and they twist it for their own sick, evil purposes. I am baffled, like the average Joe, on why there isn't a stronger outcry on grabbing their religion back. But you know what? I say the same thing about my faith. There are polygamists in Utah. They are not members of my faith. And if you listen, go back into the archives on my radio show, you'll hear me say, "What the hell is wrong with you Mormons? Why aren't you leading the charge to clean those people up? Because it hurts your own religion."

Being in that position, a member of a faith that's viewed with suspicion, you understand how a Muslim might feel resentful of being asked to declare their allegiance, right?
Do I understand how people can feel that their faith is under attack? As a Mormon, you bet I can.

Ellison also drew fire from folks like radio host Dennis Prager and Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) for taking the oath of office, at a private ceremony, with his hand on the Koran. But you supported Ellison on that.
Everybody thinks that freedom of religion is all about take the baby Jesus out of the town square. It's not. It has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with, you don't have to belong to the Church of England. You don't have to be a Christian. You don't have to be a Jew. Tom Cruise can take the oath on Dianetics if he wants. That is quintessential freedom of religion. And we should celebrate it. What's so bogus about that whole episode is, it shows that it's really not about religion. It's really not about anything other than fear of Islam. And that goes to the root of the question that I was trying to ask Keith Ellison. There is a feeling of mistrust. Help us get past that. It was a bogus issue from the get-go. It's people trying to use fear to whip people up against Islam. That is exactly what I'm talking about.

And you don't think that saying things like, "The Muslims will see the West through razor wire if things don't change" contributes to that atmosphere of fear?
That's a warning that people are stupid. And the time to solve issues and make things clear is not when the world is on fire. God forbid somebody drops a nuke in an American city. Well, when that happens, and then you inject fear into it, the time to set us straight that there is good Islam and bad Islam, that 90 percent of Muslims are good—that's no longer the time to do it. The time to do it is right now. Stand with me shoulder to shoulder. That Ellison question I wish I could take back and rephrase. The razor wire? No. Because that has nothing to do with Islam. That has everything to do with what stupid people do in times of crisis. And that is a warning. If I see a threat, I need to say it. I will say it. It's important to say it. The problem with our country is that we're afraid to talk to each other. We don't even allow mistakes. We don't even allow someone to misphrase a question.

You talk a lot about family and is importance. You were divorced, you were a cokehead and an alcoholic—why should anybody listen to you when it comes to family?
That's for you to decide. Look, I know that the people that make the most impact in my life—the ones that I listen to, that I watch—are not the ones who say, Well let me tell you something, I've got the answers and I'm perfect and everything else. They're the ones who say, Man, I was struggling with this so hard this week. You know what? I got it right now but this thing could spiral out of control in a heartbeat. That person I can learn from. I remember five or six years ago, I was on the air, and I said, "I've got to reverse myself on something." And it was something I made a big deal on. And I said, "I was wrong." And all my producers looked at me and said, "What!?" It was Terri Schiavo. And I said, "I've got to reverse myself."

Which way?
I was on Michael Schiavo's side. Made a big deal out of it. Let her die. What are you doing? It's his right. It's her right. Somebody called me and made a very good case, and I came back the following Monday and said, "I'm wrong." And they said you can't, you won't survive, you've got to be right all the time. What are you thinking? And I said, "Well, then I can't do talk radio." Because I ain't right all the time. I don't have talent on loan from God. I have talent on loan from—maybe—Lindsay Lohan. Maybe. So I got on the air and I reversed myself. It was probably the best thing I've ever done. Because I'm not a perfect guy. I don't have it down.

I'm not going to be your token conservative. I hate politics. It's worthless 90 percent of the timeYet you are very strident when you think you have found the answers. You can be very ...
Blowhardish?

Yeah. It's one thing to say the process involves doubt and consideration of all the views, but then when you have your opinion and it's formed, you can demonize people who disagree with you, make fun of people who disagree with you ...
Well, part of my job is to make fun of people, not just people who disagree with me. I make fun of people who do agree with me. If I make fun of anybody, the person I wreck the hardest, for the longest period of time, is me. I don't take myself seriously, and I don't think others should take themselves so seriously.

But then you pronounce that we're on the brink of World War III ...
There are things that I have researched and researched and researched and spent countless hours on—before I said World War III and before I said they're coming for us on a global scale. I really study. I turn over every stone. I don't want to be right on something like that. I want to be wrong.

Your daughter was born with cerebral palsy, yet it sounds like you're opposed to stem cell research, which could potentially help her.
I am not sure how I feel about stem cell research when it all comes down to such a complex issue. It is such a moral precipice issue for me that I'm not sure. And when in doubt, for me, leave it out. I don't like the idea that we would get involved, as a people, into things that are just so on the very edge. And yet we can't really even see that the ends justify the means at this point. I think caution is a very good thing.

