Bill O'Reilly Defends Obama, Slams Smears

Bill O'Reilly led off tonight's episode of The Factor with a pointed critique of the latest small-minded content of the news cycle, criticizing the McCain campaign both in terms of character and tactics, slagging the media for pressing the story senselessly, and largely absolving Obama - though perhaps with faint praise: his "Obama doesn't like confrontation" statement seems out of joint with last week's insistence that the Illinois Senator was "tough" and "not a wimp."

Nevertheless, O'Reilly very clearly stipulated that there was no evidence that Obama intended to make any sort of sexist remark.

This being Bill O'Reilly, the content naturally managed to slag Daily Kos and NBC News.

[WATCH.]

In related news, The Corner's Ramesh Ponnuru isn't happy about the McCain campaign's tactics, either:

...there may have been good ways to take shots at Obama over the "lipstick on a pig" comment. But the Republicans are coming across as whiny grievance-mongers. Don't they realize that this harping on ambiguous slights is what people hate about political correctness? It was bad enough when liberals were trying to destroy Palin. Now Republicans are trashing her brand. They're undermining the basis of her appeal as a different, tougher kind of female politician. Today has been worse than wasted.

Comments

[butonelife]

Hedging your bets, Bill'O?

[Dadeo]

BillO, you forgot to mention Fox News as the #1 network in trying to keep this story alive. Who was it that made comments on how Charlie Gibson was wearing his glasses? Your own Brit Hume on Foxs morning comedy show.

[Bullfrog]

God Bill, You can be such a Wussie some times.

[762X39mm]

NADER '08

Lock & load...

[placeyourvote]

THROW AWAY VOTE, IF YOU ARE REP, THEN GO AHEAD

[Woodn88s]

Careful people, don't trust a wolf in sheeps clothing. This guy is a dispicable lying creep and he is a mouthpiece for the loony right wingers. I don't trust him and never will. He's in the same group as Hannity and Limbaugh......................give them nothing!
ENOUGH

[Daddysgirl]

I thought it was just me. He almost had me convinced for a moment thinking that he actually meant his 'kind' words on Obama. A wolf in sheep's clothing indeed!

[lfvaugn3]

STAND UP AMERICA TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK FROM ALL THE LIE'S,SCANDAL'S, OIL SUCKING, FROM THE REPUBLICANS, LET'S SHOW THE WORLD THAT WE LEAD BY EXAMPLE, ON NOVEMBER4th,2008 LET'S STAND TOGETHER AND SAY LOUD AND CLEAR ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, LET'S STOP BEING BLINDED BY BEING LIE'D TO, GEORGE BUSH TOOK US IN A WAR THAT HE LIE'D TO GET US THERE, AREN'T YOU PEOPLE'S TIRED OF THAT, DON'T YOU DESERVED MORE THAN THAT, DON'T YOUR FAMILY AND LOVE ONE'S DESERVED MORE THAN LIE'S, JOHN MCCAIN IS JUST LIKE BUSH, LIE'S, LIE'S, WILL LOOSE HIS INTERIGY TO WIN AN ELECTION, THINK AMERICA FOR YOUR SELF DO NOT LET JOHN MCCAIN AND PALIN LIE AND THINK FOR YOU, REMEMBER JOHN MCCAIN DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT MEAN TO BE POOR HE OWN'S 11 HOMES, HE WEAR'S $520.00 SHOES, CINDY WEAR'S $3000 DRESS, CINDY SPENDS $750,000 A MONTH ON AS SHOPPING SPREE EVERY SINGLE MONTH WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO BUY A$20.00 PAIR PANT'S FOR YOUR CHILD, WHO NEED THESE OUT TOUCH COUPLE'S IN OFFICE THEY CANNOT FEEL YOUR OR MY PAIN, GET REAL AMERICA

[lfvaugn3]

SARAH PALIN REPUBLICAN'S ARE TRYING TO STOP THE INVESIGATION OF THE TROOPER GATE WHAT DO THAT TELL YOU FOOL'S SHE HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE, SARAH HID OVER 1000 E-MAIL'S WHAT A JOKE, IF BARACK WOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN INVESIGATION ONGOING YOU WOULD HEAR AND OUT-CRY SAYING HE'S NOT FIT TO SERVE WHAT AN DOUBLE STANDARD ARE GOING ON, WHY ISN'T AMERICAN TAKING ACTION ON THIS SCANDAL OF SARAH PALIN, WHEN AMERICAN VOTES FOR THIS WOMAN EVERONE BETTER REALIZE THEY ARE CROOK'S AS WELL.

