Bill O'Reilly: 'Killing Lincoln' Controversy Being Stirred Up By 'Enemies' (VIDEO)

Bill O'Reilly struck back at critics of his biography of Abraham Lincoln on his Monday show, addressing what he said were lies told by his "enemies."

O'Reilly was caught in something of an historical crossfire over the weekend, when reports surfaced that his book --an account of Lincoln's assassination -- had been banned from Ford's Theatre, the place the president was killed, due to factual inaccuracies. In fact, the book had been declined by the official store in the basement of the theater. However, it is still being sold at the theater's lobby gift shop, which, unlike the basement store, is run by the Ford's Theatre Society and not the National Park Service.

On his show, O'Reilly quoted a statement from the head of the Ford's Theatre Society, saying that the book was still for sale. It was not clear whether the book was now being sold in the official basement bookstore.

Then, O'Reilly took the charges of factual inaccuracy head-on. He said there were just four "minor misstatements" in "Killing Lincoln," two of which involved typeset errors. (The National Park Service review of the book lists at least eight errors, including that the book references the Oval Office multiple times, though it did not exist in Lincoln's day.)

O'Reilly said that the storm was being churned up by people who were out to get him because of his success.

"We well understand our enemies are full of rage at that success," he said. "We also know the media lies at will these days with little accountability." He said that "every American student" should read his book, and that "all the guttersniping in the world" would not change that recommendation.

Comments

[smadonia]

03:04 PM on 12/29/2011

The fire occured on December 30, 1862 accouring to the History of Ford's Theatre. So is Huffington actually conconting fallicies to bolster their point? Also, they need to examine the word plethora--three instances, of what they feel are mistakes, does not a plethora make.

http://www.tourofdc.org/tours/FordsTheatre/

[bansidhe54]

06:11 AM on 11/29/2011

Oval rooms have been used in every Presidential home since Washington started with his "bow window room." It's not O'Reilly's book that is factually inaccurate. According to http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor2/yellow-oval-room.htm, Lincoln used what is now called the "Yellow Oval Room" and the "Oval Parlor and Library." Hoban designed in 1792 the "elliptical salon" as part of first "White House." His "oval offices" have been used by every president since for libraries, studies, receiving distinguished guests, conducting meetings. These round rooms have become a symbol of democracy. Why? Because there are no corners. For these joker critics (one of whom has long family ties to the American Socialist Party) and the Huffington Post to refuse to post follow-up articles revealing O'Reilly's historical accuracy is, at best, yellow journalism. Note that their favorite Lincoln biographer seems to be Carl Sandburg, proud member of the American Socialist Party and journalist for the Chicago Daily News, a paper committed to "activist government...to social welfare." Sandburg won a Pulitzer prize for his biography, a prize named for Joseph Pulitzer, considered the father of "yellow journalism" in America and indicted twice for libeling Teddy Roosevent and J.P. Morgan. It seems to me that HuffPo is the one practicing yellow journalism here, not O'Reilly. HuffPo, if you continue to refuse to post these facts, I'll start posting them every day on every website on the subject. Go ahead...make my day.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

05:27 PM on 11/24/2011

I wonder if O'Reily's book had these important quotes from Lincoln:

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher considerat­­ion."
- Abraham Lincoln

"The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity.

It is more despotic than a monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, and more selfish than bureaucrac­­y. It denounces as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes. I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the Bankers in the rear.

Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe.. corporatio­­ns have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money powers of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed.­­"

~Abraham Lincoln

Somehow, I doubt it.

[bansidhe54]

06:26 AM on 11/29/2011

Oval rooms have been used in every Presidential home since Washington started with his "bow window room." It's not O'Reilly's book that is factually inaccurate. According to http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor2/yellow-oval-room.htm, Lincoln used what is now called the "Yellow Oval Room" and the "Oval Parlor and Library." Hoban designed in 1792 the "elliptical salon" as part of the first "White House." His "oval offices" have been used by every president since for libraries, studies, receiving distinguished guests, conducting meetings. These round rooms have become a symbol of democracy. Why? Because there are no corners.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

07:38 AM on 11/29/2011

1.  There is a difference between rooms that are oval and The Oval Room.


2.  You responded to the quotes from Lincoln where he supported labor and said that bankers were a bigger threat/enemy than the Confederacy.   Was that as error or were you trying to change the uncomfortable subject?   How about dealing with the quotes?

