O’Reilly cover-up:
By on Nov 12th, 2005 at 8:57 am
O’Reilly cover-up:
MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann on O’Reilly’s statement about San Francisco: “Someone at the O’Reilly website tried to cover that up — I can’t imagine why — removing the entire part about al Qaeda from the show’s transcript. Heads up to that enterprising individual: It’s on tape. Removing the words from the transcript doesn’t make the audio disappear.”
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Hey, if altering the transcript is good enough for Scott McClellan, it is good enough for Bill O'Reilly.
November 12th, 2005 at 9:34 amhis helper may have misplaced the loofah while he was doing the Rose Mary Woods technique.
November 12th, 2005 at 10:10 amLet the sponsors know that we will not buy their products as long as they contribute to Bill O'Reilly's income.
Imagine if they had to read only a few hundred emails about losing sales because of O'Reilly. They'd have to communicate their concerns to FOX.
November 12th, 2005 at 10:16 amMost millionaire celebrities have women crawling all over them. The fact that O'Reilly had to harrass one of his employees for sex gives you some insight as to how repulsive he must really be in person.
November 12th, 2005 at 10:30 amLoofah O'Reilly is a complete and utter moron.
He thinks that because he is a big man, he can intimidate and bully. Presto, instant crowning of his words as though he is Shakespeare, just because he shares the first name, William.
Sorry, Loofah, you are nothing more than a sea sponge-like bob and without any saving grace.
Ruppert the pig and Bill the big. What a combo!
November 12th, 2005 at 10:32 am... I LOVE when Keith looks at the camera with that deadpan stare , and his eyes say IT ALL ! And as for O'Leilly - " The Loofah stops here ! " ( Ewwwww !!! ) ... ;)
November 12th, 2005 at 10:44 amOreilly is a blowhard bully who used to be a celebrity reporter...holy crap...a celebrity reporter?
He tried to intimidate Janene Garafalo over her criticism of his mindless bloviating. She was right and he owes her an apology. If they were both in the ring, I will still give the advantage to Janene. Oreilly is a pussy masquerading as a Man.
November 12th, 2005 at 11:12 amFox News is a disgrace. Anyone who trusts the "news" as presented by Fox is deluded.
November 12th, 2005 at 11:16 amThis is an even worse scandal than Bill O'Reilly's "VideoGate."
November 12th, 2005 at 11:40 amthornNYC - I will boycott - who are the sponsors as I refuse to even watch the show to find out who the sponsors -
November 12th, 2005 at 12:37 pmThis is off topic but interesting none the less.
(Hat tip to Ms. Julien's List) Try and guess which politican or pundit said the following:
1) "You can support the troops but not the president."
2) "Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years."
3) "Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"
4) "[The] President...is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
5) "American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
6) "If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
7) "I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning...I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."
8) "I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today"
9) "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
10) "I think it's also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn."
Wow! Where's the mainstream media on these quotes? You'd think that Democrats and cable news talking heads uttering such quotes would be making huge headlines...
...except that all those quotes come from Republican leaders and FOX talking heads from back in the 1990s when President Clinton was committing troops to Bosnia. (1=Tom Delay, 2=Joe Scarborough, 3=Sean Hannity, 4=Rick Santorum, 5=Tom Delay, 6=Karen Hughes [on behalf of George W. Bush], 7=Trent Lott, 8=Tom Delay, 9 & 10=George W. Bush.)
November 12th, 2005 at 12:39 pmKeith Olbermann has consistently provided the best newscast on tv for some years now. And since he so obiously despises Bill O', it's great fun watching him eviscerate Bill's quivering bowels.
Keep up the good work!
November 12th, 2005 at 12:51 pmO'Reilly's in a bind. He can't sell the Bush/Rove lies anymore because no one believes them. So he's trying to prevent the irrelevancy of his own presence on the airwaves. He's getting desparate, and he's floating trial balloons to seek new angles for attracting viewers/listeners. Like others connected to the Bush network, he has no principles. Money is everything. So he'll trash and endanger anyone who can be used to maintain and/or boost his audience. If encouraging a terrorist attack in San Francisco plays well in Biloxi and Topeka, it just might be worth repeating. If not, then he needs to erase at least some of the record.
November 12th, 2005 at 12:52 pmOlbermann's show is one I don't like to miss.
November 12th, 2005 at 12:59 pmHe did a great job in featuring O'Lielly -- why aren't the right wing nuts asking for O'Lielly's head -- you know they would if a Democrat had said something like that -- in fact, the wing nuts have done it for a helluva lot less.
