O’Reilly: My Threat To Boycott Spain Deserves ‘Full Credit’ For Spanish Torture Investigation Being Dropped
O’Reilly: My Threat To Boycott Spain Deserves ‘Full Credit’ For Spanish Torture Investigation Being Dropped
Last month, torture advocate Bill O’Reilly launched a “boycott” of Spain after Spanish prosecutors were considering a probe of Bush administration officials who gave legal cover for torture. “There will be a boycott and there will be ill will towards Spain. This is going to become a huge story and it’s not going to be good for Spain,” he claimed.
Spanish prosecutors have now recommended throwing out the criminal complaint. The news elicited a declaration of mission accomplished from O’Reilly last night. Discussing the investigations with Megyn Kelly, O’Reilly explained the economics behind how his boycott brought down the probe:
O’REILLY: Now, I don’t know whether “The Factor” was a Factor in this decision, but I am taking full credit for it.
KELLY: Shocker.
O’REILLY: You bet. Because Spain, according to The Economist magazine, is pushing 19 percent unemployment. We were going to boycott Spain. That means millions of Americans would have at least been exposed to the idea. And they folded pretty darn fast. We started this last week. Today no mas. … Well, we’re taking full credit for that, ladies and gentlemen, whether deserved or not.
Kelly seemed skeptical but still played along. “There is some travel from American citizens. It would have hurt a little. Maybe that played a role in it. I don’t know,” she said. Watch it:
Fox Nation is also touting the meme today: “Spain Caves After O’Reilly Boycott Threat.” Of course, the brash comments aren’t surprising from O’Reilly, considering his massive ego about his show’s alleged influence. Last year, when Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was behind in the polls, O’Reilly told his viewers that McCain was behind because he wasn’t appearing on The Factor. Some others:
– O’Reilly saved Christmas: Producer Jesse Watters bragged in December: “We saved Christmas last year.”
— O’Reilly brought down the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Seattle’s “nutty-left newspaper” went under after O’Reilly’s staff ambushed publisher Roger Oglesby.
– O’Reilly lowered gas prices: After oil execs supposedly artificially raised oil prices after Katrina, O’Reilly said they “got scared. Because of my reporting and the reporting of some others.”
– O’Reilly brought down O.J.: Responding to the cancellation of Fox’s interview with O.J. Simpson, O’Reilly said, “It’s a culture-war victory. The folks did it; and I am the messenger.”
It is surprising that O’Reilly is so heavily promoting his “boycott” of Spain. When ThinkProgress launched campaign urging O’Reilly’s advertisers stop supporting his show, O’Reilly said on March 27 that our tactics were “Stalinist” and “certainly not Democratic.”
O’Reilly may be declaring victory too early. Reuters reports that Judge Garzon of Spain “is def[ying] pressure to drop the case.”
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The only thing he’s ever “brought down” is the average IQ in any room he’s entered…
April 17th, 2009 at 5:42 pmHow could TP overlook the crippling effects of O’Lielly’s boycott of France?
After all, O’Lielly claimed “”They’ve lost billions of dollars in France according to the Paris Business Review.“
April 17th, 2009 at 5:44 pmO’Liely is a legend in his own mind.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:44 pmWhat little of his mind there is.
we’re taking full credit for that, ladies and gentlemen, whether deserved or not
The O’Lielly credo in a nutshell, right there.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:46 pmO’Reilly is so full of himself that his eyes are brown.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:47 pmO’SillyHo the media whore is so arrogant. This guy swears the world stops turning just because he says so. What a buffoon!
April 17th, 2009 at 5:47 pmShorter O’Reilly:
April 17th, 2009 at 5:47 pmMy sh_t don’t stink! Everyone, have a sniff! If you don’t, you’re a Far-Left Loon!
Wow, I guess O’Reilly not using spanish olives in his martoonis worked. Whodathunk?
April 17th, 2009 at 5:49 pmThis is a prime example why O’Reilly is not a journalist and evidence that journalism is all but DEAD. It’s not a problem that is practiced by all journalists, but it is certainly killing the profession.
