Bill O'Reilly Apologizes For Michelle Obama "Lynching" Remark

First, there was the offensive remark. Then, the producer's defense of the comment, followed by the requisite Olbermann weigh-in. And, finally, the apology: on his show last night, Bill O'Reilly apologized for saying, "I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence." O'Reilly's exact words:

"While talking to a radio caller, I said there should be no lynching in the case, that comment off Clarence Thomas saying he was the victim of a high tech lynching (he said that on 60 Minutes, you may remember). I'm sorry if my statement offended anybody. That, of course, was not the intention. Context is everything."

Watch:

Comments

[MalloMel]

Wanjiru, because many Americans are just like him.

[gsikev]

anytime you want to feel good about yourself just listen to bill o'reilly and you realize what a real scumbag is.

hes a train wreck

[eladora]

HAS THERE EVER BEEN A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST A NETWORK AND AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE OREILLY FOR STATEMENTS LIKE THIS BEING DAMAGING
TO THE YOUTH AND FORWARD PROGRESS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION ELIMINATION? SOMEONE NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS AND FILE IT .

[americanwhocares]

Not good enough. Bill O'Rielly needs to be fired by Faux news and Roger Ailes. Where is Al Sharpton when you need his disgusting presence?

[Slapnpop826]

Now, "context is everything" but it wasn't when he was driving this story into the ground on Tuesday.

[Fathoms]

. . . Dragged, kicking and screaming from his den of iniquity to the public alter of hypocritical reconciliation . . .

[imsosure]

He needs to be FIRED and not rehired anywhere. Where is the outrage now, he deserves some Sharpton one on one time on the air.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173

[FloaterBall]

...because he gets good ratings. Sad.

[doneflyin]

He smiles as he says he sorry. He's pleased as hell because he just got another bump in his ratings.
Controversy, outrageous bad taste, hate and anger sells. Murdoch peddles it because it brings in the caching.
Nobody ever went broke pandering to the lowest common denominator.

[Liam]

"Context is everything"? This from the guy who loves to quote bits and pieces of out of context quotes from people and then bash them on it?

Nice.

Liam.

[NotMyPrez]

"context is everything", like how he described his amazement at the well- behaved African Americans in Harlem a few months ago.
bigot, hypocrite and jerk- a true triple threat!

[Wanjiru]

...and this falafel imbecile is still on the air because...

.

[jcrubens]

... his core audience admires the way that he uses racist comments with only the barest of excuses and his bosses perceive it as good for ratings when people like us howl for his blood. The fact that he made even this half-hearted apology (ignoring the context, which is to say ignoring the rest of his statement, that there should be no lynching "unless" there's evidence she insulted America) indicates that this time he may have gone too far even for Fox News, which is encouraging, I guess.