Bill O'Reilly Takes On Scott McClellan Over Talking Points Claim, McClellan Backs Down

Update: Scott McClellan appeared on Bill O'Reilly's radio show to apologize for alleging that the White House fed him talking points (via ThinkProgress):

The truth is I messed up. I was specifically not trying to single anyone out, including you. But the way a couple of the questions were phrased in that interview along with my response left things open to interpretation and I should not have let that happen. ... I understand why you got upset. ... You're the Big Kahuna at Fox News, and some people tried to paint in a black and white term through a preconceived notion.

Listen (via Johnny Dollar):

Original Post: Bill O'Reilly took on Scott McClellan on Monday night's "O'Reilly Factor" over claims made last week on "Hardball" that McClellan and the Bush White House would funnel talking points to the Fox News host (and his colleague, Sean Hannity).

After calling McClellan a "liar" and an "idiot" on his radio show Monday, O'Reilly promised to have some fun with the former White House Press Secretary on his TV show that night.

"Scott McClellan continues to sell his book on NBC News," O'Reilly said. "The two look to be partners in this enterprise.

"I never once received a talking point from the White House, so McClellan is NOT TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT ME!" O'Reilly continued. "Should I be angry? Nah. But I have to call a lie a lie, especially because this garbage was picked up by CNN."

O'Reilly ended his rant with a bit of bravado, saying, "By the way, McClellan would never dare say that to my face."

Watch:

From Fox News, 7/28

Watch the full McClellan "Hardball" interview here:

Comments

[Bluebloodsbastardson]

It is nice to see all the trles in one place, makes it's easier to recognize their handles on other threads...­........

[protagonia]

The trollers are all here in a cluster this time. "Get over to the Bill o story and gang up! Put your wagons in a circle!!"

So obvious.

[Vorticose]

OOo what happen did the kool-aids lose another propaganda war :(

[Redrover666]

I find it surreal that almost every single comment condemns FOX, though it would appear from this story that they have just exposed a lier and slanderer. Additionally, most of, if not all of you are perfectly comfortable charging Fox with bigotry and hate mongering without any actual references or specific examples.
It gives the unavoidable impression that you simply hate them on an emotional level.

[cardtosser]

I don't watch a lot of FOX news, so I can't comment on its biases in general. But I have listened to Bill O'Reilly's radio show frequently to amuse myself as I drive.

While he describes himself as a reporter, I can't see him in that light. He is a commentator who has guests and listeners call in to his show. If he is in agreement with his guests, he lets them prattle on about their shared viewpoints, but if he disagrees with his guests or callers, he is quite rude to them.

People who agree with him like him, those who don't don't.

My only complaint about Bill O. is his claim that his show is the 'No Spin Zone' which to me implies that he is not politically biased, a claim which could not be supported by anyone who listens to him.

[Redrover666]

He describes himself as a commentator and provider of news analysis, not a "reporter"

Most everything else you said, I am in agreement with.

[AzRealProgressive]

Most of these threads contain posters who know every detail of news on FOX. It seems a large majority of posters here are regular FOX viewers. They disparage FOX, yet they drive up the ratings of all the news programs they hate.

[Redrover666]

I suspect you are right. Sometimes FOX annoys me, particularly O'Reilly. However, I have to give them credit in their news department for generally trying very hard to live up to their motto. Though not always successful, they seem to honestly try.
These folks seem just a bit pathological.

[America08]

Yep that's about right.

[Redrover666]

OK. Thought you guys were just boobs. Thanks.

[Pyott]

It's not a matter of "hating" Fox News (and it's really not about the Scott McClellan issue).

Ultimately, it's about whether Fox News possesses a conservative partisan/i­deological slant. Regarding that issue, it’s not even debatable.

Moreover, many find it extraordinarily ironic that – in their effort to compensate for what they (mostly erroneously) perceived as an extreme left-leaning slant in national news coverage – Fox founders created the most politically biased television news network in the country. And they did it in the name of objectivity.

