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Saturday, September 6, 2008
Bill O’Reilly’s Faux bravado
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On this peaceful, pleasant Atlanta Saturday morning, my colleague Cynthia Tucker, syndicated columnist and the AJC’s editorial page editor, was returning from a trip to the grocery store when she was “ambushed” on the sidewalk in front of her home by a three-person crew sent by Fox’s Bill O’Reilly.
Here’s a little background:
In a recent column, Tucker noted that Bill O’Reilly had skewered the parents of 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears after she became pregnant. “The blame falls primarily on the parents of the girl, who obviously have little control over her,” O’Reilly said. Yet as Tucker noted in her column, O’Reilly seemed to have a different set of standards for the parents of Bristol Palin.
As Tucker stopped outside her house to pick up her mail, the Fox camera crew emerged out of a car parked across the street and advanced on her, yelling questions. At this point, I’ll turn it over to Tucker for the blow-by-blow account, as she recalls it:
O’Reilly guy: “Cynthia, in your column, were you comparing Bristol Palin to Jamie Lynn Spears?”
Cynthia: “In my column, I was criticizing Bill O”Reilly. And I stand by that.”
O’Reilly guy: “Bill pointed out that Jamie Lynn Spears was running around unsupervised. You know that. So you were saying that Bristol Palin was running around unsupervised.”
Cynthia: “If I said that, read that part. You’re holding the column (in your hand). Read where I said Bristol Palin was running around unsupervised.”
O’Reilly guy: “You inferred (sic) it.”
Cynthia: “I inferred O’Reilly is a hypocrite. And I stand by that. Good day, gentlemen. I’m going inside to finish my Saturday chores.”
(They ran behind me, shouting, “Why weren’t you in Minneapolis? You went to the Democratic Convention. Why didn’t you go to the Republican Convention?” I didn’t look back — just got in my car and drove into my driveway.)
For the record, the AJC sent reporters to both conventions. Tucker went to the Democratic Convention, while our more conservative colleague Jim Wooten went to the Republican Convention.
Now, “Bluster Bill” O’Reilly likes to try to intimidate people. But in this case, he didn’t have the courage to do it in person. He probably didn’t want to bite off more than he could chew — as Clint Eastwood once said, “A man has to know his limitations,” and apparently O’Reilly knows his.
You can judge for yourself whose version of the column is correct, because it’s posted right here. I don’t think their “ambush” went quite the way they envisioned it, and it’ll be interesting to see whether O’Reilly chooses to actually air that little bit of video in its entirety or whether he’ll back down and throw in the loofah.
Oops, I meant throw in the towel.
UPDATE: Commenting on this post is closed.
Kathy Cox does well for Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Congratulations to Georgia Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox for winning a cool $1 million on Fox’s “Are You Smarter Than a 5th-Grader?” Even better, she’s donating her winnings to Ga. schools.
Cox, a former school teacher herself, initially took some heat for appearing on the show, as if it were somehow beneath her. But good for her for not taking herself too seriously.
Yes, we do have an awful lot of work to do in Georgia schools. But it didn’t hurt for Georgia kids to watch someone win $1 million for being smart.
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