O’Reilly on Webb

Posted by jrosenhouse on December 5, 2006
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Here’s Bill O’Reilly pretending to be outraged by Jim Webb’s lack of respect for the presidency (see yesterday’s post for the details):

Now that was rude on Webb’s part. The president, knowing Webb’s anti-war sentiments, went out of his way to engage the senator-elect about his son. That was a nice gesture, was it not?

Webb took the occasion to politic. That was inappropriate, especially at the White House. And then he turned disrespectful.

Now, we’ve invited Senator-elect Webb on “The Factor” to talk it over, but so far, he has not accepted. But I will say this directly to him: It’s fine to dissent from the Iraq War and to believe the president is wrong to wage it. Dissent is honorable. However, in a meeting like that, there should be respect for the office of the presidency. You made a mistake, Mr. Webb, in not being gracious.

O’Reilly, of course, rose to prominence by endorsing the impeachment of President Clinton for a sexual affair. You will search his transcripts and newspaper columns in vain for even a ghost of respect towards the fomrer president. But when a Senator is hostile towards the Republican President who placed his son in danger in the service of an ill-conceived and poorly-planned war, that’s just intolerable rudeness.

This was the lead story on O’Reilly’s show last night, incidentally. He’s that outraged.

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Comments

  1. #1 J-Dog
    December 5, 2006

    Is it intollerable rudeness to call O’Reilly a turd-brain? Is it more apropriate to just call him a Sh&t-For-Brains, so he knows exactly what I mean without him having to think about it? Please help me out, just in case I am ever invited to speak on “The Factor”, and I can be gracious to Mr. O’Reilly as I enter the “No Spin Zone” and call an ass an ass.

    Personally, I don’t even think O’Reily is his real name. No REAL Irishman could be that stupid – He must be English!

  2. #2 noself
    December 5, 2006

    “Now that was rude on Webb’s part. The president, knowing Webb’s anti-war sentiments, went out of his way to engage the senator-elect about his son. That was a nice gesture, was it not?”

    Argh! The cognitive dissonance; it burns it burns! How could it have been polite knowing of the person’s anti-war sentiments, engaging him with a question that not only touches on it but does so in a way that’s highly personal i.e. because his son is in that war?

  3. #3 Craig Pennington
    December 6, 2006

    “Now that was rude on Webb’s part. The president, knowing Webb’s anti-war sentiments, went out of his way to engage the senator-elect about his son. That was a nice gesture, was it not?”

    Perhaps if he had accepted the answer originally proffered by Senator Webb in some way other than “That’s not what I asked.” That’s an attempt to bully. And I have zero sympathy for Republicans whining about a lack of civility in general and respect for the office of the President specifically. They can go fuck themselves.

  4. #4 Sean
    December 7, 2006

    As well, it’s been confirmed that Bush was made aware — and ~SPECIFICALLY TOLD~ — to be careful when dealing with Webb. Because he had been briefed just before about how his son nearly was killed on that day. So the president knew Webb’s son was nearly killed, sought Webb out — sought being key — and then asked him about his son, and was indignant when Webb did not want to talk about it.

    The outrageously frat boy-king attitude is amazing.

  5. #5 Ed
    December 7, 2006

    Every time I accidently flip to O’Reilly’s show I am once again amazed he is 1) given air time and 2) people watch this guy. The fact he is able to pull high enough ratings to stay on the air should pretty much explain how Bush was elected twice.