Falwell guest-hosted Crossfire; said Iraq war "goes pretty well if you watch it on FOX"

Reverend Jerry Falwell was a guest host on the December 2 edition of CNN's Crossfire. During the program, Falwell interviewed Patricia Ireland, former president of the National Organization of Women (NOW), which Falwell recently called "the National Order of Witches." Earlier in the program, in discussing the Bush administration's announcement that the U.S. presence in Iraq will increase by 12,000 troops, Falwell said, "I think [the war] is going well," adding: "CNN doesn't always get it right, but it goes pretty well if you watch it on FOX [News Channel]."

Despite this rare moment of candor regarding FOX's coverage, Falwell has a long history of lying, defending other conservatives who lie, and smearing gays and lesbians as well as progressives in previous television appearances, including on CNN. Here is a summary of those incidents documented by Media Matters for America:

• On Meet the Press, Falwell lied about post-9-11 remarks and divorce rate
• Falwell's Thanksgiving message: "I thank God" for Hannity, Limbaugh, FOX, NewsMax, WorldNetDaily, and The Drudge Report
• Falwell called NOW "the National Order of Witches"
• Falwell distorted 1969 Bill Clinton letter, suggested that Clintons "abhor the military"
• Falwell denied his habit of comparing homosexuality to bestiality, crack addiction
• Jerry Falwell compared same-sex marriage to slavery

—A.S.