I realize I’m a glutton for punishment for ever tuning in to MSNBC, but I’m rather struck by A) their lack of interest in actual news and B) their talking heads’ abilities to declare the exact opposite of the truth.

In the past hour or so, the channel has featured an old picture of Donnie Deutsch with a farmer tan, and a picture of a swim competitor whose suit split, revealing his tush, and Deutsch has broken out a couple of Budweisers to talk up the White House meeting of Henry Louis Gates and the cop who arrested him. Now, if you want to do a comedy show, or a lighthearted chat show, or a zany Daily Show–style not-quite-the-news show, that’s fine; just come out and say so. It’s just that I was under the impression this was supposed to be a news channel.

Then they spent about five minutes having a back-and-forth with guests over the “Birther” movement, and guest Julian Epstein decried that the leadership of the Republican party won’t condemn birthers and won’t issue a “Shermanesque statement.” He said this about 24 hours after the House unanimously passed a resolution stating that Obama was born in Hawaii. It passed, 378–0; most of those who didn’t vote were Democrats. (Monday night votes usually have quite a few missed votes, as some members are still en route from their districts.) Among those who voted for the resolution: House Minority Leader John Boehner, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, House Policy Committee chairman Thaddeus McCotter, House Policy Committee vice chairman Michael Burgess . . .

If Epstein wants to say he doesn’t like GOP leaders, fine, and if he wants to say birthers are nuts, that’s fine too. But he ought to at least acknowledge the resolution, and if he tries to ignore it in making his case against Republican leaders, the anchors ought to be well-informed enough to bring that up.

But again, I thought I was watching a news channel . . .