Fox News Finally Lands Obama Interview, "Obama Watch" To End

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace says it's been 769 days since Sen. Barack Obama agreed to an interview that never materialized. But this Sunday, the wait is over. According to a Fox News release, Sen. Obama will be appearing on Wallace's "Fox News Sunday" this weekend.

From the press release:

FOX News Sunday's "Obama Watch" to Stop This Weekend

FOX News Sunday host Chris Wallace will sit down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama airing on Sunday April 27, 2008.

This interview follows the much talked about "Obama Watch" clock that FOX News Sunday began running on March 16, 2008 to track the time that had lapsed since Senator Obama accepted Wallace's initiation to appear as a guest: 730 days, 13 hours, 53 minutes and 18 seconds.

The last clock count as of last Sunday was 765 days, 13 hours, 54 min, 47 seconds.

Wallace had started a weekly segment called "Obama Watch" last monthwhen, 730 days since he claims that the senator had agreed to an interview, Sen. Obama still hadn't appeared on the channel. Those many days means that Sen. Obama agreed to the interview in 2006, far before Democratic candidates for the 2008 election famously refused to participate in any Fox News debates.

Although Sen. Obama's camp has yet to release an official statement, Wallace wrote a post hinting that the upcoming exclusive interview may be the result of Sen. Obama's "double-digit loss" in Pennsylvania.

Missed Wallace's "Obama Watch"? Read Jason Linkins' Sunday morning coverage of "Fox News Sunday" and more here.

This item has been corrected from a previous version that said Senator Obama refused to appear on Fox News Channel. In fact, Obama has been interviewed on Fox News several times. The Huffington Post regrets the error.

Comments

[Exit]

This is a big mistake. They are going to try to get some more sound bites out of it. FOX News is nothing more than a Republican Infomercial.

[RobertaInCT]

And with Wright's interview will Bill Moyers tonight they will have fresh ammo......­........

[LoloZ]

Okay Barack, you better kick some ass on FOX. Chris Wallace is a complete idiot, put him in his place, make him wish he never started the countdown. GO GO GO OBAMA!

[independentrepublicrat]

I don't agree with him accepting the FauxNews invitation. I don't like the idea of one party so easily getting bullied by the other. The democrats always cave. He should have just rejected and denounced his previous statement to appear on Faux and let the chips fall.

[magen]

Gee, I wonder how many times they'll "mistakenly" refer to him as Osama.

Also, I wonder how many thousand questions they'll ask him about meaningless sh!t, compared to the one question about war, or healthcare, or the economy, or education, or the growing inequality in this country.

[Nyla785]

Obama is learning exactly how underhanded these right wing media outlets can be--'churning' the Rev. Wright story , over & over, 24/7. It's called 'hyping the story until its magnified to gigantic proportions'. Fox News and right wing talk radio leads the effort--and in fact, Fox has NOT LET A DAY GO BY that they haven't 'churned' both the story and the videotape, even on the Greta Von Susteren show! And of course Rush and Hannity and others do the same..unti­l the mainstream media picks it up and starts churning it too. Then, of course it looks HUMONGOUS!! And Obama can NEVER ANSWER THE STORY ENOUGH!
The right fears an Obama candidacy--they will be impeded in fighting him. And their right wing online activists will inevitably sound racist--which will hurt them in the end, and they KNOW it.



Don't be scammed again. You've seen how they've done it in the past.

[realpolitic]

Bill O'Reilly shows the loop of Rev. Wright's remarks every day. He says questions need to be answered. Of course, O'Reilly wants to keep playing on people's fears and there is no answer which he would accept.

[ndnndpendent]

By continuing to hang on to Wright, Senator Obama cannot claim the moral high ground. That he failed to act to rebuke and disown hin has in itself kept this controversy alive. Obama has made missteps within the black community---not attending the State of the Black Union forum but retaining ties to Wright? What gives? There needs to be some clarity and he doesn't seem consistent when he says: there are not blue states and red states but the United States....­I just fail to see how he can maintain credibility as a unifier if he doesn't acknowledge theres some validity in the concerns of the right and take action to break from Wright altogether. I am neither left or right but more of a center....­but even I am growing uneasy that Obama did not effectively deal with this.

[ndnndpendent]

There is the right media and extremists in the wing, as disgusting as they are there is some validity to their concerns about Wright. I am an independent supporting Obama, but I believe he must rebuke and disown Wright. The indepth New Yorker feature on Michelle Obama reveals the sentiment ' i can no more disown (him) than my own grandmothe­r..' may stem from Mrs. Obama's sentiments. It is association by marriage that Obama has ties to Wright. This is an intimate issue and its goes to the very core of their marriage. This being said, I think the American people are unsettled at the thought of Wright visiting the White House and possibly affecting U.S. policy. Rightly so, therefore, the Obama(S) must make a concerted effort to reassure the American people that they will not be influenced by extremists and to make an attempt to reassure the American people that their spiritual advisors pass the smell test.

[tbone99]

Obamaites who gave H.C hell for appearing on FOX - eat your hats

[pacats]

The difference is the following:

1). The owner of Fox Network, Rupert Murdock held a fund raiser for Hillary.
2). Hillary is embraced by most of the Fox commentators.
3). Hillary belongs to the religious group known as the "Fellowship", the leader of this church group, Douglas E. Coe has stated his admiration for the skills of Hitler. Her association with Coe seems to be okay with a lot of folks. Although, this is well known, the corporate media has not touched it, except for MSNBC, Brian Williams and Andrea Mitchell, Steven Brant 3/28/08 on this site, and a few others.

