Yet another story of media failure shows up in the Hot Air inbox this week, courtesy of the fine folks at MSNBC. (Yes, I know… I know… but I can’t help myself. And besides, I watch so you don’t have to.) In this instance, we find liberal gadfly Lawrence O’Donnell interviewing Herman Cain, shortly after yet another poll shows the former Godfathers Pizza CEO moving into potential frontrunner status.

You’d think, given all of the attention being paid to this race and the national implications involved, that O’Donnell might dive into some substantive questions on topics which Cain has addressed. Perhaps he could dig into the 9-9-9 plan and how the proposed new tax rates would affect the deficit? Or he might inquire about what Cain plans to do about Afghanistan, given all of the dodgy news coming out of Pakistan recently?

If so, you’d be sadly disappointed. O’Donnell launches into some serious condescending sniping and badgering which seems geared more towards attempting to make Cain look foolish than explore his positions. GOPROUD executive Chris Barron got more than an earful and didn’t care for what he heard.

Honestly, I have watched few things that have made my blood boil as much as Lawrence O’Donnell’s “interview” of Herman Cain last night. I use the phrase “interview” in the loosest possible sense of the word because it wasn’t really an interview. It was a carefully orchestrated smear campaign by O’Donnell.

[…]

Lawrence O’Donnell would know very little about Herman Cain’s life. Unlike O’Donnell, Cain didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. “Herman Cain grew up in Atlanta, Georgia with loving parents and little else. His father worked three jobs—as a janitor, a barber and a chauffeur—and his mother was a domestic worker. Even though these jobs required hard work and little glamour, his parents knew this life was better than the dirt farms upon which they grew up. They also knew that this hard work was the key to achieving their American Dreams.”

Lawrence O’Donnell would also know very little about service to this country. While Mr. O’Donnell never served in the military himself, he has no problem questioning the service of Herman Cain.

You can watch the entire interview in three parts at Mediaite, assuming you have the stomach for it. We’re going to have Chris on The Not Ed Morrissey Show at 3 PM eastern today and get his take on the interview and Cain’s prospects, so if you have any additional questions, stop by and bring them up.