If it's true that an unexamined life is not worth living, there has to be a whole sub-corollary that an unexamined life is absolutely necessary for
May 30, 2008

If it's true that an unexamined life is not worth living, there has to be a whole sub-corollary that an unexamined life is absolutely necessary for FOXNews pundits. Or we can cut the philosophy and just call Bill O'Reilly the most comically hypocritical talking head on the airwaves today. At least, it would be comical if I wasn't afraid he was about to stroke out. Temper, temper. Obviously, He Who Must Not Be Named has gotten under Billo's incredibly thin skin. But rather than call him out directly, O'Reilly opts to declare a jihad against the whole of the NBC News Department. Scott McClellan's revelations in his book that he felt the media was too soft on the White House during the run up to the Iraq invasion has given Bill O'Reilly the ammunition he imagines he needs to target NBC:

icon Download icon Download (h/t Heather)

O’REILLY: I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t work, Bernie, and I don’t think you would either—I don’t know about Jane—for any organization like NBC which is in the tank, dishonest, has been dishonest, and doesn’t deserve any credibility. You’re working for them, you’re part of it! You’re part of it!

GOLDBERG: What do you want? You want everyone to quit?

O’REILLY: Yeah! I would! I would!

HALL: Bill, I still think you can differentiate—you never want to hear me say this—I think he will have a tough interview. The Today Show was okay. That’s different from what he’ll hear on MSNBC. I just think there’s a difference there. I know you don’t agree with me.

O’REILLY: You’re wrong. There’s no difference. It’s the same guys running both. There’s no difference, Jane. I know who these people are. You gotta make a decision in life. If FOXNews ever did what NBC News is doing. In 12 years, FOXNews has never told me what to say, how to say it, and never allowed any org…any of us…any of us! to go in the tank and attack one candidate and give the other a pass. That’s what they did at NBC. They allowed Hillary Clinton to get carved up, and they let Obama go. That’s a stain that will never go away.

First of all, Bernie "The 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America" Goldberg cannot be described as "fair" ever from anywhere other than the deepest bowels of BizarroWorld. But for Bill O'Reilly to call being in the tank for one candidate and giving the other a pass "a stain that will never go away," well, that's some world-class hypocrisy. Bush-Kerry ring a bell, Bill? And please, spare us the "no one tells me what to say," we know better than that.

Heather included a later portion of the show where O'Reilly lambastes the major network anchors for saying that they had all gotten calls from White House officials, unhappy with particular coverage. I love the logic Bill employs: it can't be valid unless Williams, et al., name the officials involved and it can't be that bad, since Bill O'Reilly never got a call himself. Hmm...I wonder why that is, Bill. Could it be that the White House considered you an ally?

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