BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Personal Story" segment tonight: My latest book "Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama" is out today, and the book will cause some controversy. Some of you will love it, but some might have a few problems reading the pages.
That's because this is a fact-driven book with opinions based on those facts. It's not an ideological journey. I analyze the first 18 months of the Obama administration methodically. And you can even read my entire interview with Barack Obama before he was elected, absorbing what he said then as opposed to what he has done in office. Now I found that fascinating myself.
We also annoyed The New York Times on Tuesday by placing a full- page ad in the A section, trumpeting what we believe to be tough but fair coverage of the president in the book, something The Times might consider doing.
The truth is that people can be both pinheads and patriots at different times. I, your humble correspondent, have been a pinhead. I see you nodding out there. And don't you think I don't know who you are. But I do try to be a patriot.
President Obama is obviously the centerpiece of the book because his tenure so far has affected just about everybody. He is the most liberal president in history, and how he is governing will have repercussions for years. And you absolutely need to know what those repercussions are.
But I am more than fair to the president, I believe. And that will annoy some of his arch foes, people like Rush Limbaugh. There's an interesting chapter in the book about how Mr. Limbaugh is analyzing me. You'll definitely have an opinion on that.
As far as Mr. Obama is concerned, he's a complicated guy. On Tuesday, for example, he was a patriot when he said this to the nation's school children:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I had a white mother and a black father. And my father wasn't around. He had left when I was two. And so there are all kinds of issues that I was dealing with. Some of you may be working through your own questions right now and coming to terms with what makes you different. And I know that figuring out all of that can be even more difficult when you've got bullies in the class who try to use those differences to pick on you or poke fun at you, to make you feel bad about yourself. And we shouldn't be embarrassed by the things that make us different. We should be proud of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: And that is a great message. But some other messages the president has sent are not so great, as I pointed out today on "Good Morning America" when the dopey tax breaks for the rich deal came up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA")
O'REILLY: The whole thing is class warfare. Would you agree with that?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOLOS, CO-HOST, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA": Not necessarily, but go ahead.
O'REILLY: But really though, I mean, what the president is selling, is he's saying, look, the upper tier, they're going to have to be responsible for the tax revenue primarily. And the other people will get a tax cut. He's saying look, I don't really care about these people who earn their -- a lot of money. But, you know, I want to help you. I think that's class warfare.
STEPHANOPOLOS: He's saying there's $700 billion in costs there we can't afford.
O'REILLY: Yes and who imposed those costs?
STEPHANOPOLOS: Who did?
O'REILLY: Who? He did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Right, he did. So as I demonstrate in the book, Mr. Obama is now spending the country into near bankruptcy, and he is a pinhead for doing that.
"Pinheads and Patriots" is not however all about President Obama. I offer new information about many other presidents and examine icons like Marilyn Monroe, Gen. Patton, John and Robert Kennedy, Babe Ruth, scores of others all with an eye on pinhead or patriot status.
The book begins with a look at the late Tony Snow and Congressman Barney Frank. For a sampling of the pages you can go to BillOReilly.com. We have posted there.
But here is what makes this project different. We're going to debate what's in the book daily on BillOReilly.com. We want to know where you disagree and where you agree on my selections for pinheads and patriots. We'll post the letters, criticisms and compliments every day. And I'll read some of them in the letter segment on "The Factor." So we'll have an ongoing dialogue about the book, which will be fun and hopefully enlightening.
And by the way, I actually want to hear what you think about my selections and the facts that I present to you. If your analysis is good enough, I'll include some of it in the paperback edition of "Pinheads and Patriots."
So the project's unlike anything else I've ever done. Hopefully, it will lead to a national town meeting on the Obama administration and the status of other powerful and famous people.
But in the end, "Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama" is really about you and your life. So I hope you check it out.
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