Obama understands the importance of shared dialogue with everyone. Fox has done the most in presenting sensationize stories, which is why they are usually concerned with having their candidate announce their support for the Fairness Dortrine, as Hannity did with McCain during his one-on-one interview. Obama has practiced inclusion of all people, fair treatment for all, and will do a nice job of presenting his views, and plans on the issues to Matthews.

[tbone99]

I'm sure he will, and I look forward to him making them like the petty partisians they are. Thanks for the explanation on the differences on the two appearances .However Isn't it duplicitous to complain on the one hand about H.C connections to these people at the same time B.O seems to be courting Obamicans, who have slept with these folks for years? . As far as her religious connections vs his - they're all scarily crazy from the point of view of many.

Although I agree with Wrights version of history , I don't think the black commandments would be looked on benignly by most white people.

[VietVet]

FOX should be sued just for having "News" in their name.

[jeremydbrooks]

That's why they capitalize "News": Fox News == Cheez Whiz == Chicken McNuggets. They should take out the space, though. New motto: FoxNews: the CheezWhiz of Broadcasting.

[realpolitic]

Scientists should put monitors on a person's brain to see which parts of the brain that Fox News appeals to. I bet it is almost the "fight or flight" response each and every time.

[MPeter]

I am not sure how wise it is for Obama to walk into this Right Wing honet. There is nothing good likely to come out of this appearance except dredge out divisive, controversial stories that have been reported to death. If you think what happened at the ABC debate was bad, wait until Hillary's best friend Murdoch unleashes his attack dogs. And why do it during this short span between the next primaries? I sure hope Obama's advisers know what this will lead to.

[realpolitic]

Chris Wallace always adopts right-wing talking points in the construction of his questions. He will probably ask Obama why he is said to beat his dog.

[iemmathu]

He had to go on Fox eventually, despite their lack of integrity as a news outlet they do grab really high ratings. But he had completely valid reasons not to go on Fox News, they were reporting outrageous stories about him regardless of or without checking the facts. . . and oftentimes kept reporting the false story after it had be proven false.

I would like to see him turn it around on them and ask them why they ran the stories they ran on him. Why did they report that he attended a madrassa?

[dtrain51]

After all I've been through, fighting for Sen. Obama, now he pull this sh--t, going on FOX NEWS, it might be only one vote, but he just lost that one vote

[exxonmobil4prez]

Well ain't we fickle..

[juangault]

It takes more than one vote. No matter how you feel, don't jump ship. He's fishing for more support. Candidates morph during the campaign, and we've seen these two salmon change quite a bit. I think he'll be the man he was, when he is. But to get there, he has to bring in more, without alienating those already on board. Clinton has borrowed many ideas from him. He's returning the favor and reaching for the red spectrum of the electorate now, it'll take many of these folks pulling together with many others, to pry the keys to the white house from the hands of a very scorned loser, and all her entitled feaster's.

[Saga10]

You may not agree with Senator Obama for the interview, but he must
stand up to these people. His integrity will show them up.

[3443649]

It does not make a rats ass, If Oboma shines or tanks in an intreview with Wallace. Sure Fox is the scourge of the nation, but so be it! S--t stinks too!
We who wan't an absolute change in the direction of this country, and an elimination of the good old boygirls club that is our current government. Will firmly stand by our commitment to vote for Obama as the most viable candidate to really make an effort to work for the bennifit of our people and country. The others are deeply locked in agreement and involvement in the corruption and destruction of this government and country. And above all! are beholding to Oil and Iindustrial entities and not of the people.
Vote for Hillery or McCain and continue the slide into oblivian of the country and it's place in the world forever. It would not be the first society of the world to collapse! And, Oh yes! It might be a good Idea to begin classes in Manderin, in that the money in the US Treasury is mostly Chinese !!

[stevietheman]

FAUX joining in on the spin -- it was a 9-point single-digit loss.

[DUMAMAY]

Who lost?
Miserable loser !!!
People just know who is the winner and who is the LOSER!!!
Miserable guy to change the course of history

That is why Oil is up!! BUT JUST A FEW PENNIES

[Democrab]

He should have demanded Alan Combs.

[venicesurfer]

obama will stutter and then whine about the tough questions at one of his 'moving' speeches.

[exxonmobil4prez]

Tell us how you really feel VS.

[23000Days]

Disregard him, he's a troll: See profile.

[totalliberal]

Fox is piss-ant compared to big net news. They draw 20 to 22 million viewers per night. Fox, not so much. Maybe 1 1/2 million. Most of which are a bunch of red-neck bigots that would never vote for Obama anyway.
He's doing them a favor.

[exxonmobil4prez]

GO Obama! Smile nicely, and talk over their heads as usual! And then hit them where it hurts... work the ropes!

[oscarp]

smile nicely? wait till they start asking questions and he feels the pressure, not even a fake smile will show up on his face. If he could not smile after his loss in PA, do you think he will in FOX NEWS? I can't miss that show, I am not a FOX viewer, but I would turn to them that day, by the way, what channel is FOX?

[JohnnieP]

Unlike pandering Hillary, who kissed-up to the right-wing media because, at the time, she was far
behind in the polls and seemed to have been deserted by her liberal base, Obama is far too intelligent to fall into Fox's trap. Obama can point out to Fox News that both they and their beloved
GOP are so full of excrement that it's coming out of their ears, and that the lunatic fringe cares nothing
about the best interests of the United States, but only cares about getting its own agenda passed, no
matter how destructive it is to the country.He should have no problems in citing proof to back up this
argument.