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Did O'Reilly even watch Obama's Afghanistan speech?

December 01, 2009 11:30 pm ET — 50 Comments

Following President Obama's speech at West Point addressing the war in Afghanistan, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly criticized Obama for supposedly not "saying, 'Look, these are bad guys. We're fighting evil" and for not warning Americans that "[i]f we lose, this is going to lead to more bloodshed all over the world." In fact, Obama referred to Al Qaeda as "extremists who have distorted and defiled Islam ... to justify the slaughter of innocents," he called the Taliban "a ruthless, repressive, and radical movement," and he warned that withdrawing from Afghanistan now "would significantly hamper our ability to keep the pressure on Al Qaeda and create an unacceptable risk of additional attacks on our homeland and our allies."

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From the December 1 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: You know, there wasn't this sense of urgency that you would expect from a wartime commander, saying, "Look, these are bad guys. We're fighting evil." He didn't define the evil. He didn't get emotional. He didn't put any urgency behind his words, like, "If we lose, this is going to lead to more bloodshed all over the world. Let's wise up everybody and get in there and win it." I didn't see any of that. It was more like an academic speech.

O'Reilly Claim: Obama didn't say, "Look, these are bad guys. We're fighting evil"

O'Reilly claimed: "You know, there wasn't this sense of urgency that you would expect from a wartime commander, saying, 'Look, these are bad guys. We're fighting evil.' He didn't define the evil."

Reality: Obama said Al Qaeda is "a group of extremists who have distorted and defiled Islam ... to justify the slaughter of innocents." In his speech, Obama said:

OBAMA: We did not ask for this fight. On September 11, 2001, 19 men hijacked four airplanes and used them to murder nearly 3,000 people. They struck at our military and economic nerve centers. They took the lives of innocent men, women, and children without regard to their faith, or race, or station. Were it not for the heroic actions of passengers on board one of these flights, they could have also struck at one of the great symbols of our democracy in Washington, and killed many more.

As we know, these men belonged to Al Qaeda -- a group of extremists who have distorted and defiled Islam, one of the world's great religions, to justify the slaughter of innocents.

Reality: Obama said Taliban are a "ruthless, repressive and radical movement." In his speech, Obama said:

OBAMA: Al Qaeda's base of operations was in Afghanistan, where they were harbored by the Taliban -- a ruthless, repressive, and radical movement that seized control of that country after it was ravaged by years of Soviet occupation and civil war, and after the attention of America and our friends had turned elsewhere.

[...]

OBAMA: Under the banner of this domestic unity and international legitimacy -- and only after the Taliban refused to turn over Osama bin Laden -- we sent our troops into Afghanistan.

O'Reilly Claim: Obama didn't say, "If we lose, this is going to lead to more bloodshed all over the world"

O'Reilly claimed: "He didn't put any urgency behind his words, like, 'If we lose, this is going to lead to more bloodshed all over the world. Let's wise up everybody and get in there and win it.' I didn't see any of that."

Reality: Obama said "new attacks are being plotted" from region, and withdrawal now would "create an unacceptable risk of additional attacks." From Obama's speech:

OBAMA: I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the epicenter of violent extremism practiced by Al Qaeda. It is from here that we were attacked on 9-11, and it is from here that new attacks are being plotted as I speak. This is no idle danger; no hypothetical threat. In the last few months alone, we have apprehended extremists within our borders, who were sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror. And this danger will only grow if the region slides backwards and Al Qaeda can operate with impunity. We must keep the pressure on Al Qaeda, and to do that, we must increase the stability and capacity of our partners in the region.

Of course, this burden is not ours alone to bear. This is not just America's war. Since 9-11, Al Qaeda's safe havens have been the source of attacks against London and Amman and Bali. The people and governments of both Afghanistan and Pakistan are endangered. And the stakes are even higher within a nuclear-armed Pakistan, because we know that Al Qaeda and other extremists seek nuclear weapons, and we have every reason to believe that they would use them.

These facts compel us to act along with our friends and allies. Our overarching goal remains the same: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to prevent its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future.

To meet that goal, we will pursue the following objectives within Afghanistan: We must deny Al Qaeda a safe haven; we must reverse the Taliban's momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government; and we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan's Security Forces and government, so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan's future.

[...]

OBAMA: First, there are those who suggest that Afghanistan is another Vietnam. They argue that it cannot be stabilized, and we're better off cutting our losses and rapidly withdrawing. I believe this argument depends on a false reading of history. Unlike Vietnam, we are joined by a broad coalition of 43 nations that recognizes the legitimacy of our action. Unlike Vietnam, we are not facing a broad-based popular insurgency. And most importantly, unlike Vietnam, the American people were viciously attacked from Afghanistan and remain a target for those same extremists who are plotting along its border. To abandon this area now -- and to rely only on efforts against Al Qaeda from a distance -- would significantly hamper our ability to keep the pressure on Al Qaeda and create an unacceptable risk of additional attacks on our homeland and our allies.