O"Reilly Has 3 sons, none serving in the military.If the terrorists bomb His house I think that that is alright and that the firemen should just let it burn. The trouble with people like him is that they are all for war when someone elses kid is doing the fighting and dying.
November 12th, 2005 at 1:26 pmMarie, you should rent the movie Network. You will see why Fox does not fire Bill O'Reilly or why no one calls for his head.
November 12th, 2005 at 1:27 pmHow can someone claim to be an american, and then request that the terroist attack?
Likewise how can someone be christian and then request god smite people who do not agree with them? (Pat "the herretic" Robertson)
It is ashame that they do not just sit down and ask themselves, "What would Jesus do??"
November 12th, 2005 at 1:31 pmHey Douche bags! Did you ever stop to think that the comments weren't covered up? Sure everyone heard the news and you liberals can bicker all day about it, but they were retracted because you people take the comments out of context. All O'Reilly wanted to convey was that it is anti-American for a city to prohibit public school military recruitment. I mean what next?? Just to let you know we are fighting a global war on terror.
November 12th, 2005 at 1:39 pmI have been saying this to my friends for years be patient because Olielly would one day run out of steam for all the lies, intimidation, distortion, and propaganda he has espoused for the Bush Administration and the KING ROVE republican party.
Hopefully we can say bye bye to a small minded little man.
November 12th, 2005 at 1:40 pmWhite House, O'Reilly... altering transcripts seem to be a Republican-wide tool.
November 12th, 2005 at 1:42 pmO'Reilly is a fool. He is a big bully who likes to intimidate, humiliate, hurt and abuse anyone who doesn't see things his way.
He better not think about stepping back to San Francisco. No, wait, maybe he should. The people of
November 12th, 2005 at 1:42 pmSan Francisco will never forget and that first step in the city will be somewhat ill-fated.
Bring back Rosemary Woods, oye vey!
November 12th, 2005 at 1:46 pmTo elaborate, this war is not going to be won by those of you who sit on your ass and complain about everything. Oh Bush this, and Bush that… he had the same info Congress did when “Congress declared war.†Do you people not realize how ignorant you are by turning your back to these terrorists? For over 25 years they have struck our world but yet all I hear is ooh if we leave them alone they will not harm us. Bullshit! They struck the US on 9-11 and now we are on the offensive to secure not only the US but this world for generations. These terrorists don’t care how “nice†we are or if we leave them be, they will strike again. To them, this is a holy war and they get to pass on to heaven with their 72 virgins. Seriously, how can we allow such individuals the opportunity to assault us and this great nation??
November 12th, 2005 at 1:50 pmI think we need the FBI to investigate if O'Reily's on-air comments were a "signal" to his al Qaeda sleeper cells to do his bidding. O'sama Bin Reilly! It all makes sense people!!
November 12th, 2005 at 2:01 pmWhy doesn't Tom "the warrior" go after OBL? At least he's equiped with enough BS to snuff him out!
November 12th, 2005 at 2:07 pmWho is Keith Olbermann. Anyway he is good.
November 12th, 2005 at 2:28 pmAll O’Reilly wanted to convey was that it is anti-American for a city to prohibit public school military recruitment.
Comment by Tom — November 12, 2005 @ 1:39 pm
You may think it's "anti-American" but in a democracy people vote on what they do or don't want in their society. In this case, the majority of voters in San Francisco voted to not allow military recruiters in public schools.
November 12th, 2005 at 2:35 pmgracie what mat is saying is that it's unamerican too vote.
November 12th, 2005 at 2:45 pmHmm...if O'Liarly was only trying to say one stupid thing, why did he say an entirely different stupid thing?
And, if he's concerned about being taken out of context, why did he remove his words, from the context, in the transcript. Sort of twisted circular logic there.
November 12th, 2005 at 2:48 pmPatriotic Tom should enlist right away and get his corpus delecti over to Iraq which he sees as the home of all anti-US terrorists. His selfless and loyal contribution to his war could have at least a small benefit in freeing up a reserve person to help out in New Orleans or to prepare to fight the real centres of festering terrorist activity: Iran, N.Korea, Palestine, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, among others.
I wonder whether Tom would consider himself engaged in terrorism if he found himself fighting on home territory against a hypothetically almghty, Iraqui army which had bombed, invaded and occupied the USA in a "preventive war". Come to think of it, WMD would be easier to find here than in Iraq, right?
Get going Tom. You are wanted in Iraq. If you've got children, get them over there too. Just like Bush an the other Republicans, most of them super (draft-dodging) patriots of Vietnam era.
