I just watched Fox News for longer than two minutes the first time since 2002, and I feel dirty. Really dirty.

What does he gain by going there?…

He gets to look brave for going into the lion’s den, unlike “Pit Bull” Palin, who won’t do any interviews at all.

Frankly, O’Reilly reminded me of every truly terrible student I’ve ever had.  Certain that he knew everything, that there was nothing he could possibly learn by listening to someone he disagrees with, so why bother letting Obama even answer the questions?

And I honestly don’t see how anyone could call that an interview.  O’Reilly simply asked questions, then shouted his own answers, and Obama sat there politely and tried to occasionally interject a few facts into O’Reilly’s tirade.  Good for Obama for trying, I guess.

I wish he hadn’t done that.  Faux News viewers aren’t going to vote for him anyway, and he’s lending the station credibility as an actual news network for when they later attack him, his family, his pets, his descendants unto the 7th generation and every Democrat who ever lived.  It’s almost like he’s taking a short term gain for a long term loss, except without the short term gain.

libdevil> On your comment that “fox viewers aren’t going to vote for him anyway”, I have to disagree.
A regular view of Bill O’reilly has pretty much only has the “O’Reily Reality” of Obama to deal with. Short video clips followed by Bill layering on his thick and creamy type of context.

Now we have a much more representative sample of the candidate.  Granted, this is not likely to change the minds of people already decided, but there is a certain percentage that havn’t.. a certain percentage that is going to watch this and just pause and wonder.. hey, maybe I should go to some other source and get more info.

No offense, but unilaterally declaring Bill O’Reily off the radar is like refusing to talk to Iran.
You just create in information vacuum that give the other guy total control over the message.

I agree that “poppa bear” still has a majority of control here, but there is still a crack perhaps even a sliver of actual factual content, and that’s what gets the winner of an election the 1% - 2% they’ll need in those battle ground states.

Of course if Bill starts in with a pack of lies, we go ahead and grind him into the dust for it…  but then he’s the one sticking his neck out.

It’ll take four days for O’Reilly to edit out all of Obama’s answers and substitute still shots of the Senator not saying anything. Then O’Reilly will make up his own answers like he usually does and splice them in, and claim victory against the Liberal Infidel.

I wonder if O’Reilly got a call from the McCain campaign?

Vanity Fair had an article recently on Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox, Bill’s boss, and a meeting Murdoch had with Obama.  At the meeting Obama agreed to go on Fox.  Fox agreed to less spin.  Murdoch thinks Obama can sell more papers than McCain.

Murdoch is vile, but he’s no dummy.  He’s playing kissy face with Obama because he knows which way the wind is blowing.

Yep.  O’Reilly wouldn’t have Obama on for four nights straight if he didn’t think it would be a ratings bonanza.  I think Obama will be able to stand up to O’Reilly—if he can’t, he’s not the politician I think he is.