By Bill O'Reilly
Continuing now with our "Top Story" -- my interview with President Obama. The live edition in the Super Bowl pregame show received massive coverage because it was one of the few times the President has been asked pointed questions about controversial events.
I began with the rollout of Obamacare.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: When did you know there were going to be problems with those computers?
OBAMA: Well, I think we all anticipated that there would be glitches because any time you've got technology, a new program rolling out there are going to be some glitches. I don't think I anticipated or anybody anticipated the degree of the problems with the Web site.
The good news is that the right away we decided how are we going to fix it. It got fixed within a month and a half. It was up and running and now it's working the way it's supposed to and we signed up about three million people.
O'REILLY: I don't know about that because last week there was an Associated Press poll of people who actually went to the Web site and only eight percent of them feel that it's working well, working well.
Why didn't you fire Sebelius, the secretary in charge of this? Because I mean she had to know after all those years and all that money that it wasn't going to work.
OBAMA: You know my main priority right now is making sure that it delivers for the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: So the President wouldn't answer the question about firing Secretary Sebelius. He just wouldn't answer it. I can't force him to. For all you Obama haters out there, I cannot make the man answer the questions. I can only pose them.
We continued on Obamacare.
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O'REILLY: Was it the biggest mistake of your presidency to tell the nation over and over if you like your insurance you can keep your insurance?
O'REILLY: Oh, Bill, you've got a long list of my mistakes in my presidency.
O'REILLY: No, really for you wasn't that the biggest one?
OBAMA: But this is -- this is one that I regret and I said I regretted in part because we put in a grandfather clause in the original law saying that, in fact, you were supposed to be able to keep it. It obviously didn't cover everybody that we needed to and that's why we changed it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: All right now in my opinion the insurance deal was the President's most apparent mistake.
Then it was on to Benghazi, Libya where Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other American patriots were killed on 9/11 and they were murdered by terrorists.
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O'REILLY: Libya, a House Armed Services testimony. General Carter Ham, you know, the general security in Africa.
OBAMA: Yes.
O'REILLY: He testified that on the day that the Ambassador was murdered and the three other Americans, all right, he told Secretary Panetta it was a terrorist attack. Shortly after Ham, General Ham said that, Secretary Panetta came in to you.
OBAMA: Yes, yes.
O'REILLY: Did he tell you, Secretary Panetta it was a terrorist attack?
OBAMA: You know what he told me was that there was an attack on our compound.
O'REILLY: He didn't use the word terror?
OBAMA: You know, in the heat of the moment, Bill, what folks are focused on is what's happening on the ground.
O'REILLY: Your detractors believe that you did not tell the world it was a terror attack because your campaign didn't want that out.
OBAMA: Bill, think about.
O'REILLY: That's what they believe.
OBAMA: And they believe it because folks like you are telling them that.
O'REILLY: No, I'm not telling them that I'm asking you whether you were told it was a terror attack.
O'REILLY: And what I'm saying is -- and what I'm saying it that is inaccurate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: All right here is where the President runs into trouble. Fox News had nothing to do with the confusion over the Benghazi terror attack and the lack of security in that dangerous place. We had nothing to do with it. Yet the President refers to us applying that we are distorting the situation. It's a deflection pure and simple.
I find it hard to believe that the Defense Secretary Panetta did not tell the President on that day 9/11, 2012 that terrorists committed the murders. I find that hard to believe.
However, Panetta has dodged us and refuses to set the record straight. Shame on Leon Panetta.
Next up, the IRS deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Douglas Shulman, former IRS chief, he was cleared into the White House 157 times, more than any of your cabinet members, more than any other IRS guy in the history by far. Ok why was Douglas Shulman here 157 times, why?
OBAMA: Mr. Shulman as the head of the IRS is constantly coming in because at the time we were trying to set up the healthcare.gov and --
O'REILLY: What does he have to do with that?
OBAMA: The IRS is involved in making sure that that works as part of the overall healthcare team. I do not recall meeting with him in any of these meetings that are pretty routine meetings.
O'REILLY: Ok so you don't -- you don't recall seeing Shulman because what some people are saying is that the IRS was used.
OBAMA: Yes.
O'REILLY: At a local level in Cincinnati, maybe other places to go out.
OBAMA: Absolutely wrong.
O'REILLY: How do you know that? Because we still don't know what happened there.
OBAMA: Bill we do, that's not what happened. Folks have again had multiple hearings on this. I mean these kinds of things keep on surfacing in part because you and your TV station will promote them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: The FBI continues to investigate the IRS situation. So it's not as settled as the President implies. And again we don't have anything to do with that. Now will the feds hold anyone accountable in the IRS situation? I doubt it.
Finally, a great question from a FACTOR viewer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: I got a letter from Cathy La Master, of Fresno, California and I said I would read one letter for the folks, all right?
"Mr. President, why do you feel it's necessary to fundamentally transform the nation that has afforded you so much opportunity and success?"
OBAMA: I don't think we have to fundamentally transform the nation.
O'REILLY: But those are your words.
OBAMA: I think that what we have to do is make sure that here in America, if you work hard you can get ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: But here's the deal, no one can make sure that happens -- No one. It's a noble goal but basing expensive policy on a dream runs up a huge debt and is ultimately frustrating to the taxpayer. That being said, the President and I agree that rewarding hard work does build a strong country.
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