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    • Author by benjr (December 01, 2009 11:38 pm ET)
      13 1
      So I guess the answer is no, Bill did not watch the President's speech. A couple of things:

      1. The fact that I'm not surprised by the blatant lying on the right scares me. These deplorable tactics are becoming accepted, or at least commonplace, and that is a sad thought.

      2. How does Bill O'Reilly sleep at night? I know it's a stupid question because he has no morals, but damn... these statements are pretty blatantly untrue. Does he not know or not care?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Bad News (December 02, 2009 8:45 am ET)
        2 3
        "Bill-O the Clown"
        When you hear this Phrase do you Frown or do you consider it a Proper Noun?
        It's Truly Amazing that we still ask questions about Bill O'Reilly whose integrity was long ago delegated to Lost & Found.
        Hi, I'm not a Fool but i play one on TV? That just want Cut it anymore, not in my Town.

        Speak truth to power,


        Mr. News
        Report Abuse
      • Author by tapley (December 02, 2009 10:25 am ET)
           
        By watching it, he would run the risk of conflicting his view he established on November 4, 2008.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by rkcomments (December 02, 2009 7:54 pm ET)
           
        This meathead does not comprehend anything unless it is in the form of a nursery rhyme!
        Report Abuse
      • Author by stevensm (December 02, 2009 10:09 pm ET)
           
        Obviously O'Reilly didn't really listen to the speech. He drew very faulty conclusions which belies any cred he supposedly has as a political analyst. Pssst, O'Reilly, listening....it's a good thing. You should try it sometime.

        O'Reilly couldn't give a flip about being fair to Obama as O'Reilly is always dragging in his own preconceived notions about Obama, the "liberal guy". Good job to Kucinich for later calling O'Reilly out on his misuse of the liberal label.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by marco21 (December 02, 2009 12:20 am ET)
      7  
      Bill only understands blunt bumpersticker-like statements fed to him by the GOP... or rather, Fox News management. If President Obama said "Evil... BAD!" Bill would be wearing a T-shirt with that proclamation tomorrow.

      Oh, wait. No he wouldn't. President Obama is a Democrat.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by rwmacdonald2091 (December 02, 2009 6:38 am ET)
        4  
        "statements fed to him by the GOP... or rather, Fox News management"

        Is there a difference?
        Report Abuse
      • Author by punkin (December 02, 2009 9:52 am ET)
          1
        If Obama had said "evil", "BAD" then people like O'Reily would be accusing him of being shallow and not understanding the depth of this evil. In other words, it doesn't matter what words Obama uses - the right will always find fault
        Report Abuse
    • Author by dimes (December 02, 2009 12:38 am ET)
      10 1
      Evidently Bill's comprehension is limited to words of two syllables or less.

      "Bad guys", "fighting evil", "wise up", "win it".

      Here's one for you, Bill: pinhead.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by mk3872 (December 02, 2009 1:04 am ET)
        3 1
        I'm pretty certain that the conservative Republican "purity" playbook does not allow more than a dozen common words & phrases. Which would also help to explain why they get angry over the length of congressional bills. They just don't understand anything larger than a $.10 word ...
        Report Abuse
    • Author by captfoster2 (December 02, 2009 12:54 am ET)
      4 1
      Did O'Reilly even watch Obama's Afghanistan speech?

      Probably not... he likely already had his faxed sheet of talking points all ready to go before president Obama was even being introduced to the West Point cadets!
      Report Abuse
      • Author by captfoster2 (December 02, 2009 1:02 am ET)
        5 1
        I take that back... Bill got that sheet of talking points from Karl Rove (I still say Karl looks like that guy in the black overcoat from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" whose face got melted off)
        Report Abuse
      • Author by bintx (December 02, 2009 9:40 am ET)
        2  
        Reminds me of a case a few years ago where the opposing counsel had his "rebuttal" to the defense attorney's closing prepared BEFORE the defense attorney closed. When he got up and gave his rebuttal, he rebutted things which weren't said or even implied by the defense attorney. First rear-end collision case I've ever seen in 25 years where the jury found, 12-0, that there was no negligence on the part of the defendant. LOL!

        I'm hoping that more people like the Little Green Footballs guy, Andrew Sullivan and others will turn away from these phony "conservatives" and bring civility back to our national discourse. This is just ridiculous.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by DellDolly (December 02, 2009 10:58 am ET)
        2 1
        Most TV pundits don't watch the speeches, and surely not closely. The White House releases the text of the speech before the speech to news organizations, but there's an embargo so they can't talk about specifics from the speech until after the speech.

