Christine O'Donnell vs. Piers Morgan: Who won?

The Tea Party star storms off the interviewer's set after persistent questions about gay marriage drive her over the edge

Best Opinion:  Telegraph, Jezebel, Baltimore Sun

The video: Christine O'Donnell, a self-proclaimed "troublemaker," is living up to her name. The Tea Party star, former Senate candidate in Delaware, and media punching bag appeared on Piers Morgan Tonight on Wednesday to promote her book Troublemaker: What it Takes to Make America Great Again. (Watch video below.) The interview quickly curdles after Morgan shows a famous MTV clip from the '90s in which O'Donnell shared her anti-masturbation views — and begins asking her questions like, "Do you still think masturbation is wrong?" When Morgan starts pressing O'Donnell for her views on gay marriage, she balks repeatedly, complaining that Morgan isn't asking her about her book. She calls the baffled interviewer rude before storming prematurely off the set, something Morgan claims has never happened before in his 25-year career.

The reaction: This is an example of the "tragic situation" that O'Donnell now finds herself in, says Tim Stanley at The Telegraph. She can only get on TV if she'll answer embarrassing questions veiled in ridicule. During her interview with Morgan, "this decent human being finally cracked." Actually, says Margaret Hartmann at Jezebel, it's O'Donnell who was out of line. Apparently, the "noted non-witch" was "under the impression that 'interview' means you get to come on a show and simply rattle off talking points for 15 minutes." There was nothing rude about Morgan's line of questioning.  They're both despicable, says David Zurawik at The Baltimore Sun. "Call it mutual exploitation by two low-level pop culture hustlers." The worst part: They both get publicity out of their shameful behavior. See for yourself:

 

 

Should Christine O'Donnell perform on 'Dancing With the Stars'?

The failed GOP Senate candidate says she's been invited to compete on the celebrity-driven TV talent show. Bad idea?

In the latest blurring of politics and entertainment, defeated GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell says she has been invited to compete on "Dancing with the Stars." O'Donnell, a Tea Party favorite who was trounced in Delaware's Senate race, says her first... More

Christine O'Donnell finance investigation: 'Politically motivated'?

The feds are reportedly looking into the Tea Partier's campaign spending. Is somebody out to get the failed Senate candidate?

Federal authorities have reportedly opened an investigation into the campaign finances of Christine O'Donnell, the Tea Party–backed Republican who lost Delaware's Senate race in November. Former aides have accused O'Donnell of improperly living off her campaign... More

Will Gawker's tell-all smear help Christine O'Donnell?

Pundits have condemned the gossip website Gawker for running a first-person account of a "one-night stand" with O'Donnell. Can she profit from the outrage?

In an unusually divided election season, the website Gawker has united virtually everyone by publishing an anonymous first-person account of an alcohol-fed "one-night stand" with Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell. What is it about this tawdry tale... More

GOP civil war: Meghan McCain vs. Christine O'Donnell

John McCain's daughter says the Delaware GOP Senate hopeful is widely "seen as a nutjob." Is this helping the Republican cause?

Meghan McCain launched into a diatribe against Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell on Sunday, saying she is "seen as a nutjob." During a segment on ABC's "This Week," the daughter of the former presidential candidate John McCain claimed that O'Donnell...

More

Christine O'Donnell's 'scary' new campaign ad

The Republican Senate candidate from Delaware paints her rival as a tax-hungry villain in her latest spot. Will it work?

The video: In her new campaign ad, much-parodied GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell casts her opponent, Democrat Chris Coons, as a fictional movie villain called "The Taxman." Over images of dark clouds and a foreboding soundtrack, the narrator, who "sounds... More