Do you honestly believe the lopsided numerical advantage of conservati­ve/Republi­can Fox newscasters and commentators is a coincidence?

Here’s just one example: When one well-esteemed New York cable news reporter was interviewed for a job with Fox in 1996, Fox management asked him his political affiliation. When he refused to answer, the interview simply came to an abrupt end.

The outfoxed.org web site goes on to describe other examples, such as the story of former CBS producer, Don Dahler, “resigning from Fox after executive, John Moody, ordered him to change a story to play down statistics showing a lack of social progress among blacks.” According to the Columbia Journalism Review, “several former Fox employees complained of 'management sticking their fingers'” in the writing and editing to “cook the facts to make a story more palatable to right-of-center tastes.” One said: “I've worked at a lot of news organizations and never found that kind of manipulati­on.”

[biased2]

"-actual references or specific examples"? Do you expect us to breakdown their entire programming?
And yes I get the same "unavoidable impression" too -- are you admiting you're starting to feel it, or are you just a FOX employee?

[reasonshouldrule]

O'Reilly appeals to the lowest common denominator in this country--ignorant and bigoted people who are full of hatred for those who don't agree with them. The sad thing is that we could actually discuss the issues the far right believes in if their representatives were at all civil and open to considering other opinions. This last comment applies to many far left people too, but I find lately there is far more yelling on the right.

[AzRealProgressive]

Are you saying that black, Hispanic, Asian and immigrants are all ignorant and bigoted people beacuse they listen to him? You have the audacity to suggest minorities who listen to him are yelling? you insult all progress made under civil rights with that statement. You should apologize. And take some sensitivity training.

[reasonshouldrule]

Who said anything about minorities and immigrants? I'd be surprised if many minorities watch O'Reilly.

[Redrover666]

Could you please be more specific?
Would you mind providing some examples of FOX appealing to bigotry?

[Cybersquirt]

Fox News' E.D. Hill said: "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? ... We'll show you some interesting body communication and find out what it really says."

On Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Fox News Channel used the phrase "Outraged liberals: Stop picking on Obama's baby mama" in an on screen graphic in a discussion as to whether U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, was being unfairly criticized.

On Hannity & Colmes, Mike Gallagher falsely asserted that Sen. Barack Obama and his wife do not give Christmas and birthday presents to their daughters, saying it's "proof positive that this is a socialist family."

That was TOO easy - Found those in 5 minutes.

[Cybersquirt]

had to add this, it's just too good:

On his Fox News television program, Bill O'Reilly said, "[Sen. Barack] Obama must condemn organizations like MoveOn and the Daily Kos if he truly wants to run without a race component. These are the people that are dividing Americans along racial lines. It is not a stretch to say MoveOn is the new Klan."

[neoconsareliars]

Big Kahunas everywhere are embaressed to be associated with BoilO

[AzRealProgressive]

An example or two? Please. For reference.

[livewire19]

Disloyalty all in the name of making a buck wears worse than a cheap suit.

Good for Bill O.

[generaldelivery]

If Bill O'Reilly is the Big Kahuna at Fox, that does not speak well of either Fox or Kahunas.

[UltraClassic]

Scott lied, BillO called him on it. Good for BillO

[epitome]

I used to watch oreilly for a while , then i found he was attacking the left 95 percent of the time while saying hes straight down the middle.Why anyone would back down from this clown is beyond me cause all he knows how to do is cut off and overshout when he starts losing the argument.B­ut no matter what he wont mention olbermans name which i find weird.

[doofmann02]

You nailed it. He just shouts louder and louder like a hysterical woman. I think Olbermann would rip him a new one, just for the record, both in a street fight and an argument.

[sharonh]

Or louder and louder like a hysterical man, doofus.