If a true journalist were to blow the cover off of something and force a policy to be overturned, that journalist’s best approach is to report the results. If a rotten politician is exposed, the journalist puts a pretty ribbon on the article, packs it up, then goes onto the next article. If follow-up is necessary, the article is reopened. More importantly, if the journalist is considered to be recognized for excellence, it is his or her peers who nominate the journalist and recognize their work.
O’Reilly, on the other hand, needs to understand that taking credit and bragging about a policy change that comes about without direct recognition that it was due to his work is unfounded egoboosting. There is no proof that O’Reilly’s threats were the reason for the policy change. Mere circumstance.
One of these days O’Reilly’s egghead will tilt him off of his high horse and Fox’s horses and men won’t be able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:53 pmWhat would the world do without Bill O’Realy(?)ready to save day.
The guy’s delusional.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:53 pmI think he’s been in some of Limbaugh’s drugs.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:54 pmO’REILLY USES STALINIST TACTICS TO PROTECT TORTURERS FROM PROSCUTION
April 17th, 2009 at 5:54 pmWow, I guess O’Reilly not using spanish olives in his martoonis worked. Whodathunk?
April 17th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Bill O the Falafel Sexual Predator Pervert’s Ego is much greater than his IQ.
Fcuk you Bill, you didn’t have anything to do with any of this stuff.
Go harass one of your co-workers, sicko.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:00 pmViva the Spanish Inquisition!
April 17th, 2009 at 6:00 pmI thought O’Biley used spanish flies in his martinis??
April 17th, 2009 at 6:02 pmWe’ll give you full credit for this Bildo:
Loser.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:04 pmO’Reilly, one of Murdoch’s mindless stooges proves ignorance is bliss, O’Reilly has hit paydirtmindless!!!!!!!
April 17th, 2009 at 6:05 pmWell, O’Reilly did get a comedian elected to the US Senate.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:08 pmNobody expects the Spanish Boycott! Our chief weapon is egomania, egomania and ignorance…
April 17th, 2009 at 6:09 pmPoor Billo! President Obama said on TP that his administration was in touch with Spanish officials. It’s much more likely the Obama team changed the Spanish AG’s mind.
Bill O’Reilly is not a journalist. He’s a puffed up gasbag.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:11 pmWow – if he also invented horseback riding, stitches, and the BJ, he’d be whatshername from “The Mammoth Hunters”.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:12 pmoooohhhhh this is funny…..Scott Horton said that this actions by the lawyers was meaningless today on DemocracyNow!
Billo just set himself up for Olbermann to expose his stupidity.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:13 pmThis claim reminds me of the mouse who mounted an elephant. Partway through a coconut dropped on the elephant’s head and it said “Ouch”
The mouse replied. “Suffer, beotch.”
April 17th, 2009 at 6:13 pmHurry up and cure cancer, Bill!
April 17th, 2009 at 6:13 pmGeez. There’s nothing creepier than the thought of O’Falafel sitting around spanking his monkey while fantasizing about what a global mover and shaker he is.
Pardon me while I go toss my cookies now.
Just saying . . .
April 17th, 2009 at 6:14 pmSince the judge has forced the issue and isn’t backing down, O’Reilly’s threat must also have made him decide to press on. I think at this point, the Bushies are saying “Stop helping already. Sheesh!”
April 17th, 2009 at 6:20 pmU.S. President Barack Obama also spoke out against the proposed investigation on Thursday, saying he would prefer not to focus on past events at Guantanamo, which he has promised to close.
Mr. President, Spain gets to make its own choices. You worry about the US.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:22 pmCan we send Bill’O to Spain? Would save us a lot of headaches…
http://www.sunstateactivist.org/ssablog/
April 17th, 2009 at 6:24 pmWhen the criminals get convicted of war crimes, I wonder how proud he will be of supporting these idiots.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:28 pmIt’s amazing that O’Reilly’s massive ego doesn’t cause his head to splatter.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:31 pmThe only thing bigger than O’Blowhard’s mouth is his ego.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:37 pmScott Horton told Amy Goodman today that the Obamanistas had strong-armed Zapatero to get the prosecutors to drop the case…
April 17th, 2009 at 6:42 pmListening to Billo, falafels, loofahs, if it isn’t torture it should be added to the list.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:43 pmBillo couldn’t even bring down the blinds on his windows if he had to.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:43 pmtokin librul Says:
Scott Horton told Amy Goodman today that the Obamanistas had strong-armed Zapatero to get the prosecutors to drop the case…
Two choices on that idea. Obama has sold out or he has other plans further down the road.
Myself, even if he has other plans down the road, he sold out.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:44 pm‘Liely and friends are way out on their proverbial limbs with nowhere to go but down. They will push the envelope because there’s no place else to go from here. The next step is anyones guess, but they will take it, and they will continue until they fall. They will make a fotune in the process until it ends.
That’s what i’m thinking anyway, because if they return to a news format now their ratings would tank.
The whole MSM has been thriving on crisis ever since bush took office. Now the MSM is fomenting a sense of crisis wherever it can, even where none exists. That’s sinister.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:47 pmI see O’Reilly’s effectiveness mocked here but he has for some time now been a buffer against justice in our country. One could argue on the basis of vote percentage in the two Bush elections that O’Reilly has played a role in causing the deaths of thousands and the torture of many. Give the devil his due.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:50 pmYou think he will ever wake up from his dream of himself? Reality really does hurt.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:51 pmFunny thing is all his listeners that never thought of going to spain then said “yes boycott”! think they had a part in it too!
April 17th, 2009 at 6:54 pmSpain, and more specifically the Spanish prosecutors, probably have no idea who Bill O’Rielly is, never mind care about what he thinks.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:58 pmBillO’ and all the ‘it’s ok when it’s US doing it’ can take all the deserved credit for the next terror attack, as far as I’m concerned.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:04 pmZooey Says:
We’ll give you full credit for this Bildo:
So anyway I’d be rubbing your big boobs and getting your nipples really hard, kinda’ kissing your neck from behind…and then I would take the other hand with the falafel thing and I’d just put it on your p***y but you’d have to do it really light, just kind of a tease business…
Loser.
Ew! Ew ew ew ew ew EW! Ew!
/e goes to scrub brain with bleach to rid herself of the mental image…..
April 17th, 2009 at 7:06 pmDoes this mean Rush “boycotted” his Cuban cigar order from Spain?
I’ve got some excellent Spanish wine in the house, but I’m stumped wondering what most American households would have to give up . . .
April 17th, 2009 at 7:11 pmBill-Os neck muscles must be made of kryptonite…
April 17th, 2009 at 7:12 pmWhat’s this Billshit about Spain Torture Investigation Being Dropped? I think someone is confused or lying again Mr. ‘Liely.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:15 pmI’m going to credit John McCain’s decision during the election campaign to have the U.S.A. cut off all diplomatic relations with Spain. Of course, that was just because he misunderstood a reporter and then refused to admit that he misunderstood the reporter. But it does go to show just how batsh!t Americans can get.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:17 pmFor me, the funny part was his claim that the unemployment rate in Spain is nearing 19%! Anybody who claims to know the unemployment rate in Spain is either a liar or delusional. There’s a huge black economy in Spain (some say as large as- and some say larger than the white one), and a whole lot of people earn their livings off the books.
I have a home there (where I sat out most of the Cheney/Bush years) and I can assure you there’s no question that the Spanish economy is in serious trouble, but that is equally true in France & GB, and to a somewhat lesser extent in the rest of the EU countries.
When I was in grade school in the 50s, we learned that one of the really evil things about the Soviet Union was that they locked up dissidents in mental institutions. Too bad they ruined that for us, ’cause from what I can see, most of what’s left of the right sure belong in one!
April 17th, 2009 at 7:18 pmProud Says:
Behold the power of Bill. I guess that’s why you nutjobs have an obsession which compels you to track every word Bill says. Keep on listening, eventually you will come to the light and realize the error of your ways.
