As I said last night, Chris Wallace simply did his job. He was tough, but respectful and asked legitimate questions about Al Qaeda in his interview with Bill Clinton.
Anyone attacking Mr. Wallace is dishonest knows nothing about journalism. Now we expect smears from the fanatical far left individuals in a case like this. Predictably, political partisans like Howard Dean, James Carville, and Paul Begala attacked FOX News and Mr. Wallace, as did some of our competitors who get crushed nightly by this network.
By the way, Carville and Begala, they're going to be here tomorrow night. Hide the children.
But this story has now developed into much more than a contentious chat. Some Democrats believe it will mobilize the left to get tough on terror. You'll notice President Clinton didn't say he wanted to get Usama bin Laden. He said he wanted to kill bin Laden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I worked hard to try to kill him. I authorized the finding for the CIA to kill him. We contracted with people to kill him. I got closer to killing him than anybody has gotten since.
And if I were still president, we'd have more than 20,000 troops there trying to kill him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: I think he wants to kill him.
Three weeks ago, Democrats thought they had the November elections locked up. But now, gas prices are falling and terrorism is once again the big issue in the upcoming campaign.
If not for one thing, I would have no doubt that Bill Clinton purposely lit into FOX News to energize the Democrat base. But the way Mr. Clinton acted after the interview was over gives me pause.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: He did not want to make up. I mean, he was angry. He got up and he left with his staff. He started yelling at his staff that they had put him in this situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Well, be that as it may, the president should not have been angry with Chris Wallace or FOX News. I can understand why he's serious about that ABC movie that suggested he was distracted from bin Laden for the Lewinsky episode. But Chris Wallace asking legitimate questions? Come on.
So they're must be something else in play here. And that something I believe is politics. Democrats know Republicans are still perceived to be the stronger terror fighters. And that perception might be all important in November.
Whether that was on Bill Clinton's mind when he stepped into Wallace's no spin zone, I don't know. But it's in play now. And that's "The Memo."
The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day
The predictable attacks on my new book "Culture Warrior" are pouring in. So far, they are more amusing than hateful.
Writing in the Charlotte Observer, Kay McSpadden says I am responsible for the culture war. I'm responsible for dividing the country. Wow!
Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, John Carroll says I'm a liar. So don't believe anything I say. Carol also asserts David Letterman kicked my butt.
Now, Carroll is invited on this program tomorrow to chronicle — pardon the pun — my lies. Place a bets now on whether he'll show up. On the good news front, "Culture Warrior" this morning was No. 5 on the Barnes&Noble.com service, No. 6 on Books A Million and No. 6 on Amazon. We really thank you all very much. We know time is tight, money is tight. Very nice of to you go out and support the book on its first day.
Also on BillOReilly.com we have signed books in a brand new auction, with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity. You can you some ties I've worn on "The Factor" and help a great organization. That's not at all ridiculous, and thanks again for your interest in "Culture Warrior."
—You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox