Fire Bill O'Reilly

Fire Bill O'Reilly Is Back!

2007-07-31T00:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in a while, and today I decided to resurrect this blog. I noticed that I was still getting quite a bit of traffic for not having posted in 3 months, so I figure that with a little TLC I can get this blog going again stronger than ever. I am contemplating a name change, as I would like to mix it up a bit, possibly expanding beyond Billo to include some other Fixed Noise personalities, and maybe some political commentary by me. The URL will stay the same, as that is where all of my traffic is going to, and because with Blogger I cannot do the redirect that I would need to do to keep my traffic and search engine standings.

Keep posted in the coming days and weeks.

O'Reilly Falsely Accused Guest of Lying While Lying

2007-07-31T00:08:00.000-07:00

On the July 26th O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly furthered his attacks against the Daily Kos, calling them a hate website, and criticizing the decision by some Democratic presidential candidates to attend the YearlyKos convention. Fox News contributor responded, "You had hateful comments on your website about Hillary Clinton." O'Reilly retorted (lying): "No, I didn't. We took them off." He later added, "That's a lie, and I can't let you say a lie on this broadcast." After cutting Hall's microphone, O'Reilly explained, "I can't let Jane lie. We don't allow hateful comments on BillOReilly.com. When they come up and we find them, we take them off." Billo, of course, was lying. One day later, as of 2 PM Pacific July 27, several comments about Hillary Clinton that were originally documented by Americablog remain on Billo's website, including one that caused Huffington Post blogger Lane Hudson to call for a Secret Service investigation.

And the transcripts...

O'REILLY: Just a real quick -- I don't want to belabor this, but a week from today, the Democratic candidates for president will be heading to the Daily Kos convention. And as you know, we have exposed that place as a hate website. Jane still doesn't get it.

But what I am going to do, Jane? I mean, I can't come to your house. But I can tell you that last night, we ran a picture of President Bush that ran on the Daily Kos for three years. They took it off today, Bernie. Was that an accident they took that off?

GOLDBERG: No, of course not. I mean, let me make sure I understand this. The Democratic presidential candidates will go to this Daily Kos or YearlyKos convention and speak to the angriest activist core of the party, but they won't debate the issues on Fox News?

O'REILLY: Correct.

GOLDBERG: Why is that? Why is that?

O'REILLY: I don't know.

GOLDBERG: Because they're death -- I'll tell you why, because they're deathly afraid that the crazies in the Democratic Party will punish them if they come on Fox News. And this tells you --

O'REILLY: Well, that's what RealClearPolitics says. That's what -- there's an article today. That's what they said.

GOLDBERG: Yes, I know. And I think they're right. And this is all you need to know about the strength of character, or more precisely, the lack of character of the Democratic candidates --

O'REILLY: Oh, absolutely. I mean, look at --

GOLDBERG: -- who are terrified, terrified of the crazies in their party.

O'REILLY: They are -- they are absolutely terrified of them. And why? Go there, Jane, tonight, and see what they're saying about me right now.

HALL: OK, well, Bill, Bill --

O'REILLY: That's why. Well, hold it. You know, a guy like Richardson, the Governor Richardson of New Mexico, was treated so well not only on The Factor but by the whole network. And he's the biggest coward in the world.

And as soon as the far left tells him, "Don't you do that, don't you go on Fox News." "OK, I won't." OK, and this is a guy we want to go up against Al Qaeda, Jane? Yeah.

GOLDBERG: Yup. Exactly.

HALL: Well, you know, and I know there's that famous quote, you know, "If they can't face Fox News, can they face Al Qaeda?" That is a different issue. They should be on Fox News.

But again you are picking out -- I haven't seen this horrible -- you know, I've seen this photo that was taken down. You had hateful comments on your website about Hillary Clinton.

O'REILLY: No, I didn't. We took them off.

HALL: Yes, you did. You took them off? OK, they are not representative of your website, are they?

O'REILLY: Jane, Jane -- Jane, Jane -- that's a lie, and I can't let you say a lie.

HALL: You're misrepresenting the bulk of this website.

O'REILLY: Jane -- Jane. That's a lie, and I can't let you say a lie on this broadcast. We do not allow hateful comments.

HALL: There were comments you took off. My point is there are hateful comments on websites, Bill.

O'REILLY: We take them off. There were not. We take them off when they come on. All right, Jane.

Here's the truth. I can't let Jane lie. We don't allow hateful comments on BillOReilly.com. When they come up and we find them, we take them off. The instructions are you can't do it. That's it, Jane. All right. I'm sorry I had to be impolite. I cannot let you mislead our audience. We'll see you next week.

BillOreilly.com Traffic At Its Lowest Since It Started In 2003

2007-04-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

According to Alexa.com, traffic to BillOreilly.com is at its lowest level since it first started back in 2003:

Fox News Reports Parody Story As Real News (video!)

2007-04-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

This story has nothing to do with Bill O'Reilly, but its just too great to pass up.

On the Tuesday "Fox and Friends," Fox News aired a story eight times as real news that came from a publication like The Onion, called Associated Content.

This part of the story is real: Last week in Lewiston, Maine, a group of students played a cruel prank on a group of Somalian Muslim middle school students, placing a ham steak next to them. Ham is considered by Islam to be unclean and highly offensive, so school offcials filed a report because they believed it was a hate crime.