Are you suggesting that “the error of our ways” is paying any attention to him in the first place? Because that’s what it sounds like you’re saying there. You’re advocating a boycott of the O’Reilly Factor?
April 17th, 2009 at 7:19 pmThat he has immense neck muscles that can keep his giant head upright?
Thats right, you guess.
First you say we should watch FOX cause its troofy or something then you say its an obsession…wtf?
Newsflash: Your assuming ratings are related, somehow, to truth or accuracy in reporting. Bill-O states himself that the factor had nothing to do with this decision the Spanish AG has made. Thats not news, its tabloid entertainment.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:22 pmThe only thing ratings ‘do’ is to give advertisers a sense of how many people they may reach.
BTW FOX earnings are down 30% because of the slumping economy..so much for ‘ratings’
April 17th, 2009 at 7:30 pmProud Says:
Behold the power of Bill. I guess that’s why you nutjobs have an obsession which compels you to track every word Bill says. Keep on listening, eventually you will come to the light and realize the error of your ways. Meanwhile Bill thanks you for the ratings, I guess if you add up MSNBC and CNN’s ratings at 8:00 they almost match Bills ratings.
You seriously think we listen to Bill’s rants? That’s for a few dedicated masochists who can report back. He’s not getting any ratings from us, idiot.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:33 pmWho is that O’Reilly?
April 17th, 2009 at 7:37 pmProud, did you have a good look at the pathetic teabag turnout? That, old sport, is the physical manifestation of high cable news rankings. Your numbers are not legion. Sorry.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:37 pmMegalomania is a term for behavior characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, genius, or omnipotence and may be a symptom of manic or paranoid disorders
April 17th, 2009 at 7:38 pmWhich of these products did O’Reilly’s breathless 2 million boycott to bring the Spanish economy to its knees?
1. Petroleum products
April 17th, 2009 at 7:40 pm2. Medicinal, dental and pharmaceutical preparations
3. Goods returned to U.S. then re-imported
4. Automotive parts & accessories
5. Generators, transformers & accessories
6. Collectibles
7. Nontextile floor & wall tiles
8. Stone, sand, cement & lime
9. Vegetables & preparations
10. Industrial machines
Proud thinks we all watch Bill’O? That’s just sad.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:40 pmDelusions of grandeur would seem to be one of the two main – and possibly connected – delusions of paranoid schizophrenia.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:42 pmThere is a sense of personal complicity in delusions of grandeur and it is possible that paranoid schizophrenia involves significant and possibly prior personality disorder.
Billo couldn’t even bring the groceries down to the 2nd floor, let alone, try to bring down another country’s investigation into the Bush Regime’s war crimes!
April 17th, 2009 at 7:45 pmProud Says
April 17th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
___________________________________________________________
“Behold the power of Bill.”
– No, no, I’m too busy beholding the power he IMAGINES he has.
“I guess that’s why you nutjobs have an obsession which compels you to track every word Bill says.”
– Believe me, our recognition of Bill’s entertainment value doesn’t mean we’re obsessed. It means we appreciate the laughs.
“Keep on listening, eventually you will come to the light and realize the error of your ways.”
– I doubt it. He’s not divine, as you apparently think he is.
“Meanwhile Bill thanks you for the ratings, I guess if you add up MSNBC and CNN’s ratings at 8:00 they almost match Bills ratings.”
– There you go with the ratings again, as if that proves anything. More people watch Spongebob Squarepants than Bill — does that mean Spongebob has more credibility? (Well, OK — Spongebob DOES, but that’s not the point.)
Bill isn’t getting any boost in ratings from us. We trust others to bring us the funniest bits of Bill so we don’t HAVE to watch him. Sort of like watching an NFL Follies DVD — you get all the loopiest plays without having to sit through an entire game.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:52 pmEvery time I read this I want to vomit, because O’Reilly is the biggest loser, biggest blowhard, biggest liar, biggest liar (worth saying twice), biggest egomaniac, biggest ass*ole full of his own lies, ever to show his face on TV. Let’s never foreget Andrea Mackris– how O’Reilly harrassed her sexually and exposed himself as a loofa-wielding pervert. O’Reilly– you are a sexual deviant. Courts & honesty? have shown you as the pervert you are. Women beware!
