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With O’Reilly as Guest, Very Serious Letterman Denounces Iraq War & Hails Sheehan
NewsBusters ^ | January 3, 2006 | Brent Baker

Posted on 01/03/2006 9:20:35 PM PST by PJ-Comix

Displaying a hostility to President Bush and the Iraq war similar to that expressed by Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart, on tonight’s Late Show David Letterman will go further than I’ve ever heard him in revealing his derision for President Bush’s decision to launch the Iraq war. I know this thanks to the “Big Show Highlight," a two-minute streaming-only RealPlayer preview of tonight’s program, which is now featured on the Late Show’s home page.

In the posted clip, Letterman mockingly tells guest Bill O’Reilly: "The President himself, less than a month ago said we are there because of a mistake made in intelligence. Well, whose intelligence? It was just somebody just get off a bus and handed it to him?" Letterman demands: “Why the Hell are we there to begin with?" When O’Reilly points out that the British, Russians and Egyptians also presumed Iraq had WMD, Letterman retorts: “Well then that makes it all right?" Turning unusually serious, Letterman soon lectures: “I'm very concerned about people like yourself who don't have nothing but endless sympathy for a woman like Cindy Sheehan. Honest to Christ. Honest to Christ." That prompts O’Reilly to contend: “No way a terrorist who blows up women and children is going to be called a ‘freedom fighter' on my program." To which Letterman fires back: “I have the feeling about 60 percent of what you say is crap.” After the show airs in an hour, I will update this item with more from the Letterman/O’Reilly exchange, including a video clip. (Transcript of RealPlayer excerpt follows.)

It took me a while, but I managed to take down this transcript from the two-minute streaming RealPlayer “Big Show Highlight” video clip on the Late Show home page:

David Letterman: “The President himself, less than a month ago said we are there because of a mistake made in intelligence. Well, whose intelligence? It was just somebody just get off a bus and handed it to him?”

Bill O’Reilly: “No.”

Letterman: “No, it was the intelligence gathered by his administration.”

O’Reilly: “By the CIA.”

Letterman: “Yeah, so why are we there in the first place? I agree to you, with you that we have to support the troops. They are there, they are the best and the brightest of this country. [audience applause] There’s no doubt about that. And I also agree that now we’re in it it’s going to take a long, long time. People who expect it’s going to be solved and wrapped up in a couple of years, unrealistic, it’s not going to happen. However, however, that does not eliminate the legitimate speculation and concern and questioning of ‘Why the Hell are we there to begin with?’”

O’Reilly: “If you want to question that, and then re-vamp an intelligence agency that’s obviously flawed, the CIA, okay. But remember, MI-6 in Britain said the same thing. Putin’s people in Russia said the same thing, and so did Mubarak’s intelligence agency in Egypt.”

Letterman: “Well then that makes it all right?”

O’Reilly: “No it doesn’t make it right.”

Letterman: “That intelligence agencies across the board makes it alright that we’re there?”

O’Reilly: “It doesn’t make it right.”

Letterman: “See, I’m very concerned about people like yourself who don’t have nothing but endless sympathy for a woman like Cindy Sheehan. Honest to Christ.” [audience applause]

O’Reilly: “No, I’m sorry.”

Letterman: “Honest to Christ.”

“O’Reilly: “No way. [waits for applause to die down] No way you’re going to get me, no way that a terrorist who blows up women and children.”

Letterman: “Do you have children?”

O’Reilly: “Yes I do. I have a son the same age as yours. No way a terrorist who blows up women and children is going to be called a ‘freedom fighter’ on my program.” [mild audience applause]

Letterman: “I’m not smart enough to debate you point to point on this, but I have the feeling, I have the feeling about 60 percent of what you say is crap. [audience laughter] But I don’t know that for a fact. [more audience applause]


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 60crap; 60percentcrap; antiamericantvfreak; billoreilly; cbs; crapcallingpoopblack; davidletterman; fox; foxnews; lateshow; letterman; oreilly; traitor; treason
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To: SoCalPol
He is not married.

I thought I remembered him getting married and O'Reilly said they had sons the same age. Did he have a "love child"? I'll admit to not keeping up. I already know more about Letterman than I want to.

281 posted on 01/04/2006 12:46:54 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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To: SoCalPol

Me too. He spoke at a Jewish center here in Denver early last year. I was surprised by his talk because he does seem so calm on his radio program but he was really impassioned during his talk.


282 posted on 01/04/2006 12:48:50 AM PST by beaversmom
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To: beaversmom

all those guys did die?!?

Yes, now the Gov, and all are commenting on the
communication snafu


283 posted on 01/04/2006 12:49:00 AM PST by SoCalPol (Cowards Cut and Run, Marines Never Do)
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To: Mind-numbed Robot

As far as I know he never married the gal.


284 posted on 01/04/2006 12:49:37 AM PST by beaversmom
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To: Mind-numbed Robot

He has a 2 or 3 yr old by some young gal but not married.


285 posted on 01/04/2006 12:50:24 AM PST by SoCalPol (Cowards Cut and Run, Marines Never Do)
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To: SoCalPol

Watching MSNBC right now--holy cow!