November 12th, 2005 at 2:55 pmTom, you numbskull, retracting a comment involves saying "I didn't mean it" and *apologizing*, not pretending like you never said it. Loofah actually *invited* terrorists to attack the US. He is an armchair traitor and a liar. As the rude pundit says, he should have a microphone inserted in his rectum.
November 12th, 2005 at 2:55 pmTom boy...Troll,
Congress never declared war, King Shrub did. The people we needed to go after were in Afganistan. We should have put 200,000 troups there to begin with and this undeclared war would be over. You are and ASS!
November 12th, 2005 at 2:57 pmWhen I listen to Bill O' Liar opps!!!!!
November 12th, 2005 at 2:59 pmIt make me wonder if he live in the same world that I do.??????????
Numbskulls are just that: numbskulls!
A big cheery hello to all San Fransiscans from Dingle, Ireland! I visited your beautiful city several times in the 90's and was astounded at the generosity of the local folks! O'Reilly - come to think of it, it's an Irish name, same as that other scumbag, Hannity - has not much longer time on the air, he has said repeatedly that he will retire....not soon enough!
November 12th, 2005 at 3:06 pmWhy is it so "un-American" to prohibit public school military recruitment. At the risk of stating the obvious, the chief purpose of public schools is to provide an education to its students. This military recruitment can be very disruptive to this mission. Think that all the recruiters do is set up a table in some corner of the school and pass out a pamphlet or two? Not always. For instance, the recruiters have pretty much taken over our town's only high school. They're there every day, following the students around in the halls, dropping in on athletic practices and gym classes, haunting the cafeteria, etc. Since in-school recruitment is far from the only way the military can find new recruits, it is very understandable why San Francisco doesn't want them in their schools.
November 12th, 2005 at 3:06 pmTom,
November 12th, 2005 at 3:08 pmhttp://www.goarmy.com
Best of luck.
His time is almost up. Even Fox understands ratings. I am going to guess they are down (well at least until that last tirade of his). He, like all of the other nutjobs, will be at the soup kitchens soon enough. Popularity equals ratings and Bush cannot be good for business. Watch for (yes I am actually stating this) Fox to spend a little bit more time on the left.
P.S. I am not crazy :)
http://www.illmethinks.com
g
November 12th, 2005 at 3:10 pmThis is just posted on DailyKos: maybe O'Reilly knows something we don't!!
A confidential memo circulating among senior Republican leaders suggests that a new attack by terrorists on U.S. soil could reverse the sagging fortunes of President George W. Bush as well as the GOP and "restore his image as a leader of the American people."
The closely-guarded memo lays out a list of scenarios to bring the Republican party back from the political brink, including a devastating attack by terrorists that could "validate" the President's war on terror and allow Bush to "unite the country" in a "time of national shock and sorrow."
The memo says such a reversal in the President's fortunes could keep the party from losing control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections.
November 12th, 2005 at 3:10 pmThis makes O'Reilly a traitor. Anyone that wants a terrorist attack to occur anywhere in this nation is a TRAITOR.
November 12th, 2005 at 3:38 pmRepeat after me, over and over again, until the wingnuts have it seared into their brain. CONGRESS DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME INTEL AS THE BUSH ADMIN. Got it yet, ya mow-rawnz?
November 12th, 2005 at 3:55 pmThe fact that Oreilly is still able to broadcast in any medium is a complete mystery to me. That asshole has no talent is nothing more than a hatemonger.
November 12th, 2005 at 4:17 pmBill is on a roll. Down here in Tampa, we're still in awe of his remarkably tolerant statements concerning religious school holidays...
November 12th, 2005 at 4:22 pmhttp://www.illmethinks.com
Someone should notify the Homeland Security Administration or whatever they are called and see if he broke the law by possibly inciting terrorist acts?
I think he has real exposure here if you go by the old lawyer's saw that "yelling FIRE in an obviously dangerous circumstance" is illegal because it increases the risk inherent in the situation.
I think it is reckless and callous to say these things he did because his words could cause harm to others.
Why doesn't the City of San Francisco sue the poor blinded by prejudice but still dangerous fellow before he hurts others by simmilar comments.
November 12th, 2005 at 4:27 pmTom,
Congress does NOT see the some intel as the President.
Read the front story in today's Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/11/AR2005111101832.html?sub=AR
November 12th, 2005 at 4:49 pmKeith Olbermann should be promoted more by MSNBC. He has the second best news program. Jon Stewart would be in first place, of course. Olbermann deserves to be on more magazine, tv and billboard ads than the
phlegm sounding Rita Cosby or Santorium lookalike Scarbourough.
