Posted on 09/26/2004 5:00:49 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
(CBS) Who is Bill O'Reilly? Is he a patriot? A blowhard? A braggart? A bully?
Well, it turns out, there's a lot more to him than any of that. When Correspondent Mike Wallace sat down with him recently, O'Reilly said it was going to be the last time he would talk about himself on TV. And he began with a surprise.
"You know, you're responsible for this O'Reilly deal," he said to Wallace. "And I always tell everybody, 'You got a problem with me? You call Mike Wallace. He's responsible for the O'Reilly deal.'"
"What are you talking about?" asks Wallace.
"When I was growing up, I didn't care about the news at all. I had no interest in the news. But my father liked you," says O'Reilly. "No spin. … And I said, 'That guy, he's pretty interesting because he's giving people a hard time.' Which is what you did. So then, when I got older, there were three guys that I watched: you, Howard Cosell … and Tom Snyder, because Snyder knew how to work that camera. You were the three. So you’re responsible."
Wallace called O'Reilly on his constant finger pointing. "I can't stop," says O'Reilly, who does a lot of pointing on his nightly Fox News Channel program, "The O'Reilly Factor."
Does O'Reilly enjoy the arguing? Does he enjoy taking on people on his show? "Sure. It's a battle of wits, who's the quicker draw intellectually," says O'Reilly. "I enjoy the joust. And I think people enjoy watching the joust -- one of the reasons we're real successful."
"The O'Reilly Factor" is the highest-rated hours on any cable news channel. O'Reilly told Wallace that over 20 million people a week watch the show. But there are millions more who hear him on 420 radio stations.
He's also a syndicated columnist and a best-selling author - his fifth book comes out next month - all of it made possible by the enormous success of his cable show.
The concept was simple enough: bring the Op-Ed page to television. "The O’Reilly Factor" was all about opinions, O'Reilly's opinions. And the Factor Formula works. It's made him incredibly popular, and incredibly unpopular too.
"When I tell people I'm gonna do a profile of O'Reilly, 'Oh, wonderful, wonderful. Don't let 'em off the hook. Go get 'em. Bring 'em down. You're the guy who can do it,'" says Wallace on reaction to his interview with O'Reilly.
So why do they want to bring O'Reilly down? "I don't know who you hang around with," says O'Reilly. "I suspect they're 'pinheads,' but I don’t know for sure."
People dislike O'Reilly because of statements like these:
"I'm more angry about it than you are!"
"What about George Bush? He had nothing to do with it."
"Why did you have to tell them you were an atheist? Why didn't you just shut up?"
"That's not an interview," says Wallace to O'Reilly. "That's a lecture."
"Oh, I lecture, where I'm a commentator. We went back and did research on the last six years of 'The Factor.' Do you know how many times I told people to shut up? Six. Three times in anger and three times just, 'Ahhh, he didn't want to shut up about things,'" says O'Reilly.
"My program, my house. You're disrespectful in my house, you're putting things out there that are defamatory in my house, you're gonna get taken to the cleaner."
And outside his house is no different.
On Tim Russert's cable show last summer, O'Reilly was paired with The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.
O'Reilly: You are in with the most vile form of defamation in the country. … You are pandering to it, and I resent it, sir.
Krugman: Well, we resent you, too.
But his most notorious encounter developed last year at a book fair, when he took on humorist Al Franken about a book Franken had written that said O'Reilly had lied publicly on a number of occasions. Franken also used a splotchy picture of him on the cover.
O'Reilly: …writes in his book, he tries to make me out as a liar...
Franken: "no, no, no, no that's..."
O’Reilly: Hey, shut up! You had your 35 minutes! Shut up!
Franken: This isn't your show, Bill.
Their very public battle was about a number of things, one of which was that O'Reilly had said he was an Independent. Franken showed that he'd actually registered Republican.
O'Reilly: He is a vicious, and that is with a capital 'V,' person.
What upset him more – that Franken called him a liar, or that he proved it? "Proves it, bull," says O'Reilly. "He's a character assassin. Why lower yourself to that kind of a discourse?"
So why does it make him so upset? "Because it's dishonest, it's parasitical. And it’s character assassination," says O’Reilly. "Why wouldn't I get upset?"
But right or wrong, O'Reilly likes to get upset. He was raised Irish-Catholic in Long Island, N.Y. This son of a middle-class accountant says his dad was an underachiever who came to blows with him as a teenager. But his dad made him scrappy, which has served him well in his career.
