On Wednesday's Morning Joe on MSNBC, host Joe Scarborough lambasted President Obama over comments he made Tuesday at the so-called "poverty summit" held on the campus of Georgetown University. Besides making co-host Mika Brzezinski and the other panelists writhe, Scarborough staunchly defended Fox News against the president's assertion that the conservative media outlet belittles the poor.

After a short clip played of Obama's comments, Scarborough began:

I mean, I don't know where to start. At a bipartisan summit, you decide to attack a cable news channel as the problem. And saying that Roger Ailes calls people leeches, and Roger Ailes's network calls people leeches, sponges, and lazy -- that, first of all, at a summit that's supposed to bring both sides together on poverty is stunning to me. Secondly, and I guess this is the problem, Barack Obama says, 'If we are to change the way that John Boehner and Mitch McConnell think, then we have to change…' -- Change the way they think? Is he really the sole arbiter of what is right and just? Is he the only one who cares about the poor? Could it be that a lot of people, like me, don't think that a top-down approach and trickle-down liberalism works any more than trickle-down conservatism? The arrogance to say, 'If we are to change the way our opponents think…' -- You know what? Maybe he needs to change the way he thinks. 

And before anyone else had a chance to interrupt his flow, Scarborough continued unloading:

The arrogance of it all is staggering. People have disagreed in this country since George Washington had Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton together in the same cabinet. You work out differences; that's a creative friction. It's not, 'I'm right, you're wrong.' That is such an illuminating moment in this presidency. I'm a little embarrassed for him.

Coming to bat for Obama was MSNBC's Mike Barnicle who accused Scarborough of missing the greater context of the president's comments by only playing the small clip at the top of the segment. "[T]he entire conversation revealed an aspect of the president that I think is wholly admirable," Barnicle said.

In Barnicle's assesment, Obama "has a grip on a big problem in this country today." And that is, he said, "We no longer know who the poor are." He added that the president was addressing more than just poverty or race, namely classism.

But Scarborough wasn't finished with Obama and wanted to address his claim that Fox News calls poor Americans leeches, sponges, and lazy. "Have you ever heard that on Fox News?" Scarborough asked. All responded with, "No."

"I don't really watch," Brzezinski added.

Barnicle was sure he had heard those names aimed at the poor on talk radio. Brzezinski agreed, saying under her breath, "Right-wing radio."

"I was talking about Fox News," Scarborough reminded.

The conversation continued:

SCARBOROUGH: So, the idea of the summit was to bring people together, and this president comes to this summit, and he decides to bash Fox News. And he decides to bash people who send their children to private schools -- like he does -- decides to bash people who play golf at private golf clubs -- like he does. And you just wonder why he has this need to feel self-righteous, when just going there and trying to come to common solutions.

BARNICLE: I don't think he was bashing them.

SCARBOROUGH: You don't think that's bashing when you're calling Fox News -- people that call the poor leeches, sponges, and lazy? 

BARNICLE: Not the Fox News thing. I'm talking about the references to the golf clubs and…

SCARBOROUGH: Where does the president send his kids?

BARNICLE: In context, he was talking about class. When you make enough money in this country, you move to a different neighborhood, and you leave people who -- because of lack of opportunity can't -- they don't move with you. And you put your kids in private school because you live in a different neighborhood. And you join a club because you can afford to.

SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, well, perhaps the president should be more self-aware.

BRZEZINSKI: Okay…

SCARBOROUGH: Maybe that would've made it better.