This is a rush transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," June 11, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Miller Time" segment tonight: Syndicated radio guy Dennis has been much occupied thinking about the Spike Lee-Clint Eastwood, vice-presidential situation and Michelle Obama. I kind of ran all that in. Not Spike Lee-Clint Eastwood as vice president. I should have had a comma there. I didn't put it there, and so I don't know what I'm talking about.
But anyway, Spike Lee criticized Clint Eastwood because Eastwood made two movies about Iwo Jima, the first one from the American point of view raising the flag. All white guys and one Native American did that. And then from the Japanese guys. As far as we know there were no African-Americans in the Japanese army. Could be wrong. Anyway, Spike didn't like that presentation.
What say you, Miller?
DENNIS MILLER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I long for the old days, Bill, when somebody would say that somebody should shut their mouth and the other guy would say, "Why don't you shut it for me?" instead of pulling the plantation card. That is unbelievable to me.
You know, when I was in Hawaii I wanted to taste some pineapple, so I went up to the Dole estate. The tram driver giving us the tour did not pull the word "plantation" out as quickly as Spike Lee did there. It's a little silly.
I think Clint always goes for accuracy, and he's a standup guy. He did all right by Charlie Parker. I think it was historically accurate. I remember back when he did "Play Misty for Me," that Roberta Flack song was stuck on the shelf for years. Clint's always had a liking for jazz and that. I just don't get this supposed animus towards the black community.
O'REILLY: Well, let me explain it to you. It's a Spike Lee publicity stunt. That's what it is. Lee wanted to get a little attention. Who do you attack? You attack the big guy, Eastwood. That's what he did.
MILLER: Well, listen, I'm not like — let's put it this way. Clint wins here, because he's an infinitely better filmmaker. You know, Spike probably is spending too much time focusing on this, and you know, waving the towel at Reggie Miller in the Lakers. And apparently, spent a little more time in the films. The films haven't been what they used to be. Clint makes a really solid film. Spike's kind of, you know, his better days are behind him.
O'REILLY: OK. Now, I agree with you that bringing out the racial thing against Eastwood was absolutely unfair. The movie he made "Bird" about Charlie Parker was 85 percent African-American performers, I understand, and Lee did it. If a white — if Clint Eastwood had said this about Spike Lee, it would have been a whole different ballgame. The press would have went wild and crazy and, you know.
But a lot of callers to my radio program say, gee, African-Americans can make racial accusations all day long, but if you make the other side, then it becomes a big press story. You think there's a double standard in play?
MILLER: If Clint Eastwood had said this about Spike Lee, he wouldn't be Clint Eastwood. That's like Clint Eastwood is for the ages and Spike Lee, quite frankly at this point, is for yesterday. You know, it's just tired, it's boring, it's an easy play, it's a reflexive play, and that's not why Clint Eastwood has kept our attention all these years.
There's something about being sublime, a little insouciant, a little reserved. Spike seems to have lost that. Clint is still, at some point, Callahan standing on the bridge trestle, freaking the guy out on the school bus.
O'REILLY: Yes. But I was going to say, if Clint still had a .44 magnum, I don't know if Spike would have seen that. It wouldn't happen anymore.
OK. Now, who are Miller's vice presidential selections? Who do you want to see in both parties?
MILLER: Well, listen, McCain cannot pick this — what is the guy's name? Harold and Jindal Go to White Castle or something?
O'REILLY: Bobby Jindal.
MILLER: Bobby Jindal. He's like 36 years old, and McCain is going to be 72. You know, they'll run the ads, half the man, literally. And you know...
O'REILLY: He's not going to pick Bobby Jindal. He's not. Let me assure you that will not happen.
MILLER: So I say — well, then I have two alternative plans. First off, I think both he and Barack Obama should pick Mike Bloomberg and let him serve one purpose: they can both take him then in the — whoever wins can take him on to the White House. And if it's not him, I think it should be Mitt Romney, because he needs to establish some bona fides on that side, McCain does.
O'REILLY: That's where my money is on, yes. Romney is a good fundraiser. He's a good business guy. And McCain will say, "He'll be my business guy." And that's what I — and Michigan. Michigan is huge. McCain needs it. Romney is popular in Michigan.
On the other side who do you think Obama is going to select?
MILLER: Well, Barack, it obviously comes down to Rezko, Wright, Pfleger or Biden. And I think Biden is the loose canon. I think you can trust Rezko, Wright and Pfleger more.
O'REILLY: I think Biden might get it, as well, although Delaware doesn't do him any good. I think the Virginia guys are going to get a close look, Webb — and what's his name, the former governor up there, Warner — because he needs Virginia.
MILLER: Well, the good thing about Webb, Bill, is that he's packing his own handgun, so you don't have even provide Secret Service.
O'REILLY: And he's a former secretary of the Navy, and his son is in Iraq. And, you know, the guy's a bona fide player. But he's only been in the Senate a short time, so I think that will eliminate him. Warner would probably be a better choice, but some people say they don't want Warner because Warner is going to be another senator. Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba.
But you don't really have a preference, as far as you have Romney as your preference out of the GOP. But you don't have a preference for Obama?
MILLER: No. Listen, I think Barack Obama is going to have some difficulties moving into the fall. I think people are going to say, "Wait a second. If the world is this screwed up, as everybody is telling me, is a 46-year-old first-time senator really going to change it overnight?" How screwed up can it be? You know what I mean? He's a relative kid, politically.
O'REILLY: Well, my favorite for the Democratic — I want Jennifer Aniston to be on the ticket with Barack Obama, just for selfish reasons.
MILLER: Sure.
O'REILLY: Finally, Michelle Obama, as we saw, talking about, you know, some of the GOP look like they're going to attack her. I just don't think that's a good play. What do you think?
MILLER: Who gave her this college loan, Frank Nitti? They play rough out there in Chicago. I keep hearing about the college loan. Take it easy. We all got loans.
All I know is this: If everything's off limits with Barack Obama, that's going to end up costing him. If Pfleger and this Weather Underground guy, who I happen to think means nothing, but Pfleger, Wright, Rezko, Michelle, his liberal voting record. The problem with Barack is, if it's all off record, if nothing is, you know, assailable he does have problems then, because I know America and they'll start saying...
O'REILLY: That's the NBC News philosophy. It's all off — you know, you can't talk about anything. But right here we're going to give it a good play on the issues. But I don't think Michelle Obama should be dragged into this, unless she does something. You know, unless she does something. I'm...
MILLER: No, but if people notice she's not happy, that's going to hurt him.
O'REILLY: Yes.
MILLER: If people know that she's perpetually not happy, that's going to hurt him.
O'REILLY: And if she punches me or something, that will probably be a big story. But that will probably get...
MILLER: That will help him. That will help him.
O'REILLY: Yes.
Dennis Miller, everybody, saving the world, one "Factor" at a time.
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