April 17th, 2009 at 7:58 pm“O’Reilly: My Threat To Boycott Spain Deserves ‘Full Credit’”
O’Reilly has now, unquestionable, proven he’s unstable.
Yes, indeedy, you did it Bill. And you did it by dint of comparison to the other patients. Now, be a good boy and sit down.
Phew! I would have missed not being able to buy any more Spanish … ah .. ah … peanuts? Damn boycott!
April 17th, 2009 at 7:59 pmAnd let’s not forget who is responsible for the Sun rising in the east and setting in the west!!
April 17th, 2009 at 8:10 pmYea, I’m sure all of Spain is worried about what O’Dummy thinks.
April 17th, 2009 at 8:14 pmGet over yourself Moron
hp Says:
Wad ‘em up, loons!
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Bite me you brainwashed cretin
April 17th, 2009 at 8:28 pmProud Says:
I always knew you were incredibly gullible and stupid. If you believe Bildo then you have taken gullible, stupid and pathetic to all new heights. What we marvel at is people like YOU. How could ANYONE be so astonishingly stupid as to listen to O’falafel and take him seriously. You DO know you are a moron right?
April 17th, 2009 at 8:30 pmThe probe is not over yet according to Raw Story. Sorry Billo.
April 17th, 2009 at 8:49 pmResponse from Spain: who?
April 17th, 2009 at 9:02 pmActually, wthe case hasn’t been dropped.
The Spanish version of the Attorney General (Fiscal General del estado) has recommended not to prosecute based on lack of jurisdiction.
That doesn’t mean he does not want to prosecute, nor the Instuctor (Judge Garzón) is dropping the case or the actual Tribunal will end up admiting the complaint anyway.
In fact, a little history tell us that the FGE at the time, back when Garzón tried to jail Pinochet, did the same, as FGE usually do in similar cases; and Garzón ignored him, as judges usually do with FGEs.
April 17th, 2009 at 9:03 pmBill O’Reilly: Legend in His Own Mind
April 17th, 2009 at 9:23 pmwhat an idiot!!
April 17th, 2009 at 10:14 pmyou think he bought his degree from Harvard?
April 17th, 2009 at 10:15 pmI hear O’Reilly wears an amulet around his neck that wards off unicorns.
Don’t believe me? When was the last time you saw any unicorns hanging around Bill O’Reilly?
April 17th, 2009 at 10:49 pm3 million watch O’Reilly
297 million do not.
Count me in the majority
April 17th, 2009 at 11:27 pmO’Reilly also walks on water. No, no, it’s true! After all sh*t floats.
April 17th, 2009 at 11:31 pm.
.
April 18th, 2009 at 3:25 amOK Pat obviously senile dementia has set in. Time to see the nice young men that will need to take care of you soon.burun estetigi rent a car arac kiralama
April 18th, 2009 at 5:10 amsac ekimi
I love to see the libs foam at the mouth over O’Reilly. It’s like a convention of rabid dogs. Crawl out of your mother’s basement, get some fresh air, learn to type with both hands and find a trade. The tingle you feel running up your leg now is going to turn into an infected rash.
April 18th, 2009 at 6:09 amBill O’Lielly also has an imaginary friend he talks to while not on set. This guy is the biggest joke on tv and the people who watch him must be getting some comical relief from it. I watched one time and he unplugged the microphone and cut the guy being interviewed off for disagreeing with him. Bill O’Lielly sexually abused a co-worker and had to pay her millions of dollars. The man is a wacko.
April 18th, 2009 at 6:55 amNext on his superheroic agenda… O’Really will even the ratio of buns to hot dogs… reveal how those little ships get in the bottles in a SHOCKING expose… reveal the lie that is CGI… and singlehandedly repair a torn sock.
Stay tuned… scintillating television.