[Guynemer]

I don't recall O'Reilly ever saying he was "straight down the middle". He refers to himself as a "traditionalist". He's against the death penalty. He now believes the Iraq war was a mistake and has famously and very publicly apologized to his viewers for maintaining that there were WMD. He supports reducing gas consumption and polution. He is a stalwart champion of abused kids, and has soundly criticized the Catholic Church on their handling of priest pedophiles.

Now what he does say, is that there is a venemous leftwing movement in this country filled with hate and funded by anti-Americans with big bucks who also fund the web sites MoveOn, MediaMatters, and the Daily Kos as well as MSNBC, and the New York Times and who routinely extort politicians for their own nefarious reasons. On a daily basis, in addition to Conservative guests he has a large number of Libertarian, far left and moderately left persons on his program to challenge his contentions. Media Matters claims that in ten years of broadcasting the "factor" he has cut the mike 11 times - which of course leaves about 10,000 guest to whom he has not cut the mike. As such, his fairness extends to the point to where it is customary for him to let his opponent have "the last word".

Where as Olbermann never (let me repeat) NEVER has a guest that isn't in lock step and always has the last word.

[reasonshouldrule]

Informative post, Guynemer. I have not heard O'Reilly enough to know all that, but what I've heard is mostly the shrieking against "liberals" and anything associated with them. Many of us read "traditionalist" as code for keeping women and minorities in their place. And I think he only has liberal guests in order to squash them as much as possible. He appears to be a choleric personality and completely full of himself.

By the way, I think Olbermann is just as bad. (And I'm a liberal.)

[steamboat]

Ok, OReilly finally got tired of the BS and fought back. Challenged McClellan. And McClellan proved to be a big liar. Even admitting so........­.So I ask, "are the Olbermann's of the world, who bought-up McClellan's kool-aid hook, line, and sinker, and finger-pointed the OReilly's of the world over this issue going to do the honorable thing and apologize?" If not, 'Olbermann, you are the worst person in the world !'........­.........I told you folks all along McClellan's vindictiveness has to do with the White House and others NOT supporting his mother when she ran for governor in the primaries.­......Trut­h in the end has been served.

[UltraClassic]

Of course KeithO will not address this. KeithO is too busy making a jerk out of himself. BTW, do you ever notice how obsessed KeithO is with BillO. It's spooky, kind of like "Fatal Attraction­." BillO never even mentions that idiot's name while KeithO can't go 5 minutes without ranting and raving about the former.

[steamboat]

Words that come to mind are FRUSTRATION and JEALOUSY and PARANOIA. to describe Olbermann's actions.

[elevando]

Watching Chris Matthews and Keith Oberman push their leftist propaganda is tough to deal with some days (especially Oberman), but when they have McClellan on their shows, the shows become unbearable. If McClellan had some insight, that would be fine, but he doesn't. He is just there to reinforce old accusations that have been in the media for seven years now.

[BrickSykes]

Er, don't think you're a little biased there, do you, elevando?

Brick

[Tator]

All snitches crumble when you challenge them.....y­ou moonbats hug you hat on a loser and now you have egg on your face HAHAAHH

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

"all snitches crumble",sounds like you realize he's telling the truth.We never hung our hat on him,you did.Now he's just a snitch to you.

[Redrover666]

Like hell you didn't. I read these blogs a couple of weeks ago when he was Saint McClellan, second apostle to Obama

[Heru1]

all wingnuts are cowards and ignoramuses. we hope some of you can be saved but unfortunately most of you are doomed to live out your whole lives as tin hat fools.

[PeacefulRevolutionary]

what a wuss this guy is, oh my soooo sorry Bill I didn't mean to do that!!!

[AzRealProgressive]

You could say that.

[dbg2]

People say (I love that part) Fox did and still does get talking points from the White House so shut up (love that too) Bill shut up you are a liar.

Love to meet with you privately Bill.

[AzRealProgressive]

And do what? You can e-mail him for his autograph.