Associated Content, a spoof news website similar to The Onion, published a parody story in which they created quotes and made up details about the incident.

In the spoof story, the superintendent said, "These children have got to learn that ham is not a toy", and that "They probably felt like they were back in Mogadishu starving and being shot at. No child, Muslim or normal, should have to endure touching a ham sandwich." The story even made connections the Holocaust, "The Jews had to go through the same thing when the Nazis would force-feed them bacon; do we really want our schools to become concentration camps?" The superintendent wanted his students to know that "They are safe from attacks with ham, bacon, porkchops, or any other delicious meat that comes from pigs." The spoof stated that the Center for Prevention of Hate Violence was working with the school to create an "anti-ham 'response plan.'"

Fox News picked up this parody, and ran it as real news during Tueday's "Fox and Friends." They made fun of the incident, asking whether ham was “a hate crime…or lunch?” The hosts kept assuring that they were "not making this up" and assured that "I've looked it up on a couple of different websites up there..." At one point, one host even said "I thought this was almost from The Onion."

According to SunJournal.com:

Following the Fox broadcast, Levesque's office received dozens of angry phone calls and profanity-laced e-mails, made and sent by people all over the country, who charge the school district overreacted to what they believed from news reports to be a ham sandwich tossed at a Somali student.

"Leaving your sandwich on a table is now a crime in Maine?" one e-mail asked. It continued, "This child did nothing illegal in placing his sandwich in front of several intolerant people that will kill YOUR students for sitting at the same table let alone placing a sandwich next to them."

From North Carolina, a e-mailer wrote that he'd read the "news media of your actions with regards to a child leaving a ham sandwich on a table used by Muslim students at one of your schools. Excuse my bluntness, but are you people insane?"

And, in another e-mail, "A ham sandwich is not a hate crime. It's two pieces of bread with a processed meat between them. Stop catering to the less than 1% and offending the other 99%. Please!"

Another e-mail suggested Levesque wasn't qualified to be superintendent of a public school because he "obviously escalated a simple prank into a hate crime."

Read: Think Progress

A compilation of clips from the show:

O'Reilly Calls Media Matters an 'Assassination Website' a 'Far Left Propaganda Thing' on Irish TV

2007-04-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

On April 13, Bill O'Reilly appeared on RTÉ One's The Late Late Show, which is filmed in Dublin, Ireland. Pat Kenny asked O'Reilly about his previous statements referring to the poor as "irresponsible and lazy" and to the Iraqi people as "prehistoric."

Here are the quotes in full context:

O'REILLY: Reagan was not a confrontational guy, didn't like confrontation, much rather be your pal ... doesn't want to get involved with the really nasty stuff, the tough stuff, and that's what racial politics is -- nasty and tough. ... It's hard to do it because you gotta look people in the eye and tell 'em they're irresponsible and lazy. And who's gonna wanna do that? Because that's what poverty is, ladies and gentlemen. In this country, you can succeed if you get educated and work hard. Period. Period. I mean I know people from Haiti, from the Ukraine from eh, -- we got callers all day long on The Factor. From Romania. You come here, you get educated, you work hard, you'll make a buck. You get addicted, you don't know anything, you'll be poor. But Reagan did not want to confront the issue. And that's the truth about it.

O'REILLY: Because look ... when 2 percent of the population feels that you're doing them a favor, just forget it, you're not going to win. You're not going to win. And I don't have any respect by and large for the Iraqi people at all. I have no respect for them. I think that they're a prehistoric group that is -- yeah, there's excuses.
Sure, they're terrorized, they've never known freedom, all of that. There's excuses. I understand. But I don't have to respect them because you know when you have Americans dying trying to you know institute some kind of democracy there, and 2 percent of the people appreciate it, you know, it's time to -- time to wise up.

And this teaches us a big lesson, that we cannot intervene in the Muslim world ever again. What we can do is bomb the living daylights out of them, just like we did in the Balkans. Just as we did in the Balkans. Bomb the living daylights out of them. But no more ground troops, no more hearts and minds, ain't going to work.

Taken out of context? Absolutely not. That's just Bill's technique of evading what he said. On April 19th, he complained about Irish media in his column:

Last Friday, I appeared on Ireland's version of "The Tonight Show" and the host had scores of cue cards from "Media Matters," the far-left internet smear-factory.

When I asked the man why he was quoting from an obviously biased source, he blinked nervously and put down the cards.

Transcript from the show:

KENNY: Yeah. Some of the things that you've said and -- either on your radio show or on your TV show. Advice to the poor. "It's hard to do it because you've got to look people in the eye and tell them they're irresponsible and lazy, and who's going to do that?"

O'REILLY: Well, where did you get that? Because I don't remember saying that.

KENNY: That's Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly. 11-06-2004.

O'REILLY: By whom? Who put that out?

KENNY: We got it off the website.

O'REILLY: OK. The website you got it off is called Media Matters, which is an assassination website. It's a far-left propaganda thing.

Now, I do two hours -- you do radio, two hours as well. They'll take two, three sentences; they'll put it on out of context. I can't possibly answer that question. I don't know what the discussion was.

But be very careful when buying into the American website factory, because they're set up to assassinate people with whom they disagree. That's where you got it, and we know that game. They play it all the time.