He worked his way through college painting houses. And his first job in TV was in a small market, Scranton, Pa.
"Not like Maria Shriver, with all due respect to her. Nice woman who started in Los Angeles. Why? Because her name is Maria Shriver," says O'Reilly. "O'Reilly starts in Scranton, Pa., with the coal miners. I loved it. My folks."
"Give me a break," says Wallace. "Why are you comparing yourself all of the sudden with Maria Shriver?"
"Because I'm telling you that this road I took had to be taken," says O'Reilly. "There was no other way to do it."
For the record, Shriver started in Philadelphia as a low-level assistant. As for O'Reilly, his career took off in 1996, when the fledgling Fox News Channel bought his idea for a high-energy Op-Ed TV show. By 1998, it was a bonafide hit, must-see-TV for the conservative right.
A month ago, at the Republican convention, the old boys club there, including Trent Lott and Newt Gingrich, welcomed him with open arms.
Some folks would expect this reception for O'Reilly, a favorite of conservatives. But what you don't expect are his views, which sound more like they're coming from a Democrat.
O’Reilly says he’s pro gun control, against the death penalty, and supports civil unions, not just for homosexuals, but "for everybody."
He says he's for gay adoptions as a last resort: "I'd rather have nice, responsible gay home than the system for kids. What else?"
And about the environment? "Government’s gotta be proactive on environment," says O'Reilly. "Global warming is here. All these idiots that run around and say it isn't here. That's ridiculous."
But there's more. He supported President Bush on the war in Iraq, but declared that he would never trust the Bush administration again if no weapons of mass destruction were found.
With none yet found, O'Reilly grilled the president on Saddam Hussein's chemical arsenal in an interview last week that hasn't aired yet.
And Iraq is why the O'Reilly finger is increasingly being pointed at the Bush White House. "A huge mistake was made in underestimating the aftermath of Saddam," says O'Reilly.
"I think Rumsfeld has to take the responsibility there, because he's the defense secretary and it looks like he didn't have a clue that this was gonna happen. But, just like a baseball manager, I think he should take one for the team."
As for the president, O'Reilly says he hasn’t made up his mind yet.
"You're going to vote for George W. Bush," asks Wallace. "Oh, yeah," says O'Reilly.
"You think he's a great president, right," says Wallace. "Wrong," says O’Reilly. "I'm one of those Independent, man. I'm open to be persuaded right away. I've known Kerry for 25 years. He's a patriot. I'm listening to what he has to say."
What does he think about the men from the swift boats who have been bad-mouthing Kerry?
"Awful. It's terrible," says O'Reilly. "It makes me sad that this happens."
And one more surprise. He doesn't consider himself part of what he calls "right-wing radio."
What does he think of talk show host Rush Limbaugh?
"I respect Limbaugh for basically making a success out of himself and putting on an entertaining program. But he's not a primary source of information, or shouldn't be," says O'Reilly. "He's an entertainer. I'm a journalist who provides a program that is entertaining."
Still, he says he's just a regular guy from Long Island, despite the fact that he makes an estimated $10 million each year from TV, radio and print.
"You're addicted. You are addicted to the power. You are addicted to the money," says Wallace. "You are addicted to the fact that I am Bill O'Reilly, and everybody knows it."
O'Reilly’s response?
"Dr. Phil is back. How did he get in the room? You're crazy," says O’Reilly. "I couldn't care less about Bill O'Reilly being known in Iowa. Doesn't matter to me. I don't throw my weight around. I'm not partying with Puff Daddy. I'm not cuttin' a line. I'm not drivin' a Mercedes Benz."
Again, for the record, his wife has a Mercedes, but he says he won't get in it. Bottom line though, he is one of the most provocative news figures in America. And for him, that's enough.
"I'll never win any awards for stuff I'm doing now," says O'Reilly. "Because the intelligentsia who distributes the awards thinks that I'm misguided. I'm a barbarian. I am a Hun."
Does it bother him?
"No, I love it," says O’Reilly. "I love to be the outsider."
© MMIV, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The thing about Rush is that his ego is all put on and everyone knows it. O'Reilly really believes he is a player on the political stage, and he's not. Rush has a way of getting to the heart of a story that is uncanny. It's nothing short of brilliant. Nobody comes close to him. O'Reilly can only dream of being as successful as Rush, no matter what his politics are.
No surprise there. I don't watch Mr. O much but will try to catch the prez M-W this week.
Limbaugh should do a cable show opposite O' wussy, and destroy him.