O'Lielly actually has 3 kids??????? Guess that artificial insemination must have done the trick. I just can't imagine O'Lielly producing kids. Guess he must have tempted the mother with a fellaffel. :)
November 12th, 2005 at 4:51 pm#22, Bujeeboo, I HAVE seen the movie "Network" and "Outfoxed" as well. I suppose my comment is more rhetorical than declarative. It is so goddam frustrating that these radical lunatics get the air time that they do...and worse, people believe them.
November 12th, 2005 at 4:55 pmOne question, though. Did Keith look at the TV Factor's transcripts, or the radio show? He might have heard about the incident, then checked for it, and not found it, and assumed it was removed. But maybe it was the transcript of the wrong show.
I hate Bill O'Reilly, obviously. I just want to make sure we've got this one right.
November 12th, 2005 at 5:00 pmWhy doesn't the Democratic party have more backbone. I am so tired of the right getting away with all this SHIT and the dems just roll over and let it happen. Senators and congresspersons of the democrat ilk need to get some major balls and speak out against these assholes.
November 12th, 2005 at 5:15 pm[...] MSNBC’s excellent news anchor Keith Olbermann picks up on it: Someone at the O’Reilly website tried to cover that up — I can’t imagine why — removing the entire part about al Qaeda from the show’s transcript. Heads up to that enterprising individual: It’s on tape. Removing the words from the transcript doesn’t make the audio disappear. Ooh busted! [...]
November 12th, 2005 at 6:13 pmWhy does no one ever ask how it is that O'Lielly speaks to terrorists and think they listen? In his latest, he tells terrorists where to strike. No one ever mentions that. I find this really weird.
November 12th, 2005 at 6:23 pmHEY Outernet...where on dKos? noseeum
November 12th, 2005 at 7:29 pmNever mind, I found the ref in a thread at dKos.
Here's the link.
Sorry if it's not hot, I'm a bit techno lacking.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/gop-memo-wishes-for-anoth_b_10528.html
November 12th, 2005 at 7:53 pmGlad to see the country is still awake and not willing to let the tv talking blowhards get away with it.
Please, however, don't expect the Democrat leadership to watch/listen to every wingnut radio/tv show and certify the transcripts, etc.
That's why we have blogs such as this and others. Yet, it would be good once in a while to hear Howard Dean blast a bullseye in the latest pathetic gasbag broadcast.
Till then, Olbermann will do very nicely. Yea!
November 13th, 2005 at 12:19 amyou have to be a ''braindead'' to watch foxnews.after all the word lying has new meanings for them.
November 13th, 2005 at 12:42 amYou guys keep referring to him as LOOFA. Actually LOOFA is "A FOOL" spelled backwards.
His real name is "SpongeBill Squarepants".
November 13th, 2005 at 1:30 amTo anyone who questions your being anti America because you disagree with the President, remind them there was a group that was full of patriotism who followed foolishly their elected leader. They were called Hitler's youth which seems to have an offspring called the Young Republicans which Karl Rove headed.
November 13th, 2005 at 1:46 amO'Lielly thrives on all this attention folks. I mean that literally. All these neocon talking heads judge their success by two things: money (always the first) and how much attention they are getting. There is probably a firm(s) that takes the public 'pulse' after one of these outrageous comments and sends a report around to all the MSM so they can set their advertising rates accordingly. Just block Faux 'News' and ignore O'Lielly and his ilk.
November 13th, 2005 at 2:57 amSome of the recruitment practices have become grotesque, and the stories mount about the difficulties that returning vets have in getting what they need from the system. What should we expect in the way of response from everyday people? O'Reilly's view of the issue is merely vindictive anyway, another loudmouth hollering.
November 13th, 2005 at 7:05 amWhat sort of democracy do people like O’Reilly believe in? Here there was a democratic vote. Some people voted to allow military recruiters to recruit children in the public schools, some voted against the practice. The majority voted against the practice. So, we live in a democracy and that's that, right?
Not according to O’Reilly. He's inviting terrorists to murder American citizens on our home soil. He's calling for the central government to heap economic collective punishment on his fellow citizens. All because they didn't vote the right way. This is democracy? Or do folks like O’Reilly actually believe in some other form of governance? Some non-American form?
Pat Robertson did nearly the same thing in response to the vote in Pennsylvania except he's called for the wrath of God to bring the human suffering he so hoped for.
People like these don't understand democracy. No clue. They are anti-democratic and un-American. They don't believe or support this country's basic, founding principles.