[lfvaugn3]

PRAISED GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSING FLOW'S, I ALWAY'S KNEW DEEP DOWN INSIDE THOSE WHO INCLUDING ME HAVE CRITIZED BILL O'REILLY THAT BILL HAVE SOME TRULY GOOD SATANDARD'S AND VALUE'S, IT TAKE A MAN OR WOMAN NO MATTER WHAT YOUR PARTY AFFILATION MAY BE YOU HAVE TO STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT NO MATTER WHOM IT MAY AFFEND AND THIS IS WHAT BILL DONE, I AM SO PROUD OF HIM, KEEP SPEAKING UP BILL IF IT COST YOU TO LOOSE FRIEND'S, I WHETER LOOSE A FRIEND THAN TO LOOSE MY SOUL,AND MY VALUES IN CHRIST JESUS, GO BILL KEEP THE GOOD WORK UP.

[janinei]

I don't understand your post, can you try again in English??

[eatbees]

He's saying that he's glad that Bill O'Reilly is starting to see the light, and he hopes O'Reilly continues to speak out against the Republican smear machine, regardless of the friends it might lose him. And he praises God.

[greenwitch]

Bill has good "Satantards"? I like this new word---a cross between "Satan" and "Retards." That pretty much describes O'Reilly and his ilk. Thanks, dude!

[Dee123]

Thanks Bill!

[Chbronze]

I hope all of you idiots realize all he is doing is keeping this in the news three days more. Beware of strangers bringing gifts.

[ully]

Bill,how much Obama pay you? he will take back from your pocket! just vote to Mc cain and Palin! no doubt! Mc cain not sweet talker but Mc cain is honest! Mc cain and Palin for the next President and vp!!!

[4Detroit]

ou have made one of the most stupid comments ever. McCain is honest? I don't want to know your definition of honesty.

[janinei]

Speak in complete sentences lately??

[eatbees]

I didn't realize it was necessary to pass an English composition course to post on the internet. I suppose you don't realize that in a democracy, there are bound to be people less articulate than you who still have opinions. So why not just stick to criticizing the content of whatever you disagree with.

[anniej29]

Honest!!! What is honest about either one of them? Name 5 things, they can't even deal with the issues and give remarks that make any sense. Here we have a man that can't even use a computer and we trust him with the running of the country..GET A LIFE!!!

[lewes17266]

Mr. O'Reilly is a smart man. He and others know exactly what is going on and how McCain has sunk to the level of televangelists - exploiting gullible souls for personal power, capitalizing on stupid people. McCain has a product in Palin and he is selling that product to a very gullible target market - the group he pandered to with Hagee.

[BlueBoomer]

lewes: You have expressed EXACTLY why I have such a problem with the evangelical right...your statement about "exploiting gullible souls for personal power, capitalizing on stupid people"...
it's right on the money (pun intended.)

And that's not to say that ALL of those who attend those "churches" are stupid, BUT I believe that it's becoming more and more so, because our schools don't teach THINKING anymore...just rote memorization for tests. (At age 7 I was already protesting having to memorize the Catholic catechism)

In fact, I have trouble processing the fact that Obama fell for that kind of religion...I just don't get it.
At least the Democrats have enough respect for other to not try to cram it down the throats of the rest of us, unlike the republicans.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

The pot calling the kettle......lipstick on a pig ..a bird in the hand......alls well that ends.........How about we talk about all those dead soldiers we have,or their children without a dad/mom,Vets not getting treatment,gas at over four bucks?

[gingerjenn]

i saw this shOw clip..it surprised me finally he see's there's a oBAMA---basis on FOX News well, one could only HOPE??
BUt i doubt it!!!
:/

[larsiler]

I still like the episode of the factor where Billo bloviated about Jamie Lynn Spears pregnancy;remarking that any parent that allows their underage child to get pregnant(like Jamie Lynn's parents) are PINHEADS!!! And then contrasted with the episode a week ago,where his position changed to "its none of our business" in reference to the Palin family soap opera.And of course the media is also "hands off" on the fact that Sarah Palin herself ,was pregnant before she was married!!

[Really imo]

Wow, S. Palin, too! Well, I guess what's done is done, but it really does get a person riled when they keep switching back and forth between righteous indignation and human compassion based on judment calls about whether a young person is what ?-- worthy?, -- popular?, who knows what the heck the criteria is? Whatever happened to just helping those in need?