KENNY: But you do have views on, say, the Iraqi people. Did you say that thing about the Iraqi people, that they're "prehistoric?"

O'REILLY: No. I don't remember saying that at all. And, again, taken out of context. And if you want to ask me a question about the Iraqi people or about American poverty --

KENNY: Which I will.

O'REILLY: I'll be happy to answer it. But be careful about this.

[...]

KENNY: But there's another problem. Maybe it's true of all Western democracies. And maybe democracy is not the only way you can rule a people.

O'REILLY: True.

KENNY: There have been other ways.

O'REILLY: True.

KENNY: But when I look at the caliber of the people who are running for the United States presidency, without running any of them particularly down, I mean, it's not exactly a glittering field, is it?

O'REILLY: You know, I'm not going to say that. I admire and respect people who put themselves out for public service. But I will tell you this.

KENNY: But do you know what I mean?

O'REILLY: Those cards you have in your hand came from one of the most vicious websites on earth. All right? And there are a hundred of them. And if you run for office in America, or you're me and you go on every night, those people will assassinate your character every single day. They will lie about you, they will defame you, they will slander you. And we can't sue, unlike the British system. If you're famous in America, you can't sue.

So, put yourself in a position of, "Do you want that kind of life? Do you want your family threatened every day, like my family is? Do you want that?" So the good people say, "We don't want this."

KENNY: Yeah. And if they've ever done anything remotely sinful or wrong or --

O'REILLY: Oh, they'll make it up. They'll make it up. You don't have to do anything. They'll make it up. So, good people --

KENNY: But is there any way to reform that kind of system?

O'REILLY: There has to -- there should be.

KENNY: Because if it's a --

O'REILLY: There should be tort reform in the United States.

KENNY: What does Hillary Clinton got? Forty-four million bucks so far?

O'REILLY: Well, that's fine. That's a different measure --

KENNY: No, but do you know what I mean? If that's what it takes to get elected --

O'REILLY: That's what it takes.

KENNY: It means that some campaigner, someone who leads with his or her heart, unless they have the cash, they can't do it.

O'REILLY: Well, that's true. America, you have to buy TV time. You have to campaign coast to coast. You've gotta have to have a private jet. You've gotta be everywhere.

But the money doesn't bother me as much as the defamation. Because now politics is a vicious game. It used to be in our country where people shook hands and this, that, and the other thing. Now, it's like the Mafia: "Let's kill them." And that has driven good people away.

O'Reilly Again 'Worst Person' for Cutting off Co-Host's Mike

2007-04-12T01:23:00.000-07:00

On the March 12th Countdown, O'Reilly again received 'Worst Person' honors after cutting off the mike of his co-host on the Radio Factor after she said that Gonzales-gate mattered and reminding him that under the President's offer, Rove would not have to testify under oath.

OLBERMANN: But our winner, Bill-O. Had his radio engineer turn off the mike of his own co-host, Lis Wiehl, because she said Gonzales-gate mattered and because she reminded him, under the president's offer to Congress, Karl Rove and company would not have to testify under oath. "Stop talking," he yelled at her. "It's not about you, and you're misleading the audience. Stop talking." He then had her mike shut off for three minutes, and asked rhetorically about Wiehl, "What can we do to her? What can we do to her?"

Bill-O, she has to sit next to you for two hours a day. You are already doing just about the worse thing you can do to her. Bill Orally, today's "Worst Person in the World."

Colbert on O'Reilly, O'Reilly on Colbert! (with video!)

2007-01-19T14:11:00.000-08:00

Colbert on O'Reilly:

O'Reilly on Colbert:

O'Reilly on Letterman

2006-07-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Once again, this one is pretty old, but this is Bill O'Reilly on David Letterman's show, when Letterman tells Bill O that "I have the feeling about 60 percent of what you say is crap."

Bill Has Been on Vacation

2006-07-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

Bill has been on vacation since Friday, showing O'Reilly Factor reruns and Radio Factor "Best Of's". So obviously, there has been nothing to report on, but after reading Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, I looked into the 2003 BookExpo with Bill O'Reilly and Al Franken showing off their new (at the time) books.

During the show, O'Reilly snapped at Franken for him to "shut up", and Franken exposed his lies for half an hour, with O'Reilly sitting right next to him, unable to bully him around, like he would on his show.

You can watch it at: http://www.booktv.org/feature/...

It is over 8 hours long, O'Reilly starts talking at around 4 and a half hours through, so start there, and then Franken speaks after him. Notice how much of a better public speaker Franken is than O'Reilly.

Update: Bill is still gone (7/5), he has John Kasich filling in for him today.

O'Reilly Apoligizes (sort of) for Citing Article that Misquoted Murtha

2006-06-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

On the June 29th The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly apoligized for citing the Sun-Sentinel article that misquoted congressman John Murtha (D-PA)

O'REILLY: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel misquoted Congressman John Murtha in remarks about who is dangerous to the world. The newspaper has apologized, and since we picked up the paper's quote, we should apologize, as well.

We didn't -- we did, I should say, source the Sun-Sentinel, but I should have checked it out myself and called Murtha's office. Next time, we will do that.

The article, from June 25, alleged that Murtha said that "American presence in Iraq is more dangerous to world peace than nuclear threats from North Korea or Iran," when in fact Murtha was citing a poll.