The hardest thing to do is to say, it could help my loved one but I'm not sure it's the right thing for society. It's easy to say, Well, it would help my daughter. Having to look my daughter in the eye and say, This might repair you. And then say, I have to say no, because I don't think it's right to do it. I'm not sure that it's wrong to do it. I'm just not sure it's right. And so as we go and take measured steps, I think technology gets ahead of philosophy sometimes. And I'm leery on taking these giant steps before we've really thought it through.

Your bio says that you were "accepted by Yale as a theology major" and that you "lasted only one semester at Yale." In your book, you wrote about Sen. Joe Lieberman writing you a letter of recommendation that was "responsible for my being accepted at Yale." But I called Yale, and they said you were ...

A special student.

You were never admitted, you were a non-degree student, and completed one introductory course.
Yeah, I was there for ten minutes.

But you wrote that Lieberman got you into Yale.
He did. You think I got in on my own SAT that I never took?

But you were never admitted to Yale.
I could take as many classes as I wanted. I couldn't get a degree. Joe Lieberman wrote me a letter—a lot of people did. And I had to write an essay. There is an acceptance process. You can ask them. It's not everyone who applies gets in as a special student. I wasn't auditing classes.

Your bio says you spent a semester at Yale studying philosophy and theology. Which to me implies that you took more than one course.
I was going for self-education. And had every intention of taking—in fact I think Joe Lieberman was very disappointed in me when he found out that I wasn't continuing the education. I didn't for financial reasons. I fell asleep the first day of class because the night before, my wife and I had decided to get a divorce. So for myriad reasons I didn't continue.

And I will tell you one of the most humiliating moments of my life was, they had this little cocktail party before the semester started with all of the special students. And we stood around in a circle, and they all said what they did. And one was a brain surgeon from, like, Sweden who was doing this research on whatever. Another guy was somebody from the World Bank. They got to me and said, "What do you do?" I said, "I'm a DJ that plays Britney Spears music. I'm just trying to figure life out." I hope I've never presented myself as some scholar.

I spend a lot of time, especially on vacation, thinking to myself, Uh oh, am I going to have something to say when I go back? But once I start, it unfortunately just won't stop spilling out of my headYou're one of the few people from your ideological side of things that's spent a lot of time high. You and Rush Limbaugh. Is there a crop of younger, less straightlaced conservatives coming down the pike?
No idea. Conservatives are people, too.

But few of them—at least the public talking-head types—have lived your lifestyle. Or admitted it.
I can't answer for anybody else. I just know that for me, the reason why I'm sober, is that I tried to figure life out. And couldn't live on somebody else's answers. I threw everything out. I threw God out, became an atheist for like three days. Threw absolutely everything out. And thought, I'm only putting it back into my drawer if I believe it and I know why I believe it. And for me to be consistent, and be able to put my life together, and my family, hold them together, I found myself on the conservative side. I didn't choose to be a conservative. I just am.

So I take it you didn't give John Kerry a hard time during the so-called "botched joke" episode.
There are times like the John Kerry [incident] that I've come out strongly against and said, "Come on, hang on, that's not what he meant."

But with Kerry you thought that was what he meant?
I'd have to go back and look at what I said at the time, but I don't put a lot of stock into.... John Kerry's got a very long history. I don't give him the benefit of the doubt.

The average Joes that are busy raising their families, they ask themselves, Why isn't the Muslim community leading the charge? Their religion is being hijacked and destroyedBefore you launched a cable news show, you published a book called The Real America. In it, you wrote that "TV news is just more empty calories ... something else that keeps us from being the real Americans."
When I go on vacation, I have a chance to be Glenn, the dad and average Joe. I'm not consuming the newspapers and the TV shows because I have to, I consume because I want to. And I notice myself about three days into it looking at the news differently. Looking at things that are happening in politics and Washington and going, What purpose does this serve? Why would I watch it? There's no reason for me to watch it. Well, that's because they've got to fill it with something. And they've got to jack you up on something, man, because we've got to get you to watch. It is candy. It is a diversion. It is something that you watch because they're telling you it's important and you've got to watch it. Some of it is. But some of it's not.

Why did you devote your career to being part of it?
Because some of it is important. Part of my job is to make people laugh. You don't have to be worried about everything, the world's not on fire—relax, man, and enjoy it. I think that's a good thing. There are other times that it's important to pay attention to these stories because they are critical and they do make a difference. I appreciate the position that I'm in to help share perspective on what's candy and what's not. And I will point out—candy! We've talked about naming part of the show The Cookie. Because I think it's important to point out and say, okay, here's something that's just fun to talk about. Interesting. Absolutely of no value—all calories.

