Truth Makes Strange Bedfellows – Me & Bill O’Reilly

If there is anything that proves Charles Dudley Warner’s statement of “Politics makes strange bedfellows,” it’s the fact that I, for the first time in a long time, approve of something Bill O’Reilly said.

Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly’s “O’Reilly Factor” has been a staple of Fox News since the network’s inception. While his reporting has suffered for being less than factual (his misrepresentation of the American Red Cross in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks) or hate fueled (his denouncements of Doctor George Tiller who was later slain by an anti-abortionist); his show remains one of the highest rated on the cable network.

Recently, however, O’Reilly seems to be moderating some of his “talking points” to be less argumentative. Why? Perhaps,  Bill O’Reilly may be lobbying to get Katie Couric’s job at CBS when she leaves this summer (while he continues to trash her on his show). After all, in his younger days, O’Reilly worked for CBS and only left after a much publicized dispute with the network over the network’s uncredited use of his video coverage during  the Falklands War in another reporter’s report. So maybe all is forgiven or maybe (and I’m being cynical) he’s just auditioning. I really don’t know, but the tone of his broadcast are significantly more moderate in comparison to broadcasts of a year ago.

Anyway, during his April 12^th broadcast, O’Reilly aired a segment entitled, “Separating Fact from Myth regarding President Obama.” Was it a ringing endorsement of the President? No, it wasn’t. But it was a clear attempt to distance himself from the “birther” discussion and other “internet propaganda” he claims he receives daily. For the record, I, for one, believe that a lot of that propaganda is generated by his employer, but that’s a editorial for another day. Does O’Reilly’s piece make me a fan of his? Again no, but it was a fair and honest report and that makes it a piece worth writing about.