Fear and Loathing in the Liberal Community

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Hi.  I'm Bill O'Reilly.  Thanks for watching us tonight.

Fear and loathing in the liberal community.  That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo .

With 70 percent of the American public now supporting military action against Saddam Hussein, those on the left who disagree with that are dazed and confused, and nowhere is that feeling more intense than among left-wing journalists who are out for blood.

For example, an opinion article in USA Today attacks The Factor and your humble correspondent for being biased and mean-spirited.  The article, by freelance writer Bruce Kluger, says, quote, "Perched high on the bully pulpit of his nightly Fox fight-fest, The O'Reilly Factor, the staunchly right-wing O'Reilly invites onto his program a vast array of ideological adversaries whom he usually decimates -- not by relying on deft maneuvers of substantiated debate, but by the sneaky craft of chronic interruption and well-placed commercial cutaways."

Of course, I have nothing to do with the commercials.  They're set by the computers, not by me.  One phone call by Mr. Kluger could have given him that information.

Kluger continues, "Meanwhile, just a few clicks away at MSNBC stands Phil Donahue, the godfather of talk TV.  Donahue turns down the piercing volume of the O'Reilly-type mob and turns up the intelligence, selecting panelists for what they have to say instead of how effectively he can belittle them.

"Donahue is the Obi-Wan Kenobi of conversation: genuine, affable, well mannered and well informed.  But the magic ain't working this time.  His audience is about one-sixth of O'Reilly's."

Now Mr. Kluger is entitled to his opinion, but there are larger issues at play here.  Why would USA Today print a hit piece like this without asking me to respond?

We asked Glen Nishimura, the op-ed editor, and he said, "We thought it was provocative enough to run a policy" -- I'm sorry.  "We thought it was provocative enough to run.  We have a policy, not a written rule, that writers should call the principals in their articles to get their sides.  We assume now Kluger did not do this, and we will talk to him."

"USA today" assumes now after we call them.  Come on.  This is blatantly dishonest.  Of course, Mr. Nishimura would not appear to explain because he's wrong and he knows it.

"USA Today"'s editorial posture continues to be that President Bush has not provided enough justification for military action against Iraq, and that's why, I believe, they printed this piece of propaganda without asking me to reply.

These drive-by attacks do little to help the cause of the left.  Kluger is a longtime liberal who has mocked President Bush on NPR and allowed his 2-year-old daughter to attend a gay pride parade wearing a T-shirt "I love my gay uncle."

And that's fine.  Kluger is entitled to raise his child any way he wants and he's entitled to believe anything he wants.  What is not fine is Kluger's agenda running in USA Today without challenge.  That is cheap and sleazy, and the newspaper should be ashamed.

Finally, Kluger shows his hand by writing, "By year's end, Donahue's audience of 379,000 was about one-sixth of O'Reilly's 2.4 million.  Therein lies the problem: Donahue has not lost one bit of smarts since his heyday. American TV has."

Of course, by American TV, Kluger means you who are watching The Factor.  You're too dumb to know what's quality and what isn't.  Another example of demeaning condescension from a left-wing propagandist.

And that's The Memo .

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day"...

Fox News Correspondent James Rosen is the funniest newsman in Washington.  Here is the proof.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES ROSEN, FOX CORRESPONDENT:  Did you ever notice the way Bush just walks?  Thank y'all.

(LAUGHTER)

That sort of like a high school bully posture that he has.  He sort of stands like this.

(LAUGHTER)

Tonight, we're going to have some chicken Al Qaeda with some Taliban sauce.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY:  All right.  There he is.  James Rosen, everybody.  He'll be on Star Search soon.

— You can watch Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points Memo and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 & 11p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com