286 posted on 01/04/2006 12:50:32 AM PST by beaversmom
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To: beaversmom
I have listened to Medved on occasion but he is so subdued that he puts me to sleep.
I can't say I've followed all of his stuff, but a buddy said he did the greatest job that he sells of the story of the Vietnam War.

I think the guy is a gentleman, but he is hard to stay with for his show.
He has a hard time showing passion.
287 posted on 01/04/2006 12:50:43 AM PST by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: A CA Guy

I'd love to get some of his tapes. He did one about GOD's hand on America. He may have played it over Thanksgiving this past year. It was really good. The man definitely knows his history.


288 posted on 01/04/2006 12:56:28 AM PST by beaversmom
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To: Appalachian_American

Get lost, scummy DU troll.


289 posted on 01/04/2006 1:04:31 AM PST by A Jovial Cad ("If you kill enough of them, they stop fighting." -General Curtis LeMay)
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To: beaversmom

I agree that he is brilliant. If he was a teacher in a class he would be perfect showing slides as he gave his lectures. That would be his perfect forum IMO.


290 posted on 01/04/2006 1:08:15 AM PST by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: SoCalPol

Just tuned it in...oh man. How could they mess up so bad? Somebody should have been on top of this.
Heartbreaking....prayers to the families, so sad.


291 posted on 01/04/2006 1:09:26 AM PST by scott says
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To: Bush gal in LA

I think Letterman was trying to give O'Reilly a dose of "no spin" interviewing. O'Reilly knows that, when in doubt, stay cool and concede nothing. Agree with the obvious. You don't win the debate, but you don't lose it or look bad either. And there's always the possibility that your attacker's line of questioning will come across as petty and desperate.


292 posted on 01/04/2006 1:16:19 AM PST by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: injin
finally saw it .....what a world class a-hole Letterman is.
Typical brainless liberal POS....it is almost a pity that people like this get to share in the same protection that our
NOBLE Armed Forces provide.
Why did he invite O'Reilly on ? What a condescending moron.
I almost wanted to hurl..... I was never a big Letterman fan ,
even when all I had was network through an antenna , but this spectacle I witnessed insures the I WILL NEVER watch his show again.
Goodbye Dave , have a rotten life.....
293 posted on 01/04/2006 1:19:41 AM PST by injin
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To: One_who_hopes_to_know

Letterman is an over-the-hill jerk with a mean look and a lousy attitude. His fans are apparently liberal yuppies who think his brand of humor is wonderful. O'Rielly, in spite of his faults, is professional in the news field.
He is hated by libs because he exposes their stupidity. He
must be doing something right. He is the big dog of cable news.


294 posted on 01/04/2006 1:25:39 AM PST by hdstmf (too)
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To: A.A. Cunningham
Pay attention, Einstein. NBC wanted Leno. Carson wanted Letterman. NBC won in case you hadn't noticed.

Correct. NBC feared Letterman was too weird and edgy for an audience raised on Carson. But now Leno's heir apparent is Late Late Show's Conan O'Brien. Wait until Leno's audience gets a load of Triumph, The Insult Comic Dog, The Masturbating Bear, and the Robot On The Toilet.

295 posted on 01/04/2006 1:42:57 AM PST by L.N. Smithee (How Many Lies Will The MSM Repeat To Enable a Bush Impeachment? http://lnsmitheeblog.blogspot.com)
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To: One_who_hopes_to_know

Mr. Letterman will be the first to squeal if terrorists hit NYC again.

And he will blame it on the President.


296 posted on 01/04/2006 1:45:47 AM PST by Ban Draoi Marbh Draoi ( Gen. 12:3: a warning to all anti-semites.)
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To: willyboyishere

I put my two cents in also. Every little bit will help.


297 posted on 01/04/2006 1:47:14 AM PST by hdstmf (too)
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To: Private_Sector_Does_It_Better
I'd love to see Rush Limbaugh on the show...Rush would wipe the floor with Loserman.

I believe Rush is more sensitive than he lets on. When he was on Letterman years ago, he was clearly off-put by the scattered boos in the audience as he walked across the stage, which is unusual for Late Show. In fact, if I remember correctly, a Freeper who managed to get into the Letterman audience for a Hillary appearance related that the crowd was sternly warned that if they booed, they would be hustled out of the theatre post-haste. Someone may want to check on that. I'm going to say a prayer for the miners' families and go to bed.

298 posted on 01/04/2006 1:51:09 AM PST by L.N. Smithee (How Many Lies Will The MSM Repeat To Enable a Bush Impeachment? http://lnsmitheeblog.blogspot.com)
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To: L.N. Smithee

I used to enjoy Letterman back when he used to be on in the middle of the night, which was, geez, ten to twenty years ago. Back then almost everything he said was scripted by his then-girlfriend and staff writer Merrill Markoe. He went downhill the minute she walked out of his life.

I haven't seen him in years. Is he perhaps getting senile? He's had a heart bypass operation. My father had one. Any doctors in the crowd? My understanding is that sometimes bypass operations affect the operation of the mind, oftentimes not in a good way. I think there are often issues of depression after a bypass, as well.

Or perhaps he's just an old jerk now?


299 posted on 01/04/2006 1:54:52 AM PST by satire (I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.)
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To: rlmorel

Letterman= a failed 70's stand up comic...


300 posted on 01/04/2006 2:02:18 AM PST by RadioCirca1970
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