The Sun-Sentinel corrected itself on June 28th, yet some conservative radio talk show hosts are still citing the article. On June 29th, Sean Hannity said during his show:

HANNITY: We've got the latest insanity from John Murtha. It's not Iran that's the greatest threat in the world, it's not Islamic fascists, it's not terrorism, it's not North Korea, it's not Iran. No, it's the United States. [laughs] I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

And today, two days after the correct, Rush Limbaugh had this to say during his radio show:

LIMBAUGH: Let's go back, though. I can remember being called a Clinton-hater. There was -- the media came up with a term to describe any critic of Clinton, and that was Clinton-hater. But we never called Clinton a terrorist. We never compared Bill Clinton to Adolf Hitler. We didn't suggest that the biggest threat, as Jack Murtha did the other day, to peace in the world is Bill Clinton.

MM: Media coverage of Iraq debate steeped in GOP talking points

2006-06-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Very insightful analysis of the media coverage of Iraq war debate at Media Matters.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200606300009

Visitors to O'Reilly's Website Down 39%

2006-06-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Its not just Fox News's and Bill O'Reilly's television ratings that are down in the last quarter, but both Fox News and Bill O'Reilly's websites have lost a significant amount of traffic in the last 3 months. According to Alexa.com, which tracks web traffic and is owned by Amazon.com, Bill O'Reilly's website traffic was down 39% in the last 3 months, and Fox News's website was down 13%. See http://www.alexa.com/data/details/... and http://www.alexa.com/data/details/...
As we recently reported, Fox's overall ratings dropped 8% in the second quarter of 2006, including a 22% in the key demographic, viewers aged 25-54. O'Reilly's own ratings are also declining, according to a MediaBistro report, losing 11% in the 25-54 demo, and 8% in overall viewers.

O'Reilly Worrying About MSNBC Ratings When He Needs to Worry About His Own

2006-06-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

On the June 27th edition of The Radio Factor, Bill O'Reilly had this to say about Air America and about MSNBC's ratings:

O'REILLY: Time now for the "most ridiculous item of the day." If you've read any of my books, you know I believe in karma: Do bad things, you'll get yours eventually. Do good things, you'll be rewarded. Recently, two bad guys got theirs. Air America has fired its president, Gary Krantz. The disastrous radio network booted him out on the heels of the removal of CEO Danny Goldberg. We believe there is major chaos at that far left concern. There's also major chaos at MSNBC, where Rick Kaplan has left after pretty much destroying that place. He did the same thing at CNN before he got fired over there. Closing in on its 10th anniversary, MSNBC's ratings are lower than they were six years ago, which might be ridiculous.

O'Reilly has turned his 'Most Ridiculous Item of the Day' segment into his daily attack segment, sharing things that aren't even ridiculous. You know what is ridiculous, that O'Reilly feels the need to worry about MSNBC's ratings when he needs to worry about Fox's, and his own. As we recently reported, Fox's overall ratings dropped 8% in the second quarter of 2006, including a 22% in the key demographic, viewers aged 25-54. O'Reilly's own ratings are also declining, according to a MediaBistro report, losing 11% in the 25-54 demo, and 8% in overall viewers.

O'Reilly: "If we wage the war the way Saddam handled Iraq, then we would have already won"

2006-06-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

On the June 27th broadcast of The Radio Factor, Bill O'Reilly once again spoke his wishes to handle Iraq the way Saddam Hussein did.

O'REILLY: It just depends on how you want to wage the war. If we wage the war the way Saddam handled Iraq, then we would have already won. That means martial law, torture, murder, kicking in doors. You know, Saddam controlled that country for 25 years. He didn't have any insurrections. He didn't have bombs going off. And half the country wanted to kill him. You know, all the Shia hated him. And how'd he do it? Through terror. So we could do it. But then, you know, as soon as you look at one of these guys cross-eyed, the ACLU's got you sued.

O'Reilly denied supporting Saddam's method in Iraq after a Chicago Tribune editorial called him on the carpet. He started out attacking Wycliff, who wrote the editorial, calling him a coward:

O'REILLY:Nice, right? Well, we asked Don Wycliff, who teaches media criticism at Notre Dame, to appear this evening. He agreed, but then he canceled one hour before air time. So much for the Fighting Irish. Wycliff is one of the hiding Irish. If you're going to launch a personal attack, sir, at least have the courage to back them up. Cowardice is not becoming.

O'Reilly had Clarence Page on the show, who is a columnist at the Chicago Tribune. They had a long and heated discussion:

O'REILLY: All right. Let's deal with the irresponsible position first. If you are going to say the blame for the brutal mutilation and murders lies with the American government, which this man did, Wycliff, that's what he said, it's in print. If you're going to say that, I believe that is grossly irresponsible. The terrorists did this. The savages who killed Menchaca and Tucker are terrorists. He blames -- Wycliff blames the American government. Now, that is the irresponsibility. It's very clear to me.
PAGE: Well, follow the logic, Bill. Look at your own commentaries over the last week. You praised the way Saddam Hussein ran the country over there, said that we ought to have martial law, we ought to have the kind of crackdowns that Saddam had. The fact is you can't have martial law if you have inadequate police force, an inadequate army, and our American troops are inadequate. Enough troops were not sent over there in the beginning. That is a widely agreed-upon fact now. And that's what Don is talking about. We put --

O'REILLY: No. Don is talking about --

PAGE: -- our people in harm's way.