November 13th, 2005 at 8:05 amMany thanks from San Francisco to all of you who came to our defense re Mr. O'Reilly's twisted rant during which he invited al-Qaeda to bomb Coit Tower. I like to think of my city as an aesthetically beautiful, diverse, and quirky town where dissent is acceptable and tolerance is encouraged. After the attack of 9/11, San Franciscans, 70+% of whom are registered Democrats, waved flags and stood behind President Bush (albeit reluctantly) when he invaded Afghanistan. Dissent is the highest form of patriotism, but balance is as important. San Franciscans see no conflict between supporting troops and not wanting military recruiters on public school campuses. It's about balance, a commodity in short supply in this White House. I suspect that are many millions of you who think in the same way.
San Franciscans, I believe, seem so whacky because we "think out loud". Everybody gets a say--nuts and nerds and nabobs. We have access not only to many diverse opinions, but many sources of information as well. To the rest of America, our search for balance and reason may seem like a free-for-all. Sometimes it is! I have sat in on Board of Supervisors meetings. An environment of cultural, ethnic, religious, and political diversity, creates a comfort zone for speaking one's mind; and we do.
So don't be too hard on Tom, who probably lacks the information and environmental diversity to form a more balanced and reasoned opinion. But he has the right to that opinion, no matter how unreasoned it may seem. As for Mr. O'Reilly? That's another matter. His behavior is hard to understand, and I've tried.
Finally, thanks again from one grateful and proud San Franciscan. My city is your city. We all need to protect her and the right of all Americans to speak out without fear of retribution--terrorist or otherwise.
November 13th, 2005 at 2:42 pmThe right-wingers here haven't bothered to understand the measure in question. The voters of San Francisco have not banned military recruitment anywhere. The entirely symbolic measure (which I voted against because it was badly written) makes it City policy to oppose recruitment and to consider looking into funding scholarships as a substitute for military service considered as a means to get money for college. See http://www.sfgov.org/site/election_index.asp?id=33918
November 13th, 2005 at 3:36 pmFred! Thank you, thank, thank you! I didn't vote for the the measure either, nor did I vote for the handgun initiative for the same reason, though I was tempted to just to make a statement. This O'reilly debacle is exactly why we have to get information from many sources. Misinformation will multiply and divide and bounce around 24/7 cable until 65% of America thinks it's factual! Look how many Americans believed that Iraqis flew planes into the Trade Towers. How many STILL believe that Sadam was behind the attacks? People like you need to reiterate facts as often as this administration placed Osama and Sadam in the same sentence.
November 13th, 2005 at 4:29 pmFace it, O Reilly is simply the product of a
November 13th, 2005 at 4:43 pmsyphylitic coupling. He won't last. Like another
loudmouth knuckle dragger (Morton Downey Jr) he'll
soon be history.
Hello. Please sign this online petition to have Bill O'Reilly removed from Fox News:
http://www.petitiononline.com/XBill/petition.html
Thanks.
November 13th, 2005 at 9:28 pmSimon
Andy #4, I don't have a website. What's all the hostility about?
November 14th, 2005 at 11:10 amI think Big Bill should be made to run naked with a jar of vaseline through a gauntlet of some of San Franciscos most ardent leather clothed citizens.
November 14th, 2005 at 2:07 pmWhat is shocking to me is that there is such hypocrisy when it comes to what the righ wing "allows" in schools. Its OK to have military recruiters in public schools telling kids all the advantages of becoming one of them but its not OK to give kids information about preventing pregnancy (ie contraception) or GASP evolution. In their minds, we want a bunch of lock step, uneducated, knocked up kids running this country in 20 years...can't wait to get old!
November 14th, 2005 at 2:58 pm[...] Sound like he’s encouraging an attack to you? And then immediately after his comment, he tried to A.) cover up what he said by removing that portion of his rant from his site transcript. Then B.) tried to defend his comments as something that needed to be said. And finally C.) he tried to play his comment off as a “satirical riff”. [...]
November 15th, 2005 at 10:41 amThe O'Reilly crazy factor
In a bid to quiet the furor over his previous, incendiary remarks about San Francisco, Bill O'Reilly ... okay he made it worse...
November 16th, 2005 at 1:43 amO'Reilly read an email I sent him on "The Factor" one evening over a year ago. So help me God had he not showed and read my name and hometown with it I would not have recognized it as it was COMPLETELY re-written. He claims to get 50,000 emails per night, if that were the case surely he could find one supporting his opinion without the need to re-write mine?
February 24th, 2006 at 10:49 pm