People like Sean Penn or Susan Sarandon, "Hollywood liberals," might say the same thing: Their jobs are to entertain, but they are also in a position to bring important issues to our attention. Your answer to them is, "Shut up and entertain us."
Because they are entertainers.

But you just ...

No, no, no. Hang on just a second. My job, the reason why you're watching me, is because I'm going to give you perspective on the news. The reason why I'm watching Tim Robbins is because he was in the movie with Tom Cruise, and he's a good actor, and I believe he's the guy who's living in the basement, you know what I mean? But when Tom Cruise had to pick up the shovel, and his character had to beat to death the Tim Robbins character, I didn't see those two characters. I saw the guy who was jumping up and down on Oprah's couch going after the guy who's talking to me about war all the time. That ruins the illusion.

I'm not creating an illusion. I'm telling you right straight up front: This is what I do. This is who I am. I'm going to give it to you in an entertaining fashion. They're doing the opposite. They're embedding a message in their entertainment. They're selling you candy, and embedding a message. I'm giving you a message and embedding candy. My problem with Keith Olbermann is, Just admit it! Just admit that you're a liberal. I have not heard the man get on television and say, Look, I'm as liberal as they come. I'll come on and say I'm not a journalist, I'm as conservative as you can get.

You actually think there are people who are tuning into Olbermann thinking he is an impartial anchor?
I know I make an effort to make sure everybody is very clear of what I am politically. I want you to know, look, this is coming from a guy who's a recovering alcoholic rodeo clown with limited education, who's conservative. I'm a Mormon for the love of God! So take it for what it's worth. I can take somebody's opinion when they go, Look, man, this is my opinion, now I just want you to know, this is who you're getting it from. There's a difference between that and, Well, Edward R. Murrow was outspoken as well. Edward R. Murrow was a journalist. Are you saying that you're a journalist of Edward R. Murrow's stature? I'm not a journalist. I'm an opinion guy.

Bill O'Reilly calls himself a journalist, calls himself an independent, tries to portray himself as above the fray.
I can give you the same critique of Bill O'Reilly as well. Just come out and say it! Look, these are my political leanings. I'm an independent as well, but I'm a conservative. I'm not voting for a Republican or a Democrat. I'd like to throw both of them under the bus quite frankly. Anybody who tells you that they're objective and non-biased and this is the straight truth, period, is bullcrap. If they tell you this is the straight truth as I see it, I've been as fair and objective as I can possibly be—that's somebody who's telling me the truth.

My problem with Keith Olbermann is, Just admit it! Just admit that you're a liberal. I'll come on and say I'm not a journalist, I'm as conservative as you can get"Objective and non-biased and this is the straight truth, period"—that sounds like a CNN promo.
CNN is not Headline News.

Well, it's the same company and the same brand.
Well, let's not blend the two. Because I don't work for CNN. I'm an opinion guy. They're a news organization.

A news organization under relentless attack from the right-wing for being liberal. Were you a token hire?
Sure. I think that's probably what I said in the first interview. I'm not going to be your token conservative. Because I don't want to do left-right stuff. I hate it. I hate politics. It's worthless 90 percent of the time. Once in a while, you'll find someone who actually—I just did a monologue yesterday, and I couldn't get clean after I said it, but I respect Cindy Sheehan, because she doesn't care about the donkey or the elephant. She believes in what she says. Now, while I happen to believe what she says is dangerous and wrong, she believes it. God bless her. I wish we had more people like that in Congress. I really do.

The show's been successful. Why do you think that is?
Because people couldn't watch the TV Guide Channel any longer? I don't know. Antiques Roadshow is in re-runs? I think it's because I am who I am, you know? Agree or disagree, I am who I am. I'll tell you what I really truly believe. I try to do it with a sense of humor. I am just as shocked and humbled by the success as others are. I'm the luckiest guy on the planet.

You've got a three-hour radio show and a one-hour television show each day.
It's crazy.

And how many hours are you awake in the day?
I'm usually awake for 19 hours.

So that's 21 percent of your waking hours spent being paid to talk.
It's great isn't it? Can you imagine?

Don't you ever feel like you're full of shit?
Every single day. Every single day. You know it's really strange, I always seem to have something to say. I spend a lot of time, especially on vacation, thinking to myself, Uh oh, am I going to have something to say when I go back? But once I start, it unfortunately just won't stop spilling out of my head. But there are times when I think, Who am I? Honestly, by far I'm not the smartest knife in the drawer. How's that? And I'm just the luckiest man in America to be able to have the opportunity that I do.