O'REILLY: -- his opinion is that the war hasn't been waged properly. Valid opinion.

PAGE: That's your opinion, too, right? You want to get tougher, right?

O'REILLY: You bet. And I have said that --

PAGE: Well, I'll say. You're entitled to your opinion, he's entitled to his.

O'REILLY: Hold it. Number one, I didn't praise Saddam Hussein. That is a lie and a distortion. I did not do that.

PAGE: You did praise his tactics.

O'REILLY: No, I did not. I said he controlled the country by a totalitarian method. That's not praise, that's fact.

PAGE: Everyone can see the commentaries on your website --

O'REILLY: Wait, wait, wait, Clarence --

PAGE: -- I don't need to quote the whole thing, but the fact is --

O'REILLY: There's a difference -- There is a difference between -

PAGE: -- that you did praise the way he ran it and the current government needs to run it the same way.

O'REILLY: That is not true. There is a difference between --

PAGE: You don't think they need to run it the same way. You don't think they need the kind of police-state tactics that Saddam used in a totalitarian state?

O'REILLY: Clarence, take a deep breath. I never praised Saddam Hussein once. I said he ran the country in a totalitarian way and he didn't have an insurgency because he ran it that way. Then I said --

PAGE: You're spinning, Bill.

O'REILLY: No, I'm not spinning at all. That's exactly what I said --

PAGE: You're spinning, Bill, because when you say people ought to run --

O'REILLY: It's on my website. There isn't any praise involved. It's a statement of fact. You are spinning by saying it's praise. That's bull.

PAGE: The record speaks for itself.

O'REILLY: Yeah, it does. Anybody can read it. The second thing is, this despicable Wycliff, who did run the editorial page at the Chicago Tribune before he took to Notre Dame --

PAGE: That's right.

O'REILLY: -- this despicable man is saying that the United States government bears more responsibility for their horrendous deaths of the two privates than the terrorists. That's despicable. It is beneath contempt, and the Chicago Tribune should be ashamed of itself for running something like that without something right next to it -- and my column in the Chicago Sun-Times will counter that.

PAGE: You're entitled to reply in the Tribune, I'm sure, Bill --

O'REILLY: Absolutely. It's despicable to say that the American government, to draw a moral equivalency between the American government's waging of the war and the deaths of these men. The terrorists are responsible --

PAGE: You're reading into his comments --

O'REILLY: -- all right, now here's the lie --

PAGE: I've got to object, Bill. I know it's your show, I've got to object, though, because you are reading into Don's comments. He is a true patriot --

O'REILLY: He said flat-out, if you put the blame where it really belongs --

PAGE: Just let me finish the statement, and then you can respond, Bill.

O'REILLY: No! No! "If you put the blame where it really belongs"! There are the words!

PAGE: Bill, it's your show. You've got the whole hour. Just give me 30 seconds to respond.

The fact of the matter is, you're trying to pick out people and say certain people are helping the enemy and other people aren't. I mean, you are sounding like one of those editors of those Arab governments -- or those Arab newspapers that are censoring Muhammad cartoons.

O'REILLY: Clarence, I don't know what you're talking about. I mean, let's address --

PAGE: Don is entitled to give his opinion --

O'REILLY: He's entitled to his opinion --

PAGE: -- he's not telling Fox News that they shouldn't run your opinion. You shouldn't be telling other people not to run somebody else's --

O'REILLY: Don Wycliff is a coward, and he is not a man of his word. He backed out at the last minute --

PAGE: That's OK, he's got me.

O'REILLY: -- he is entitled to his opinion no matter how despicable it is, and now here's the lie. OK? Here's what he says, quote, "You have to say bad -- O'Reilly" --

PAGE: Don is a gentleman and a scholar and too nice to engage in these kind of combative --

O'REILLY: No, he -- bull! It's bull! He's a coward.

PAGE: I'm entitled to --

O'REILLY: He's a coward! He takes cheap shots, personal attacks at me and won't stand up. He's a coward. He says, O'Reilly "would have to criticize some people for whom you have been a cheerleader."

I've not been a cheerleader for anybody, Clarence. You know it and I know it. OK? Here's what I said May 6, 2004: "We will remind you three weeks ago we reported Donald Rumsfeld lost control of the Iraqi occupation, his mistakes were endangering U.S. troops." I haven't cheerleaded anyone. This guy lies about me in the Chicago Trib, which prints the lie! Explain.

PAGE: There are occasions when you have cheerleaded --

O'REILLY: Bull! Bull!

PAGE: -- and the administration's side. Now, you know --

O'REILLY: Bull!

PAGE: -- sometimes you do criticize, and that's OK. But the fact of the matter is it's a well-known -- very well-known that the -- I'm sorry, I hear the music coming. Am I going to be cut off?

O'REILLY: No! Cut off the music! It's very well-known what?

PAGE: No, it's very well known that you have been defending the administration's side in this war --

O'REILLY: That's bull! I have been very critical of the way they have way they waged the war.

PAGE: You have been criticizing those who criticize --

O'REILLY: I've been very critical of the way they've waged the war.

PAGE: -- any kind of question --

O'REILLY: Hey, Clarence, let me make this --

PAGE: -- on human rights.

