Is the Obama White House a Boys' Club?

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," October 26, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Personal Story" segment tonight: A front-page article in The New York Times says some women are worried there is too much testosterone in the White House. The Times used this picture of Barack Obama playing basketball with a group of guys to drive the point home that there could be an Obama boys' club. In fact, Obama advisers David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel and Robert Gibbs are called "the boys."

Today the ladies on "The View" reacted:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELISABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": If you have your two daughters looking at who's playing basketball in the backyard from your office, ask some women to join you. Get the women out there involved.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": This seems like a lot of kooky kooky stuff to me. If the guy is playing basketball with his friends, he's playing basketball with his friends. No other president has been asked to have women visually everywhere that he is.

JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": In this case he presents himself as a feminist, so the hypocrisy is glaring. That's what this is about. People like Elisabeth, are seeing it because on the other side this is what they see. They see hypocrisy.

HASSELBECK: Many people — many people, both conservative and liberal are seeing it as something of concern.

BEHAR: The issue is golf at all of these country clubs and things that leave women out, is that the networking takes place on the golf course. It takes place in these venues. Therefore, the women are left out.

(CROSSTALK)

BEHAR: You don't know that. During the breaks, they might be talking about politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Makes you wish for a boys' club. Now, I'm going to be on "The View" on Friday, bring a little testosterone in.

With us now, Fox Business anchor Cheryl Casone and from Washington, Fox News political analyst Nina Easton. All right. So the girls on "The View" are all upset about the boys' club, and what say you, Nina Easton?

NINA EASTON, FOX NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Bill, first let me say I can't wait to see you on "The View" on Friday. That's going to be rich.

O'REILLY: It will be a little lively, I'm sure. The Halloween edition.

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EASTON: Well, since you invited me here presumably as a woman, I'll give you a woman's perspective. I think there needs to be more testosterone in this particular White House. I think we need more of the testosterone that prompted George W. Bush to, against all odds and against the entire media political establishment of Washington, to send in more troops to Iraq and turn it around. I think we need the kind of testosterone that would make Barack Obama lead the charge on health care. So, I'd rather see more all male, if it has to be sweaty, aggressive testosterone-producing men in that White House.

O'REILLY: But aren't there women who could do that kind of decision-making as well? Margaret Thatcher comes to mind. Golda Meir. Very astute women who can make the tough calls.

EASTON: Totally. I mean, Hillary Clinton is another — Hillary Clinton, certainly during the campaign, was perceived as much, much tougher on the foreign policy front. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the whole — the imagery on the political correctness over social...

O'REILLY: Yes, but the article — I got it. I got it. But the article, Cheryl, implies that Obama is not sensitive to women because he surrounds himself with all these guys.

CHERYL CASONE, FOX BUSINESS ANCHOR: Sure. Well, they're talking about the old boys' club. Does it still exist? Sure, it still exists. I cover Wall Street. They're still making deals in strip clubs and steakhouses. I don't want to go to strip clubs and steakhouses, but that's where it's still happening. And they've all been sued over this issue. So the boys' club still is in effect in many instances. Not to say the administration…

O'REILLY: But do you think the Obama boys' club does reflect that?

CASONE: Well, he's played 24 rounds of golf since he went into office. Not one woman has been invited to play golf. Now, look, I'm not great at golf. But you heard the ladies on "The View" say this. That's where the business happens. It does.

O'REILLY: But it's a different dynamic — it's a different dynamic out on the golf course. But look, what about Valerie Jarrett, Nina? Valerie Jarrett is one of the most powerful women in the world, very close adviser to Barack Obama, you know? And then you have Mr. Obama's spouse, Michelle Obama, certainly a powerful presence in the White House. I don't know if this boys' club thing is real.

EASTON: Well, if you take it out of the realm of the silliness, which I think the golf playing is and, you know, do we want men to start jumping rope with the first lady on the lawn with school children? I mean, that's silly to me. But if you do look at the question of women surrounding this administration and the White House, it is fair to say that, yes, Valerie Jarrett is there. She's very much the gatekeeper to this president. But on the economic team, for example, it really is run by men. It's run by Larry Summers. Christine Romer is a major piece of it, but, you know, it is a — it tends to be Tim Geithner, Ben Bernanke.

O'REILLY: So you say that it is — I just want to get it right. So you say it is top heavy with guys?

EASTON: It is. It's more top heavy with guys than you might have expected, particularly on the economic front. On the other hand, on the foreign policy, you know, Hillary Clinton is there.

O'REILLY: Is there, but she's been undercut by Holbrooke and Mitchell.

EASTON: And she's been undercut by Holbrooke. And that — that feeds the whole white male in the White House.

O'REILLY: Nobody knows who Christine Romer is, all right? Just so...

CASONE: Economic adviser to the president. We've had her on Fox Business. I've interviewed her many times on the Fox Business Network. And while she's very intelligent and very well-spoken, she again, has taken kind of a side door to the rest of the administration.

O'REILLY: That's — that's the...

CASONE: She is just as qualified as Ben Bernanke. But you're not going to see her be the Fed chairman.

O'REILLY: Are you upset as a woman, Cheryl? Wait a minute.

CASONE: Sorry.

O'REILLY: …that there aren't more powerful women in play in the Obama White House?

CASONE: Yes.

O'REILLY: You are?

CASONE: Yes, I am. Because I...

O'REILLY: You're offended?

CASONE: I'll tell you what offended me, is in The Times article is when Valerie Jarrett supposedly had a sit-down, arranged by Anita Dunn, where they sat down with female reporters and had cookies and milk over the meeting. Are you serious?

O'REILLY: Yes. What's wrong with cookies and milk?

CASONE: Nothing wrong with cookies and milk.

O'REILLY: What are they supposed to have, shots of gin?

CASONE: Yes, or bourbon. I mean, let's talk about...

O'REILLY: See, I don't — I don't understand women. I'll admit it. But Cheryl is offended by the cookies and milk. Are you offended by the cookies and milk? I like cookies and milk.

EASTON: I'm not offended by the cookies and milk. I think men and women socialize in different ways. That doesn't bother me. In Washington, women have to network. We do it all the time, because we have to. I mean, that's — as you said, it's a men's club everywhere. So to take this particular White House to task for it, I think is — it belies the reality of the rest of the world. I think it's fair to note it. But there's much more important things going on than whether he's playing golf with Valerie Jarrett.

O'REILLY: Cheryl says that she is offended by the boys' club. Nina is not so much offended. That's why I wanted to bring you both on. And "The View" ladies are absolutely offended. But I will try to calm them down on Friday.

CASONE: And you, Bill?

O'REILLY: I'm not offended by anything. There's nothing that offends me. All right, ladies, thanks very much.

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