Bush on O'Reilly

[IrishHand]

Breaking a long-standing aversion to FoxNews, I decided to watch the Bush interview on O'Reilly in the vain hopes that it might be an interesting and/or enlightening interview. So much for that plan...

Before we even hear Bush say a word, O'Reilly has already bashed Kerry and called Gore a coward for not being interviewed by a conservative on an incredibly right-wing TV network. After lobbing Bush one softball, he then auditions to be Bush's campaign manager: "what did Iraq do with all their weapons of mass destruction, with all their chemical weapons?"

So much for being impartial...let's go ahead and start the conversation from a wholly untenable assumption. Nice. Kerry'd be insane to go anywhere near that network at this point - much as Bush would be insane to be interviewed by any journalist with any interest in investigative journalism.

My word...this is priceless. After this Army COL declared that the Iraqi puppet premier is the most heavily-bodyguarded guy in the world, O'Reilly declared that every American should respect and support this guy for doing his job under the most trying of conditions. Umm...lots of people wanting to kill you means you deserve American respect? How is this guy different from Arafat, from the N. Korean leader, from any of a dozen other guys that would be assassinated (by us or others) if they exposed themselves in public (not referring to nudity there).

The only thing more amazing than this show is that evidently, 3 million regular viewers probably don't see it as a Bush campaign platform.

[wacki]

It never ceases to amaze me how many people on the left and the right hate O'Reilly.

Left calling O'reilly a LIBERAL weenie
http://www.talonnews.com/news/2004/april/0405_liddy_titans.shtml

There are people in 2+2 who call him an iconoclast, etc......

I thought the interview was fine. Yes, O'Reilly didn't really stick Bush to the wall, but he didn't stick Kerry to the wall either. He isn't a raging meat eating tiger with the big wigs. O'Reilly did grill Bush on Iran and several other subjects, and we got some honest answers to difficult questions. What more do you want?

[ QUOTE ]
"what did Iraq do with all their weapons of mass destruction, with all their chemical weapons?"

So much for being impartial...let's go ahead and start the conversation from a wholly untenable assumption.

[/ QUOTE ]

Iraq did have WMDs remember the Kurds? They clarified on the show that there were multiple countries all saying the same thing. Even Clinton made the same mistake. But they did have facilities ready to start production at any moment.

http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraq-20040623.htm

here we go again.....

[riverflush]

[ QUOTE ]
let's go ahead and start the conversation from a wholly untenable assumption.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder if you can see that you just did the same thing with this post...


(If you don't understand, or cannot grasp what I'm getting at - then you should probably just avoid ever watching FNC)

[anatta]

[ QUOTE ]
what did Iraq do with all their weapons of mass destruction, with all their chemical weapons?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Bush: "Bill, as a journalist you are no doubt aware that my own chief weapons inspector, David Kay, testified under oath to Congress that "we were wrong". Saddam simply didn't have large stockpiles of WMD's. We found nothing. Obviously, I was hopeful that they'd find something. When they found those trailers, I told the world, "we found them, WMD's", but that was just wishful thinking. I believe this might have mislead some American into thinking Saddam had WMD's, as polls seem to indicate this, so I'd like to clear that up and not mislead anyone. This is similar to when VP Cheney appeared on Meet the Press and implied 9-11 terrorist Atta was meeting with Iraqis. The CIA said clearly this wasn't true, yet there he was, linking Saddam to 9-11, and again polls indicate that a large percentage of Americans think Saddam had something to do with 9-11. What is more amazing is they actually conducted a study which found that the average FOX viewer, by a large percentage, hold these misconceived notions, well above those viewers of PBS or even CNN. So I wanted to appear on Fox, with you, to get the truth out."

Bill: (hysterical) "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

[Utah]

[ QUOTE ]
"what did Iraq do with all their weapons of mass destruction, with all their chemical weapons?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, what a softball question. Why cant OReilly ask the tough questions like Regis and Kelly asked of Kerry - "You're hansome. Do you workout?" I want to see Bush go on the man-eating Circuit that Kerry is going on - Letterman, Stewart, Regis and Kelly.

[Abednego]

Sort of gives me warm fuzzies when I consider this is the most watched program on the most watched network on cable.

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
what did Iraq do with all their weapons of mass destruction, with all their chemical weapons?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Bush: "Bill, as a journalist you are no doubt aware that my own chief weapons inspector, David Kay, testified under oath to Congress that "we were wrong". Saddam simply didn't have large stockpiles of WMD's. We found nothing. Obviously, I was hopeful that they'd find something. When they found those trailers, I told the world, "we found them, WMD's", but that was just wishful thinking. I believe this might have mislead some American into thinking Saddam had WMD's, as polls seem to indicate this, so I'd like to clear that up and not mislead anyone. This is similar to when VP Cheney appeared on Meet the Press and implied 9-11 terrorist Atta was meeting with Iraqis. The CIA said clearly this wasn't true, yet there he was, linking Saddam to 9-11, and again polls indicate that a large percentage of Americans think Saddam had something to do with 9-11. What is more amazing is they actually conducted a study which found that the average FOX viewer, by a large percentage, hold these misconceived notions, well above those viewers of PBS or even CNN. So I wanted to appear on Fox, with you, to get the truth out."

Bill: (hysterical) "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahhh, creative writing at it's finest. (sarcasm)

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"what did Iraq do with all their weapons of mass destruction, with all their chemical weapons?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, what a softball question. Why cant OReilly ask the tough questions like Regis and Kelly asked of Kerry - "You're hansome. Do you workout?" I want to see Bush go on the man-eating Circuit that Kerry is going on - Letterman, Stewart, Regis and Kelly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good one, I like John Stewert's opening statement to Kerry:

"So, I hear you weren't in Vietnam."

Totally unbiased, and really tough to answer(sarcasm).

[andyfox]

Kind of interesting the way the entertainment talk show circuit is now not viewed as "beneath" a candidate's dignity. When Arnold said he would announce his intentions on The Tonight Show, I assumed he would not be running, because I couldn't imagine that that would be the venue he would choose if he was going to be a candidate for governor. Shows what I know. Maybe it was different for Arnold in that he was an entertainer, but it seems the candidates are not as averse to trying to make news on those shows as they once were.

[wacki]

Its free airtime. Nothing more.

[anatta]

Okay, I tried to be funny and you didn't think so. Hey, Wacki, I'd like to hear your answers to these questions:

Did Bush not say "we found them" re: WMD's? Did Cheney not attempt to link 9-11 to Iraq on Meet the Press? Do Americans hold these misconceptions? If so, why do you suppose that is? Do Fox viewer hold these misconceptions more than other news viewers, like the polls from PIPA (1) show? If Fox viewers are misinformed on crucial issues, does this support or detract from my position that Fox panders to an audience of viewers who are ill informed and easily to manipulate (I won't call them rednecks again as this was wrong of me).

(1) PIPA is a joint program of the Center on Policy Attitudes (COPA) and the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland.

[MaxPower]

I think it all started with Clinton playing saxophone on The Tonight Show.

I think that these appearences are fine. What seems to be beneath the candidates dignity is actually debating important issues. We will see something on Friday, but it won't be a debate thanks to the Commission on Presidential Debates.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]

I think it all started with Clinton playing saxophone on The Tonight Show.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was on the Arsenio Hall Show.

But, you're right. That's when it started.