O'REILLY: That's not true. Period. I've been very critical of the way the war has been waged.

PAGE: You criticized -- you said people who signed an anti-torture petition were helping the enemy.

O'REILLY: No!

PAGE: That's McCarthyism. That's demagoguery.

O'REILLY: Bullsh--! Bull.

PAGE: That's beneath you.

O'REILLY: It's bull! The truth is, I've reported this accurately. I've said when we've made mistakes -- we, the United States government.

But the difference between me and this Wycliff is that I want the USA to win, and I don't believe there's a moral equivalency with what we do with what the terrorists do, and he does. But Clarence, I've gotta tell everybody, you are a stand-up guy, number one.

PAGE: Well, thank you, Bill.

O'REILLY: You knew this was going to be tough. And we appreciate your opinion. You're always welcome here.

PAGE: Let's hear it for free speech, Bill.

----Transcripts from Media Matters----

The Impenetrable Fog of Bill O'Reilly

2006-06-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Nice editorial from the Chicago Tribune:

If intellectual dishonesty could be said to have a face, I saw it Tuesday evening as I watched Bill O'Reilly's program on Fox News.

I watched without the benefit of sound--if any was coming from the television it couldn't be heard over the din in the bar where I was in Mishawaka, Ind. But Fox conveniently runs a stripped-down text next to O'Reilly's image as he delivers his opening commentary. And there was, in addition, captioning beneath the picture for hearing-impaired viewers--or people who happen to be in noisy bars.

O'Reilly was burned up about the mutilation and murders of those two American soldiers--Pfc. Thomas Tucker and Pfc. Kristian Menchaca--who were captured in Iraq by insurgents last week and whose bodies were retrieved Tuesday.

...read the whole editorial...

Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right

2006-06-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

I have just finished reading Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, recommend it to anybody. There are a few chapters on Bill O'Reilly, which go into the feud between Franken and O'Reilly, including O'Reilly's humorous outbursts. Here's footage of one, from YouTube:

And he also yelled at Jeremy Glick, whose father died on 9/11, repeatedly telling him to "shut up", and allegedly told Glick after the interview, "Get out! Get out of my studio before I tear you to fu**king pieces!" A video of the interview from YouTube:

There's also a lot of other good chapters, including a few on Ann Coulter, Hannity and Colmes, the Bush administration, and others.

Fox News sued Al Franken and his publisher for copyright infringement over the use of "Fair and Balanced" in its title. The case was literally laughed out of court, court transcripts can be found at http://www.alfrankenweb.com/foxcourt.html

You can buy a copy of the paperback at Amazon.com

O'Reilly: Carter, ACLU, Air America Radio, BBC, Dean, and Murtha are helping the enemy

2006-06-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

On the June 20th edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Bill had a mission of "nam[ing] those we believe are helping the terrorists." Throughout the episode, he named former President Jimmy Carter, the American Civil Liberties Union, Air America Radio, BBC, Howard Dean, and John Murtha.

O'Reilly started out the program with:

Tonight: two American soldiers brutally mutilated and murdered by terrorists in Iraq. How should the U.S. respond? We will name those we believe are helping the terrorists. The ACLU and the BBC head the list.

O'Reilly went on:

The Bush administration also needs to begin challenging those who are helping the enemy. The ACLU, for example, opposes just about every anti-terror strategy. This organization should be exposed.

The BBC also helps the enemy by consistently slanting the Iraq war coverage and portraying the coalition as villains. The vile Air America Radio network does the same thing.

....

O'REILLY: Do you think Howard Dean helps the enemy?

INGRAHAM: I think when the enemy sees the reaction in the United States, not of unifying to defeat them, but of picking apart every aspect of what we're trying to do there, when those soldiers get treated the way they did, I think they are absolutely emboldened. They're very savvy. They're on all the websites. They watch CNN International and any other broadcast they can get their hands on. And you better believe it has to embolden the people who want to do us harm.

O'REILLY: What about John Murtha's dissent in the Iraq war? Does that help the enemy in your opinion?

INGRAHAM: Well, I think anytime they can use war veterans, you know, people who have served this country, to then say, look, we're the problem in Iraq, that we're stoking the violence in Iraq, that the terrorists want us in Iraq because we're depleting our military resources, that helps them. I mean, that's a recruiting tool. This guy is recognized by many as a war hero, and yet, he's condemning the United States.

......

O'REILLY: How about Jimmy Carter? He signs the torture ad along with the reverends, and the torture ad, as I told the reverends, shows up in the Arab press: "See, we told you they were torturing." How about Jimmy Carter? Is he helping the enemy?

INGRAHAM: Yeah. Nobel Prize -- Nobel Prize winner, right, criticizing the United States' torture policy, which of course, as you pointed out, we do not have a torture policy in the United States --

O'REILLY: Yes, we don't have a torture policy.

INGRAHAM: -- except we're against -- we're against torture. So, yeah, when he went down to Cuba and spent time with Castro and said he did really -- what did he say? He didn't see the problems in Cuba that a lot of right-wing people have characterized down there? I mean, this is nothing new for Jimmy Carter. Again, the biggest obstacle to world peace for many of these people right now seems to be the United States: We're the problem. If you look in the mirror, the enemy, we see him. He's us. And I think that hurts us.

