# O'Reilly does it again. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 10, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514 "2004-02-10T21:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/21 "2004-02-11T21:33:10Z")
> [@](#): > > That’s no Freudian slip. The guy isn’t as much of a conservative hack as half you guys think. I have a hard time believing this, having seen his show. He usually starts off with criticism of right with a few timid observations, but then quickly finds some way to blame even those criticisms on the left. Note even his memo here he has nothing bad to say about right wing radio other than it is doggedly right wing (whoa!), whereas the left is represented by someone he paints as a deranged moron. His one concession to a liberal view, fuel standards, is again, presented as a mild policy dispute. And you have to give credit to a man who declares a no spin zone, and then continues to pronounce final judgement on a range of issues, finishing up by saying that everyone will get treated fairly: presumably as long as they agree with him that secularism is to blame for all of societies woes (which woes those are, we aren’t sure: maybe crime rates are too historically low for his liking?). But then, why are you arguing with me? O’Reily says it himself: an unbiased approach will be “something new” for him. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/22 "2004-02-11T21:46:27Z")
> [@Sofa King](#): > > I totally disagree, **Bruce\_Daddy** , but we’ve been through this before so I won’t belabor the point. That’s cool. It’s 4:45 and I’ve already got a headache. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Age\_Quod\_Agis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@Age\_Quod\_Agis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Age_Quod_Agis)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/23 "2004-02-11T22:43:18Z")
> [@photopat](#): > > Rather, O’Reilly blamed CIA Director George Tenet, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton. > > “I don’t know why Tenet still has his job.” > . . . . > I just find it so typical of the guy that no matter what goes wrong he can’t find anybody else to blame but Clinton and one of his appointees, while holding Bush relatively blameless. Huh? I read this and thought it was a criticism of Bush for keeping Tenet on board. No matter who appointed him, O’Reilly’s criticism focussed on why he still has a job _now_, under Bush. I think you’re stretching to find a connection here. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/24 "2004-02-11T23:34:30Z")
I suppose you guys are right. O’Reilly irritates me so much I probably read more into the article than I should have. Sorry. ☹ He does annoy me though. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/25 "2004-02-12T17:03:25Z")
For me, the last paragraphs seemed rather significant: > [@](#): > > \*\*O’Reilly anticipated the presidential election would be a close race, adding he thought Democratic front-runner Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) of Massachusetts would be a formidable opponent against Bush. > > “It will be a very close race. The nation is divided,” he said.\*\* The whole thing sort of sounded to me like O’Reilly reckons Bush is out at the next election, and he’s covering all bases so as to be in with whomever is next in power. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/26 "2004-02-12T17:20:15Z")
I watched Bill last night and he clearly blamed Bush for not canning Tenent. But that’s not new. He’s been criticizing Bush for this for a long time, mainly due to the 9/11 and how the CIA folks (and FBI) were asleep at the wheel. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/27 "2004-02-12T23:04:42Z")
Except they _weren’t_ asleep at the wheel. All of the intel was heavily caveated and nothing was misrepresented. Bush selectively spun and overstated the confidence of the intelligence he was given. Passin the buck to the CIA is simply gutless political maneuvering, bush knows he can’t back it up and that’s why he won’t do anything to Tenent ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/28 "2004-02-12T23:41:53Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Except they _weren’t_ asleep at the wheel. All of the intel was heavily caveated and nothing was misrepresented. Bush selectively spun and overstated the confidence of the intelligence he was given. Not to mention making their own organization to filter intel to their political agenda, the “Office of Special Plans”. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/29 "2004-02-13T02:01:03Z")
> [@Libertarian](#): > > Is it at all possible to concoct a more feeble argument with a more tenuous chain of inference? I don’t think so. It was Yahoo!, not O’Reilly, who mentioned Clinton. There is plenty to go after O’Reilly about without making stuff up. For once I don’t think O’Reilly can be criticized at all. He made good on an earlier promise and was at least as contrite as anyone on the left has ever been in an apology. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/30 "2004-02-13T02:06:27Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Except they _weren’t_ asleep at the wheel. All of the intel was heavily caveated and nothing was misrepresented. Bush selectively spun and overstated the confidence of the intelligence he was given. Passin the buck to the CIA is simply gutless political maneuvering, bush knows he can’t back it up and that’s why he won’t do anything to Tenent **DtC** : I said 9/11 (ie, the attack on the WTC). Not everything is about Iraq. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/31 "2004-02-23T00:30:30Z")
If I were president, I would have fired Tenet after the Venezuela coup. ---
**Author:** ![schplebordnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@schplebordnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schplebordnik)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514/32 "2004-02-23T01:01:35Z")
> [@lonelocust](#): > > Obligatory **Onion** link > > [www.theonion.com/onion3307/clintondropsdabomb.html](http://www.theonion.com/onion3307/clintondropsdabomb.html) > > Those guys must employ a third eye or something. “No Blood for Funk.” Now that’s brilliant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oreilly-does-it-again/228514.md?page=1)