April 18th, 2009 at 8:49 amItsallbus Says:
I love to see the O’Really supporters kiss their mouthpiece’s ass without question. It’s like a gaggle of mindless lemmings waiting to walk over a cliff. Turn off your TV, walk out your front door, do some community service and realize that the world isn’t out to get you… or even old Billy… and find a new argument, because frankly, it isn’t a new one… you guys spew it all the time. You feel no tingle because your nerve endings are dead… ya gotta get up and move around there, buddy.
April 18th, 2009 at 8:52 amThat is correct. The next Republican administration can go ahead and plan their coup of our democracy. They can torture, murder, steal, commit treason, and violate the Constitution in any way they please, because noone will do anything about it.
The American people’s hands our being held behind their backs, while the multinational, investment-classers in the legilature are licking their chops at their potential dividends when America actually becomes a police-state third- world nation.
It’s amazing what the pressure about 3.5 million Americans can exert in a world of about 7 billion people in the course of about a week. If only O’Reilly would boycott the destruction of our democracy as well. We would have about 1% of our population advocating for our constitution and the rule of law.
April 18th, 2009 at 9:42 amGeez, you people are hard on Billdo! Don’t you realize that he’s a rhinestone in the rough?
April 18th, 2009 at 10:27 amItsallbus Says:
I love to see the libs foam at the mouth over O’Reilly. It’s like a convention of rabid dogs. Crawl out of your mother’s basement, get some fresh air, learn to type with both hands and find a trade. The tingle you feel running up your leg now is going to turn into an infected rash.
It’s amazing that most of the conservatives that pop on here (I refuse to generalize or stereotype) think that all liberals here who criticize O’Reilly assume that they all fit into this category of basement dwellers.
Let’s not assume anything here. You don’t know us personally, and we don’t know you personally. Attack us for our beliefs, but don’t attack us for what you assume all liberals are to be, else you risk stereotyping yourself.
April 18th, 2009 at 11:13 amWhat a smug, self-satisfied SOB. I suppose when President Obama turns the economy around, Billo will take credit for that too. Don’t they have institutions for people like O’Reilly?
April 18th, 2009 at 12:24 pmYet another reason to visit Spain. Maybe I’ll head over to France as well.
April 18th, 2009 at 3:35 pmItsallbus Says:
Thanks for the free clown show. I always love laughing at people as stupid as you. Your cliches were old but classically ignorant. I suspect just like YOU. The stupidity of the rightwing never ceases to amaze me. How can someone as stupid as you remember to breathe? Do you have trouble finding your mouth when it is time to eat? What a punk you are. Did you think your attempt to annoy us would do anything other than give us the opportunity to laugh at your abject stupidity? You are a moron dude. Stupid beyond human comrpehension. So drop by and show us how utterly pathetic you are and let us laugh at you some more. The world is dreary enough morons like you DO have your place. That place is to be targets of ridicule. Your obvious intellectual challenges mean you will never accomplish anything else worth doing
April 18th, 2009 at 3:56 pmO’falafels meglomania really is impressive
April 18th, 2009 at 3:58 pmnot many people watch him in Spain.
April 18th, 2009 at 7:33 pmActually only available through socialist oriented cable network Canal + (pro-abotion, pro gay marriage…and so)
oreilly has such a ego i’m surprised his head doesnt explode
regarding spain 19% unemployment in spain-has oreilly forgotten their is a economic crisis going on-how much unemployment has gone up because of that
so the downwird spiral of the economy had nothing to do with it? also supply and demand had nothing to do with it also
how again did he save christmas? was there something preventing that day from coming? the world was going to end on the 24rh??
with a world of over 6 billion people-how can a boycott of 3 (or say 1-2%) million effect one country??-what everybody in europe wont go to spain? or the 297 million other americans??
not to mention he mentioned paris business review (which doesnt exist) to say how good his boycott of france went
and notice how oreilly boycotts every country that dares to disagree with america??
April 26th, 2009 at 5:07 pmamerica is a great country-but why does the right half to say were blaming america first or apologizing for america-so america does nothing wrong? unlike the right-the left will say-here is what is right and wrong with america
April 26th, 2009 at 5:10 pm