O'REILLY: All right. It's a very interesting discussion. Because the line on dissent and helping the enemy, it's a tough, tough line.

To be fair, O'Reilly also defended Murtha at one point:

This may surprise you, but I don't consider dissenting from the Iraq war to be helping the enemy. Congressman Murtha, for example, is acting on his beliefs. He made a mistake by convicting the Marines in Haditha before the evidence was presented, but dissent makes America stronger.

Why would that surprise us though? Isn't that basic free speech? I oppose the war, and my opinion certainly isn't helping the enemy. I just disagree with how we got into this war, without any real reasons. We went into Iraq because the President led us to believe that they possessed weapons of mass destruction and that they possessed a serious threat to our security. None of that was true, and now we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars there, money that should be being spent on education and issues at home, and we're losing thousands of American soldiers, and the situation has just gotten worse.

Back on topic, on the June 20th broadcast of The Radio Factor, O'Reilly has this to say about the ACLU:

O'REILLY: The ACLU is rooting for the enemy. They're rooting for the enemy. They're helping the enemy in every way they can. The American Civil Liberties Union is Al Qaeda's best friend. There is not a better friend to Al Qaeda in the world than the ACLU, and that's the truth. OK?

----All transcripts from Media Matters----

O'Reilly: New Iraqi Government Should Rule as Hussein Did

2006-06-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

On the June 20th edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly again shared his feelings on how the new Iraqi government should function, saying: "Saddam was able to control Iraq, as you know, and defeat insurgencies against him. The new Iraqi government can do the same, but it needs to get much tougher."

I thought that we were trying to give the Iraqi people a humane government, and were trying to save them from Saddam Hussein's cruel and unusual ways. Bill O'Reilly doesn't seem to share that view, sharing his view on the June 19th edition of the Radio Factor: "So, I don't understand, general, why we don't have martial law in Ramadi, why we don't have shoot-on-sight curfews, why we don't have action that basically says, look, we're going to shoot first and ask questions later because this is a war. And that's what you do in war. All right?"

See the transcripts at Media Matters.

Email Sent to O'Reilly

2006-06-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

I sent Bill O'Reilly an email yesterday, I hope to see it on the show tonight.

Remember that Vincent Richards was blacklisted by Bill O'Reilly, so I'm using a fake name, Nancy Stewart:

Bill,

The New York Times is doing its journalistic mandate by reporting the facts about the monitoring of domestic and international bank transactions. They first broke the story on the NSA wiretapping, and at first the public was led to believe that it was nothing big, we soon found out that they had records of every phone call made by millions of innocent Americans, causing a public outrage. Now, we are hearing that the monitoring of domestic and international bank transactions is small-scaled and limited to people with suspected terrorist connections, but how do we know that? The Bush administration has never been straightforward in the past, why should be believe that they are being straightforward now? 1984 is becoming all to true.......

Nancy Stewart
Birmingham, Alabama

Fox's Declining Ratings

2006-06-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

Fox New's ratings continue to fall, and chairman Roger Ailes is not happy, and he's cleaning house. In the second quarter of 2006, their ratings fell 22% in their key demographic, viewers aged 25-54, and they lost 8% in total viewers.

Through a spokesman last week, Ailes said: "Anyone who displays launch-type intensity will continue to have a job at Fox News. Those who don’t will not. And that includes talent."

Talent? I have yet to see any of that at Fox News.

Read: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6346894.html

Will Resume Updating Blog

2006-06-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

I apoligize that I haven't updated the blog in over a month, I will continue to update it regularly now.

Look Out Mexico: O'Reilly Threatens one of his Boycotts!

2006-05-19T21:21:00.001-07:00

On May 17th of The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly threatened to launch one of his little boycotts against Mexico if they sue the United States government over allegations that the National Guard is directly assisting with the detaining of people from Mexico trying to illegally enter the United States - if it turns out to be true.

O'Reilly, to Ernesto Derbez, Mexico's foreign secretary:

"If the Mexican government files one lawsuit in the U.S.A., one, pertaining to the National Guard, I will call for a total boycott of Mexican goods and no travel to your country."

A few years ago, Bill started a "little boycott" against France. O'Reilly thinks that his boycott has made a big difference, so he also said to Derbez:

"And if you don't believe me or you think it doesn't matter, Mr. Secretary, why don't you give the French ambassador a call? He'll fill you in."

But here is a newsflash! Since O'Reilly's "boycott"against France, their imports to the United States have actually increased. According to these stats from the Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau:

2002 (the year before O'Reilly's boycott): $28.24 billion
2003 (the first year of O'Reilly's boycott): $29.219 billion
2004: $31.605 billion
2005: $33.847 billion

As you can see, France's exports to the U.S. have increased by more than $5 billion since the beginning of O'Reilly's boycott.

But a boycott on imported goods from Mexico would largely damage our economy, as Mexico is one of the largested exporters of crude oil to the United States, more so than Saudi Arabia. We also import a ton of oil from Canada, another country that O'Reilly has threatened with one of his little boycotts. Canada and Mexico are actually our 2 biggest sources of crude oil.