PEW for short.
This guy is no conservative. He slammed the Swiftboat vets. He's anti death penalty, in favor of gun control and homosexual marriage. He's an arrogant showman and nothing more.
His comments about Rush only furthers my theory that he will abandon FNC and be the new darling of the left- on the radio. He will pick up where Franken and everyone else has failed. He doesn't give a crap about anyone but himself.
It would seem that O'Reilly has become a spin machine for himself. To say Rush is entertaining but imply he is not substantive, in so many words is an insult, as Rush does a much better job of documenting his statements then O'Reilly ever has. As a professor, I think I'm am a good judge of consistency of position and scholarly thoroughness. Rush wins hands down!
O'Reilly is trying to have it both ways act like an independent and try to please both sides. Instead he has ticked off both conservatives and liberals and with good cause. He has become the flip-flopper, that most people become when their ego gets ahead of commonsense!
I quit watching O'reilly Factor several months ago.He sure did not endear himself with his position on the Swift Vets. I am personally boycotting the Factor and Greta's insufferable obsession with the Peterson case I enjoy most of the rest of Fox's line up.
O'Reilly & Wallace?
How were they able to get both egos in one room? LMAO
Got to be a good scifi show on.
declared that he would never trust the Bush administration again if no weapons of mass destruction were found.
I've known Kerry for 25 years. He's a patriot.
the swift boats who have been bad-mouthing Kerry? . . . "Awful. It's terrible," says O'Reilly. "It makes me sad that this happens."
az
What a suck-up approach with Wallace....O'Reilly is done. After the President's interview, he's off my list. Rush is not a source of information???? Remember Bill...no Rush, no Bill. End of story.
I understand why the President gives interviews to the enemy, but in this case I'd rather he hadn't. It's worse listening to a Liberal masquerding as a conservative than it is listening to a bonafide Liberal masquerading as objective. This will be the first time in who knows when I'll watch O'Reilly, but only to watch the President. I'll probably end up muting "O".
O'Reilly is NOT a favorite of "conservatives". Maybe he was once, but that was awhile ago.
He only got this interview because they wanted to use him to advance liberal dogma but quote it as coming from a "conservative". Same reason McCain is featured, because he trashed "Republicans".
O'Reilly vs Swiftees- I choose Swiftees to exercise true patriotism.
O'Reilly vs. G.W.- I choose G.W to "look after me".
O'Reilly vs. Limbaugh- I chose Limbaugh for my NEWS.
I only wish we could trade O'Reilly for Limbaugh.
I once was a regular O'Reilly viewer but have grown tired of his blather. He is trying to walk a tightrope over a cage of lions. For a man who claims to have been a teacher at one point in his life, poor Bill uses the worst grammar I have ever heard. I have sent him messages correcting his poor use of verbs (had did, had went) but never got a reply. I did scold him one time and he read me the riot act during the closing segment on his show. He is so full of himself it reminds me of a comment about Pitchfork Ben Tillman, a famed and notorious South Carolina governor and senator at the turn of the 20th Century. Historian Frank Jordan, who wrote a book about the state's primary election system, commented that Tillman's ego was so full blown he believed he could hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats at the same time. Ben was delusional and an egomaniac and O'Reilly fits that mold.
Yes I learn a lot from Rush. I listen to other radio hosts but none and I mean none have the keen insights that Rush does. He is still the KING of conservative talk shows and also an excellent source of information.
I no longer watch O'Reilly because I find his opinions contradictory and confusing. That tells me he has no core beliefs and goes whichever the wind blows. He is just like a liberal IMHO. Click to Mr. O'Reilly.
If you had to say, you'd say Bill is about 70% conservative and 30% liberal. So, like with everyone else, you are grateful for the 70, and the 30 is really awful. If Bill were to ask us to pick him or Rush, he wouldn't get many of us...
Rush has an audience. Somewhere around 20 million listeners. O'Reilly on his best night has around a tenth of that. Rush respects his audience. O'Reilly has little respect for anything other than what he sees when he looks in the mirror. O'Reilly has no right to compare himself to Rush, unless he compares the ratings of their respective radio programs which makes O'Reilly appear as the dwarf that he really is.
O'Reilly: the No Brain Zone
Well, you know what they say about moderates. They have no core beliefs or they couldn't be moderates.
I agree that laura ingraham put him in his place and that for some time now he is bascially a blowhard. My point is that because nobody watches CBS BOR's profile is at best a sorce of new viewers for the factor, and at worse, a wash.
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