Where are our First Amendment rights headed if we as Americans are no longer free to speak out on these issues?

Well, when you have Nancy Pelosi saying she's going to investigate the people who feel profoundly, deeply, that a mosque should not be on Ground Zero, I think you can see where the First Amendment rights are going. It's bullying and it's scary. We're going in the direction of Russia, for goodness sake, where if you say the wrong thing you're toast. I find it very alarming. I do not find it as a bipartisan issue, I really don't... I don't see the flip equivalent of Media Matters.

[…]

I sat down at my desk and said 'I'm done trying to help people in a situation where my First Amendment rights don't exist, where special interest groups and activist groups can make a decision to silence you. It's not American, it's not fair play. I would like for people to just say, 'Hey, I didn't quite understand what you meant by that, let's have a debate at the LA public library.' You know, debating and discussing is kind of gone, attacks are in. You can see that in politics, you can see that everywhere.

The day after she engaged in the racially charged rant which eventually led to her deciding to step down from her radio show, Schlessinger apologized for having "articulated the "n" word all the way out - more than one time." But as the Rev. Al Sharpton pointed out, the repeated use of a racial slur wasn't the only problem with her comments - the "whole line" of her remarks "was extremely disturbing."

Tonight on CNN, we found out why Schlessinger neglected to apologize for some of those additional comments - she doesn't think there's anything wrong with them.


Roberts brought up her comment that "I really thought that once we had a black president, the attempt to demonize whites hating blacks would stop, but it seems to have grown, and I don't get it," and noted that "some people thought that was really a racist point of view." Schlessinger replied, "I don't. I think that was an observation."

Roberts then raised Schlessinger's remark that "without giving much thought, a lot of blacks voted for Obama simply 'cause he was half-black... it was a black thing." Roberts raised a Columbia University professor's statement that Obama did not receive a substantially larger portion of the black vote than John Kerry got in 2004.

Schlessinger did not respond to Roberts, instead attacking her original caller for her purportedly "racist statement that whites are afraid of the black man taking over America," and pointing out that she had responded to that statement by pointing out that whites had been responsible for Obama's election since blacks make up such a small percentage of voters. She then attacked Roberts for not having played the caller's statement. Incidentally, the exchange Schlessinger was describing came on the other end of the commercial from the one that Roberts brought up.

ROBERTS: You said that you're leaving your radio show to regain your First Amendment rights. How did you lose them?

SCHLESSINGER: Well, I think everybody in the media risks that. I'm not the only one. I don't see myself as a victim in particular. It's the atmosphere in America today where there is very little debate and just the attempt to silence voices that somebody disagrees with.

ROBERSTS: But does this go beyond being disagreed with? You said something that was very offensive.

SCHLESSINGER: Well, yes. And I was trying to make a point about the hypersensitivity of racial issues. And I made it the wrong way. I instantly realized I had blown it.
ROBERTS: But you seem to be, and correct me if I'm wrong, Dr. Schlessinger, saying that you've taken yourself off your radio show because other people are not allowing you your First Amendment rights even though you were wrong to have said what you said.

SCHLESSINGER: My decision was not based on this incident. My decision has been percolating for about a year when I realized more and more that -- like Nancy Pelosi saying we should investigate people who have a problem with the mosque being built at Ground Zero. Investigating these people?

ROBERTS: That's not what she said.

SCHLESSINGER: And I'm just pointing out --

ROBERTS: Well, what she said it would be good to have the same transparency --

SCHLESSINGER: You know, it would be good if I could finish a sentence.

ROBERTS: I'm sorry. You're being inaccurate in what you're saying.

SCHLESSINGER: All right.

ROBERTS: I'm just trying to correct the record.

SCHLESSINGER: Well, I apologize for being inaccurate.

ROBERTS: She said in the same way that there should be transparency behind the mosque funding, there should also be similar transparency behind the people who are opposed to the mosque.

KING: So, what are you here to tell us tonight?

SCHLESSINGER: Well, I'm here to say that my contract is up for my radio show at the end of the year and I have made the decision not to do radio anymore. The reason is: I want to regain my First Amendment rights. I want to be able to say what's on my mind, and in my heart, what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is a time to silence a voice of dissent, and attack affiliates and attack sponsors.