Top 5 countries we import oil from, according to Gibson Consulting:
Canada: 18%
Mexico 15%
Saudi Arabia: 12%
Nigeria: 12%
Venezuela: 10%

So it looks like Bill is trying to destruct our economy, and further drive up the prices of gas. I've emailed Bill about this, from another email address and a different name. Next time you watch, look out for a Nancy Stewart from Birmingham, Alabama, because it might be me. :)

Transcripts from Sweet Jesus I Hate Bill O'Reilly:

Okay then, Mr. Secretary. Here’s a no-spin message right back to you. If the Mexican government files one lawsuit in the USA, one, pertaining to the National Guard, I will call for a total boycott of Mexican goods and no travel to your country. Now that might sound presumptuous and I don’t mean to be threatening, but enough’s enough. It is your government’s fault, sir, that there is border chaos. We in America have a right to security and a right to expect our immigration laws be enforced. So, once again, any action by the Mexican government that impacts border security in the USA will be met with a boycott call. And if you don’t believe me or you think it doesn’t matter, Mr. Secretary, why don’t you give the French ambassador a call. He’ll fill you in.

O'Reilly Blames NYC Mugging on "Mexican drug corruption"

2006-05-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

On the May 17th edition of The Radio Factor, Bill O'Reilly described that his makeup artist "was mugged the other day; punched in the face" by "drug addicts desperate for money." He went on to blame the mudding on "Mexican drug corruption."

O'Reilly made this racist remark just one day after alleging that there was a "white power structure" and attacking the far-left for wanting to change this so called "white power structure", as we reported here.

O'Reilly seems to have a real racial vendetta against Mexico. During the broadcast, he claimed that "Mexico doesn't care about the United States." Other instances of O'Reilly's racism against Mexicans are:

This is just a few, as these only go back a couple of months. He has also referred to Mexicans as "wetbacks", a racial slur. O'Reilly will attack the "kool aid drinking left" for anything and everything, but he himself continues making racist remarks and downright lies.

Transcripts from Media Matters:

O'REILLY: You know, this immigration thing is very interesting because it -- it points out a lot of things, bigger issues that y'all should be aware of. You know, Mexico doesn't care about us. Mexico doesn't care about the United States. And, you know, it -- it -- we have to be friends with them. I mean, we just can't be enemies with them. But we're dealing with a country that is -- you know -- is so corrupt and so out of control that we -- you know -- we have to deal with them on a certain level. But we certainly can't let their corruption infect us, and it has, particularly with the drug trafficking.

You know, when you have the volume of narcotics, millions of tons of narcotics coming across the southern border -- if I'm the president of the United States -- that alone makes me put the [U.S. National] Guard on the border and not 6,000 guards. I would have 30, 40 thousand down there, because the damage that narcotics do to the fabric of society -- my makeup artist for the TV side -- I don't need makeup for radio, but some people say --

LIS WIEHL: Yeah, it would help.

O'REILLY: Yeah, thank you -- was mugged the other day; punched in the face in Greenwich Village. Now, who does that? Drug addicts desperate for money. So, this poor woman is walking down the street trying to support her little son, some guy walks up to her, punches her in the face and takes her purse. Now, nine out of 10 of these guys are drug addicts.

So, she is a victim of the Mexican drug corruption. And -- and -- and all you have to do is multiply that by 10 million and you see how all of this corruption in Mexico has infected our society. Yet, you have these pinheads in Congress -- see, they're not gonna get mugged. President Bush isn't' gonna get mugged. All right.

Understatement of the millenium: "Maybe I've been a little unfair to Mrs. Clinton"

2006-05-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

On the May 15th edition The Radio Factor, Bill O'Reilly admitted that he's been "been a little unfair to Mrs. Clinton." How's that for the understatement of the year!

Media Matters has put together a compilation of O'Reilly's unfounded attacks on Hilary Clinton, which you can find here.

Transcripts from Media Matters:

O'REILLY: See this -- this is my whole thing. I don't have any emotion invested in President Bush. I'm not a Bush-hater. I think he's done some good things, and I think I've covered the man fairly in his five years in office. I think I've been very fair to him. Now, maybe, I've been a little unfair to Mrs. Clinton. Perhaps, I have been in the past. But I will submit to you, [caller], that you don't know, I don't know, and nobody listening knows where she stands on the border, how to win the war in Iraq, oil prices. We don't know. And that, to me, you can't -- you can't be giving somebody power if you don't know.

Guess What!? O'Reilly Once Again Olbermann's Worst Person!

2006-05-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

On the May 17th Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Olbermann proclaimed: "Bill O'Reilly, now and forever, today's 'Worst Person in the World' " This time Bill O'Reilly received the honor for his remark that the New York Times and other "lefty zealots" think that "the white Christians who hold power must be swept out by a new multicultural tide," as we previously reported.

Olbermann said of Bill's remarks:
"Hold on. Bill, you're saying there's a white power structure that controls America and you're defending it? Does that opinion come with the sheet and the hood, or do you have to buy those separately?

You can view the video clip of Olbermann at Media Matters.

Transcripts from Media Matters:

OLBERMANN: But the winner, oh, the psychological end is near. Bill O. explaining that The New York Times and, quote, "many far-left thinkers believe the white power structure that controls America is bad, so a drastic change is needed." Hold on. Bill, you're saying there's a white power structure that controls America and you're defending it? Does that opinion come with the sheet and the hood, or do you have to buy those separately?

Bill O'Reilly, now and forever, today's "Worst Person in the World."