Download Download (h/t Heather)
Sweet Jesus, I get a headache from watching Bill O'Reilly. How many hack arguments can you make in a single segment? In their discussion of the Elliot Spitzer escort scandal, Billo and guest Laura Ingraham employ a kitchen sink, scorched earth strategy to blame European values, left wing loons, the internet, and anything else within reach (child molestation, STD rates among teenage girls, domestic violence among others) for society today. Truly dizzying intellect. But don't think that Billo is reveling in this...it deeply disturbs him to have to show close ups of the escort service's web page with scantily-clad models. Really. But he does it because it's his responsibility to educate his viewers.
INGRAHAM: At some point, I think we all become complicit in this, and we all have a role in amplifying all of this stuff…
O’REILLY: See, I disagree with you on that. We disagree about the role of the media. My role is to educate the people on what’s happening, why it’s happening, who’s involved in it, whether the government should intervene, and you know, we don’t exploit the situation and I think if you watch the next segment coming up behind you, you’ll see that.
INGRAHAM: Well, I’ll be looking forward to watching…but I think…
O’REILLY: Look, we’re not…we’re not reveling in this. I said right at the top.
INGRAHAM: Are you telling me that cable news is not reveling in this?
O’REILLY: I’m telling you that The Factor reveling in it. I hate this story, I hate it. All right? I don’t like to see Gov. Spitzer or his family torn to pieces and I don’t like to see people delighting in it. I think that’s terrible, but it’s happening. But on the other hand you have to report the fact that here's a sitting governor, he did it, it's easy to do...
And of course, the biggest irony, Ingraham accuses certain other networks of being too afraid to note that Spitzer is a Democrat. Hmm...wonder where that idea would come from?