I'm sort of done with that. I'm not retiring. I'm not quitting. I feel energized actually, stronger and freer to say the things that I believe need to be said for people in this country.

KING: So, you're giving up -- you are giving up the one area of your fame?

SCHLESSINGER: Oh, my dear. I write books. I have blogs. I have my Web site.

KING: But people think Dr. Laura, they think her radio talk show.

SCHLESSINGER: This is the area -- this is the era of the Internet.

KING: So, you are going to do Internet stuff?

SCHLESSINGER: Oh, yes, I am now.

KING: Why is your freedom of speech denied on radio?

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Because people can criticize what you say.

SCHLESSINGER: You know, when I started in radio, if you said something somebody didn't agree with and they didn't like, they argued with you. Now, they try to silence you. They try to wipe out your ability to earn a living and to have your job. They go after affiliates. They send threats to sponsors.

KING: That's their right, too.

SCHLESSINGER: Yes, but I don't hatch the right to say what I need to say. My First Amendment rights have been usurped by angry, hateful groups who don't want to debate. They want to eliminate.

So, that's why I decided it was time to move on to other venues where I could say my piece and not have to live in fear anymore that sponsors and their families are going to be upset, radio stations are going to be upset, my peeps, as I call them, are going to be upset. KING: Did you tell your syndicate today? The people who syndicate you?

SCHLESSINGER: Ten minutes before I came on.

KING: This show?

SCHLESSINGER: Yes.

KING: Dr. Laura, always good seeing you.

SCHLESSINGER: Thank you.

KING: Before we get to the announcement, the one thing that you said was interesting. You said that on HBO, black comics use the N- word.

SCHLESSINGER: Rap music.

KING: But, Jewish comics can kid Jews, Hispanic comics, Josh Lopez, kids Hispanics all the time. Gay comics kid the gay situation. It's OK, isn't it? But not OK when the non-N-person uses it.

SCHLESSINGER: Well, I was trying to make a point to help her about what I felt, because that -- about her hypersensitivity. And in general, in America, our hypersensitivity about race instead of us feeling more like (INAUDIBLE), and I made the poorly. And so, I upset some people. I offended some people. I hurt some people.

And within 15 minutes, which is what I had to finish the hour, I took myself off my show for the rest of the day because I was so upset because I realized I had blown it. I didn't help her by, you know, making that point.

And, you know, about 8:00 that night, I had sent an apology that I was going to do in the morning on my show to LARadio.com. So, it wasn't until 48 hours later that there was a media brouhaha about it and I had already -- I had already policed myself and apologized and said I was sorry.

KING: Do you -- do you realize that it's OK if blacks want to kid blacks or make fun of themselves, but it's not OK for this lady to have a white person use the word?

SCHLESSINGER: I'm sorry if, you know -- I always tell people on my show to do the right thing. I thought I was trying to be helpful. I was trying to make a philosophical point.

But I was wrong. I apologized.

And there are people who won't accept my apology. And they have their own reasons for that. I feel bad for that. But, my listeners heard my being contrite, being remorseful, being sincerely apologetic because it's not my nature to go out of my way to hurt people. And, you know, get on with things.

KING: So, you're still regretful?

SCHLESSINGER: Well, of course. Any time you do something wrong, you should be regretful.

SCHLESSINGER: I'm Dr. Laura Schlessinger, talking to Jade. What did you think about during the break, by the way?

CALLER: I was a little caught back by the N-word that you spewed out, I have to be honest with you. But my point is, race relations --

SCHLESSINGER: Oh, then I guess you don't watch HBO or listen to any black comedians.

CALLER: But that doesn't make it right. I mean, race is a [unintelligible] --

SCHLESSINGER: My dear, my dear --

CALLER: -- since Obama's been in office --

SCHLESSINGER: -- the point I'm trying to make --

CALLER: -- racism has come to another level that's unacceptable.

SCHLESSINGER: Yeah. We've got a black man as president, and we have more complaining about racism than ever. I mean, I think that's hilarious.

CALLER: But I think, honestly, because there's more white people afraid of a black man taking over the nation.

SCHLESSINGER: They're afraid.

CALLER: If you want to be honest about it [unintelligible]

SCHLESSINGER: Dear, they voted him in. Only 12 percent of the population's black. Whites voted him in.

CALLER: It was the younger generation that did it. It wasn't the older white people who did it.