[shankapotomus]

09:24 PM on 11/18/2011

Not more lies from the leftwing, coulodn't be.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

05:29 PM on 11/24/2011

And what lies would that be?  That the museum doesn't carry the book?  Oh, wait you are confusing the museum with the store in the basement that sells all sorts of nonsense.

[shankapotomus]

07:29 PM on 11/24/2011

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/bill-oreilly-fords-theater-is-selling-his-lincoln-book-despite-minor-misstatements/

[RyanBurke]

04:50 PM on 11/18/2011

I watched the entire video. All I heard was: "Blah blah, everyone's out to get me, blah blah, this book is amazing, blah blah, I have a very high opinion of myself."

Here's a secret, Bill. You're not successful if all of your fame has come from appealing to the lowest common denominator-- people who are so blockheaded when it comes to politics that they'll believe anything a man with a television show tells them (regardless of fairness and factual accuracy).

[Margo Arrowsmith]

05:30 PM on 11/24/2011

The Foxies and radical rightists think you are a success if you get a lot of viewers, the quality of said viewers does not matter.


But I fanned you because you are correct.

[RyanBurke]

06:42 PM on 11/24/2011

Thank you very much.

[bonobos61]

07:30 PM on 12/17/2011

Amen !

[Redhunteur]

07:02 AM on 11/17/2011

"O'Reilly said that the storm was being churned up by people who were out to get him because of his success."

True, if he means success at failing.

[beardown]

06:05 AM on 11/17/2011

Go to the Ford theatre web site and click on Book store. Click on best sellers. Killing lincoln will pop up for $28.00 or call them at 202-347-4883 its a best seller there! lies! lies! lies!

[beardown]

05:59 AM on 11/17/2011

If you call Ford theatre it will take you seconds to find out they are selling Kill Lincoln. Why all the non truths?!

[Redhunteur]

07:04 AM on 11/17/2011

Because that is exactly the way the author, Abraham Lincoln, wrote it while sitting in the Oval Office back in 1596.

[Berettasskeeter]

08:57 PM on 11/21/2011

Has O'Reilly claimed that Lincoln wrote a book about his assassination?
Semper fi

[michelesda]

05:16 AM on 11/17/2011

Bill's old enemy, reality, strikes again; there's just no escape!

[rjaxone]

02:20 AM on 11/17/2011

O'Reilly believes that anyone who questions his veracity is an "enemy." If anybody's facts need to be questioned, it's Billo's.

He simply is not mentally healthy enough to admit that his critics may be right. Instead, he curls up in his media corner and spits--- like a deranged animal with rabies.. > That may be a little harsh, but not much...

[sorjuana]

02:47 AM on 11/17/2011

rjaxone: Not harsh, pretty accurate, I would say.

[John F Murdick]

11:45 PM on 11/16/2011

"We also know the media lies at will these days with little accountability." This is a direct quote said by BillO in the above article... All I can say is... "He outta know..." Oh wait.. he's referring to anyone who may throw the truth in his face...

[blinkthink]

09:56 PM on 11/16/2011

It's the moon Bilo, that causes those overwrought, emotional recactions of yours-the nonfactual references, well, that's all you.

[repukessck]

08:40 PM on 11/16/2011

This "pinhead" has such thin skin-he must need to make a phone call to a producer to relieve some stress.

[susan jeffries]

09:30 AM on 11/18/2011

If the book is being sold in one bookstore in the theater but not in another, this is all just so much tempest in a teapot. But it certainly pays O'Reilly to keep the "controversy" roiling, as it keeps the publicity for his book rolling along. Dollars - that's the name of any game Bill plays.

[repukessck]

01:21 PM on 11/18/2011

So true.

[Berettasskeeter]

08:58 PM on 11/21/2011

So, it wasn't a lie, that his book was banned? If it wasn't a lie, who was keeping it going? Looks like the Left, to me.
Semper fi

[icon22]

08:30 PM on 11/16/2011

I would think that Obama supporters would applaud O'Reilly for lying, after all, our president doesn't let a week go by without lying to the American people in some way or another. It's understandable, though because as they say; If liberals ever told the truth, they would lose every election!

[Intelligenti Pauca]

10:19 PM on 11/16/2011

Nice fact-free, talking point-laden post.

[John F Murdick]

11:34 PM on 11/16/2011

beyond amazing...

[MosesDidItBest]

07:50 PM on 11/16/2011

What a big baby, he can dish it but he can't take it. Like all pinheads, he assumes that if he is louder than his critics that makes him right.

Typical Fox News talking head, all bombast, no substance.