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Tue 10 Feb, 2004 02:19 pm
Does this mean Bush is toast?---BBB
Pundit O'Reilly Now Skeptical About Bush
Tue Feb 10, 9:25 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative television news anchor Bill O'Reilly said on Tuesday he was now skeptical about the Bush administration and apologized to viewers for supporting prewar claims that Iraq (news - web sites) had weapons of mass destruction.
The anchor of his own show on Fox News said he was sorry he gave the U.S. government the benefit of the doubt that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s weapons program poised an imminent threat, the main reason cited for going to war.
"I was wrong. I am not pleased about it at all and I think all Americans should be concerned about this," O'Reilly said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America."
"What do you want me to do, go over and kiss the camera?" asked O'Reilly, who had promised rival ABC last year he would publicly apologize if weapons were not found.
O'Reilly said he was "much more skeptical about the Bush administration now" since former weapons inspector David Kay said he did not think Saddam had any weapons of mass destruction.
While critical of President Bush (news - web sites), O'Reilly said he did not think the president intentionally lied. Rather, O'Reilly blamed CIA (news - web sites) Director George Tenet, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites).
"I don't know why Tenet still has his job."
He added: "I think every American should be very concerned for themselves that our intelligence is not as good as it should be."
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.
If the Right is turning against Bush......
If the Right is turning against Bush, that means he can be beaten and Hillary Clinton will have to rethink her plans to run for president in 2008. Do you think she has Plan B for getting into the race for 2004?
BBB
Hillary be damned. I was surprised to have read about this today, but i am willing to give credit where it is due. O'Reilly has admitted he was wrong, something which i would not have credited him for. What was more surprising to me was his admission to what most honest Americans already recognize, that the country is deeply divided. I am reminded of the ancient Chinese curse: may you live in interesting times.
Yeah, Set, I love that Chinese curse! It's kind of scary like when the EPA says you're in the 'chain of custody'.
Actually 'O' has been pretty critical of Bush for a good while and definitely on the WMD issue.
This is true? Not, like, from the Onion?
Wow!
There's hope!
It's true and it looks to me like this is Bush's Achilles heal which he seems to wear with pride considering his attitude on the Tim Russert interview on Sunday. Bush doesn't explain anything he just cops an attitude and if he said "I don't want to sound like a broken record" one more time he would indeed "sound like a broken record." The recording? "Is That All There Is?"
Are you sure this is not the republicans downgrading Bush so that they can build him back up again? They have always lowered the expectations and its been a useful strategy so far.
So he claims, despite the evidence that he registered as a Republican. He now claims someone changed the record . . .
O'reilly couldn't trell the truth if you placed a loaded and cocked homosexual to his head.
Setanta wrote:So he claims, despite the evidence that he registered as a Republican. He now claims someone changed the record . . .
Are you serious? Got any info on it, I would like to read it. Thanks.
In Lies and the Lying Liars who tell them, Al Franken printed O'Reilly's registration card. Republican box???? Checked....
O'Reilly's also the guy who claimed to have won a couple of Peabody Awards........... uh, no.
He's a windbag...... a rich windbag who can tommorrow go back to whooping it up for the GOP leaving his WMD apology in the dust......
It's all marketing for these people.
Joe
A liar and Egomaniac
O'Really? WTF cares?
This came as a
HUGE surprise to me!
Bill has been a Bush worshipper for sooooooo long I thought he would never think anything other than what the administrative line is on anything, especially regarding Iraq.
The little devil on my shoulder is telling me the only reason he's really saying this is because people have that soundbyte of him talking about how we're going to find the weapons and if we don't he'll apologize (man, did THAT ever come back and bite him in the ass!).
Regardless, he's finally earned a little respect on my part. He was man enough to address the issue, and he deserves credit for it. Good job, Bill. (And thats a massive compliment from someone who likes you less than shower mold!)
Quote:Bush doesn't explain anything he just cops an attitude and if he said "I don't want to sound like a broken record" one more time he would indeed "sound like a broken record." The recording? "Is That All There Is?"
LW
A great song! And appropriate. Perhaps the theme song for the Bush household, post election. I see Laura, comforting George, his head held softly in her lap. His lush soprano voice begins...
"Let's break out the booze
and have a ball
if that's all
there is"
I am deeply cynical about this latest development by O'Reilly. I think he is finally realizing how many people dislike Bush and is trying to increase his own base. I think he'll play it both ways. He's in it for himself.
Hard to know for sure, but he doesn't inspire confidence. I'd think it likely that the spotlight Franken has put on Bill has him rather more careful than previously...which is why I love Franken.
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