SCHLESSINGER: Oh, OK.

CALLER: It was the younger generation --

SCHLESSINGER: All right. All right.

CALLER: -- that did it.

SCHLESSINGER: Chip on your shoulder. I can't do much about that.

CALLER: It's not like that.

SCHLESSINGER: Yeah. I think you have too much sensitivity --

CALLER: So it's OK to say "nigger"?

SCHLESSINGER: -- and not enough sense of humor.

CALLER: It's OK to say that word?

SCHLESSINGER: It depends how it's said.

CALLER: Is it OK to say that word? Is it ever OK to say that word?

SCHLESSINGER: It's -- it depends how it's said. Black guys talking to each other seem to think it's OK.

CALLER: But you're not black. They're not black. My husband is white.

SCHLESSINGER: Oh, I see. So, a word is restricted to race. Got it. Can't do much about that.

CALLER: I can't believe someone like you is on the radio spewing out the "nigger" word, and I hope everybody heard it.

SCHLESSINGER: I didn't spew out the "nigger" word.

CALLER: You said, "Nigger, nigger, nigger."

SCHLESSINGER: Right, I said that's what you hear.

CALLER: Everybody heard it.

SCHLESSINGER: Yes, they did.

CALLER: I hope everybody heard it.

SCHLESSINGER: They did, and I'll say it again --

CALLER: So what makes it OK for you to say the word?

SCHLESSINGER: -- nigger, nigger, nigger is what you hear on HB --

CALLER: So what makes it --

SCHLESSINGER: Why don't you let me finish a sentence?

CALLER: OK.

SCHLESSINGER: Don't take things out of context. Don't double N -- NAACP me. Tape the --

CALLER: I know what the NAACP --

SCHLESSINGER: Leave them in context.

CALLER: I know what the N-word means and I know it came from a white person. And I know the white person made it bad.

SCHLESSINGER: All right. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Can't have this argument. You know what? If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race. If you're going to marry out of your race, people are going to say, "OK, what do blacks think? What do whites think? What do Jews think? What do Catholics think?" Of course there isn't a one-think per se. But in general there's "think."

And what I just heard from Jade is a lot of what I hear from black-think -- and it's really distressting [sic] and disturbing. And to put it in its context, she said the N-word, and I said, on HBO, listening to black comics, you hear "nigger, nigger, nigger." I didn't call anybody a nigger. Nice try, Jade. Actually, sucky try.

Need a sense of humor, sense of humor -- and answer the question. When somebody says, "What do blacks think?" say, "This is what I think. This is what I read that if you take a poll the majority of blacks think this." Answer the question and discuss the issue. It's like we can't discuss anything without saying there's -isms?

We have to be able to discuss these things. We're people -- goodness gracious me. Ah -- hypersensitivity, OK, which is being bred by black activists. I really thought that once we had a black president, the attempt to demonize whites hating blacks would stop, but it seems to have grown, and I don't get it. Yes, I do. It's all about power. I do get it. It's all about power and that's sad because what should be in power is not power or righteousness to do good -- that should be the greatest power.

On August 12, Media Matters posted full audio and transcript of Schlessinger's rant, which had apparently been expunged from her website...

That said, of everything in that exchange, Dr. Laura's use of the N-word was the least offensive -- and least racist -- element; quoting racial slurs isn't cool -- they're still racial slurs, with all the historical baggage that includes -- but you can imagine scenarios where quoting a racial slur is appropriate to the conversation.

In actuality, it's the rest of her rant that drips with racial animus. To recap: Dr. Laura immediately dismisses her caller's problems, uses a racist joke to prove her non-racism, insists that black people voted for Obama over nothing but racial solidarity (as if pre-Obama, African Americans never voted for Democrats), strongly resents the fact that "black guys" can use the N-word but she can't, and declares that "if you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry outside of your race." Dr. Laura isn't known for her sensitivity, but this is an impressive display of raw racial resentment.

Naming Dr. Laura his "Worst Person in the World," Olbermann criticized the following comments she made:

I really thought once we had a black president, the attempt to demonize whites hating blacks would stop, but it seems to have grown. And I don't get it. Yes, I do. It's all about power.

"Translation: we elected one of you president, so stop complaining there's any racism left in this country," Olbermann said, saying her comments amounted to, "Haven't we done enough for you people?"