Bill O'Reilly: "I Don't Want To Go On A Lynching Party Against Michelle Obama Unless There's Evidence"

From Media Matters:

In a discussion of recent comments made by Michelle Obama, Bill O'Reilly took a call from a listener who stated that, according to "a friend who had knowledge of her," Obama " 'is a very angry,' her word was 'militant woman.' " O'Reilly later stated: "I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down."

Read the entire Media Matters post about the comment, made on Bill O'Reilly's radio show yesterday, here, or listen to the audio below:

Update: Portfolio.com's Jeff Bercovici reports that David Tabacoff, O'Reilly's executive producer, has defended the remark:

"What Bill said was an obvious repudiation of anyone attacking Michelle Obama," he said, according to Fox spokeswoman. "As he has said more than ten times, he is giving her the benefit of the doubt."

Comments

[leftLibertarian]

O'Reilly needs a serious beat down. Too bad I don't live in NYC, I'd deliver it to him in person.

[apogee2perogee]

BO is a scurrilous, abusive and pitiful example of a human being.

[mcfried]

Fox number in NY - [phone]

[CrazyLiberal]

Wow, my previous post was censured because I made references to Don Imus and Al Sharpton.

Why doesn't Sharpton look into this the way he did Imus's statement?

[nellie]

Are you sure this was why? I mentioned Imus and my post is still there.

[nellie]

I'd rather have someone other than Sharpton on this. I think this is something for the FCC. After all, the Secret Service is guarding the Obama family.

Apart from being completely dispicable, this was a very stupid thing for O'Reilly to say.

[dax49]

why does fox still have o'reilly on t.v. unless they agree with what he said

[mcfried]

where is Ms Marshe with her feminist outrage now. I'm torn - because let's face it O'reilly is crazy why give him more attention but I think Clinton supporters should really ask themselves is the "p word" bru ha ha really worse than this and why are you all not calling fox on mass. Actually I honestly hope they are. please let me know because this is the real fight

[uheardme]

Yeah, WHERE ARE THE WHITE FEMINISTS ON THIS?

[kellygrrrl]

wait. are we still pretending that Fox News and Bill O'Reilly are legitimate? I though they were voted just below Cartoon Network.

They are going away 1/20/09, right?

[fahrenheit451]

If only this guy had gotten laid in high school...w­hat a different place this would be.

[maca]

Let's get this straight- I CAN'T STAND BILL O'REILLY. We all know what he is: a mouthpiece for the GOP who falsely paints himself as unbiased, bullying anyone who disagrees with him.

BUT, it this particular case, this is a non-issue, folks. We all know what he meant by "lynching party". He meant his usual negative media campaign against people he doesn't like. "Lynching party" as a metaphor for a negative media feeding frenzy has been around forever.

There are a million lies, insults, and affronts to decency for which O'Reilly can be justifiably held to account. But this is just nothing. We all know what he meant, even if we won't admit it, and it had nothing to do with Michelle Obama's race. Pretending it did, and trying to paint him as some sort of KKK member because of the comment, is stooping to the same sort of nonsense he and Faux News usually use on their opponents. We should be better than that.

And before someone calls ME some sort of racist for this post, I'm voting for Obama.

[SEQUOIABISON]

Did Mr. O'Reilly actually use the word LYNCH in reference to a female African American Woman, the future First Lady of our country, and he still has a job???

[zull2]

Ah, conservatives. Any Democrat who harbors the thought that O'Reilly, Malkin, and the rest aren't taking Michelle Obama's words and twisting them around is suffering from selective amnesia. This is what they do. They took "I've never been more proud of my country before today" and turned that generally commonplace exclamation into "I've never been proud of my country until today". They selectively left out the word "more", which changes the meaning tremendously (and they usually hope that people miss that word...and if they say it wrong enough times, people begin to subconsciously accept it as true).

The second big talking point against Michelle Obama is her statement that when asked if she could support Hillary Clinton, she said that she'd have to think about it first. Well, duh! If someone slammed your husband or wife on national television­...not on policy, but personal attacks (which she has done plenty of times, digging up old gems that Obama HIMSELF candidly disclosed in his own book!), yeah, I'd think Michelle Obama, if she could ignore those attacks without feeling anything, she'd be just as robotic as McCain's wife. Thankfully she's NOT anything like that.

[thomdavis1]

hmmmmmmm..­...I would say someone needs to do the same to that pasty racist sexist slime ball, but I won't lower myself ...let me quote one of my favorite movies from the 80s instead:
"you're a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical BIGOT"
buh bye bill o!! don't let the door hit you in the pasty fat ass!

[beekeeper]

lets lynch this puke

[SEQUOIABISON]

Lynching Party?

Lynching Party?

Did I hear this correctly?

From a Fox unbalanced commentator?

Lynching Party?

[dax49]

HERENOW- i commend you on a well thought out and very truthful analysis of what been done to this country. thank you.