        Clearly O'Reilly's reading comprehension (or that of one of his staff members) isn't all that good.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by Conchobhar (December 02, 2009 11:04 pm ET)
             
          Off topic, Dolly, but I gather from something you wrote on NGE's blog that you might be in the D.C. area. If so, you might be interested in
          this.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by Sharpe (December 02, 2009 1:04 am ET)
      2 1
      I think Billo is confusing academic with smart - he played on people's rational concerns rather than playing on their emotional fears. If one actually listens bill is basically advocating for implementing fears and irrationality to try to rally support for war. Good job bill! You fail!

      There is no urgency in a decade old war. After 9/11 there was a sense of urgency. At this point, a sense of urgency would be totally transparent like it was with bush in his second term. No one was buying the fifteenth speech for war because they were worn out.

      Obama did paint evil with a broad brush like bill said he didnt do but this also seems like a distortion of the truth that obama should have clarified. Obama did say the election was wrought witih corruption but frankly, karzai's government is also brutal and intolerant. There is no black and white, no allied and axis, no communism and democracy. It seems we are choosing the best of two evils, propping up one to topple the other. There is no good and evil here - there is religious radical and less religious radical. Honestly, such blurring of the lines is why this war was doomed from the start. As soon as we leave, no doubt afghanistan will fall right back into civil war.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Onyxcat (December 02, 2009 9:32 am ET)
           
        I find that I agree with you Sharpe. Once we leave I fear that Afghanstan will 'fall right back into civil war." Very sad.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by NiceguyEddie (December 02, 2009 9:19 am ET)
      3 1
      If these @$$holes really believed all they say about "evil" and "bad guys" and the threat they pose to our security, freedom, etc... It's pretty disgusting that they can't rally behind the Presdient, even over something like this.

      They are traitors. They put party before country and this is, again, clear evidence of this.

      ----------------------------------------------------------
      And, for the record, I think President Obama has this absolutely right. 100%
      Report Abuse
    • Author by LKL (December 02, 2009 9:20 am ET)
      3  
      Translation: Obama didn't smirk, swagger, or simplify (like some prior presidents I could name . . .)
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Onyxcat (December 02, 2009 9:33 am ET)
        1  
        You know I noted that also. One station brought back the former administration's talking to the Cadets and he was smirking.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by mfinn7314 (December 02, 2009 9:44 am ET)
      1 1
      Hmmm.. "academic speech". You mean like one where logical reasoning is presented with more than one syllable words instead of mere "gung ho" slogans? "Look", this was a little too tough for Oreilly to follow, Mr. President, so dumb it down a little, ok?

      Oreilly is such a prostitute for self-inflation and promotion.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by wzwriter (December 02, 2009 10:31 am ET)
        1
      Bill O. didn't watch the speech because he was too busy leaving a voice mail message on someone's phone - something about using a falafel on her body.....
      Report Abuse
    • Author by NedNefarius (December 02, 2009 11:07 am ET)
      1  
      Mr. O'Reilly was, I think, speaking to mostly to an audience that didn't watch the speech, or if they did, had already formed an opinion against whatever the President might say.

      As to the lies: the bar has indeed been lowered, but opinion cannot always be a lie. The uninformed, misinformed or those seeking to influence should at least be held accountable for being chronically wrong, will-fully misinformed or just plain lying, but that is not TVNews today.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Lizinbklyn (December 02, 2009 11:25 am ET)
      1 1
      If President Obama cut his wrists and swore a BLOOD-OATH to kill every 'evil-doer' on national TV, it still wouldn't be good enough for any faux 'employee' . .

      Besides, Bildo's 'talking butt memo' was probably prepared prior to Mr. Obama's speech. Why would falafel man waste his time listening to words he knew he would never find credible.

      Falafel's audience wants to hear "WE NEED TO GET OUR COUNTRY BACK"!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by WildcatProgressive (December 02, 2009 12:16 pm ET)
      1 1
      This is vintage O'Reilly/Fox. The president did not use exactly the words O'Reilly used (forget that they meant the same thing), so you cannot say he lied. He just led the sheep that pass for his followers toward believing an untruth, but he himself said nothing technically untrue. Any wonder this guy bothers me more than Sheer Inanity?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by vonbargen9388 (December 02, 2009 12:17 pm ET)
      1 1
      As anyone who has ever watched or listened to O'Reilly knows, he never listens to anybody or anything. I suspect Fox provided him with an early draft of the speech. When we realize that Dobbs, Beck, O'Reilly and Hannity are on the radio bloviating all day before they ever go on television at night, we realize that they have no time to read or listen to anything instructive.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by blueline99 (December 02, 2009 12:20 pm ET)
      2 1
      The worst thing we can do in Afghanistan is to turn this into a Crusade... we can't make this a Holy War...

      I'm glad that President Obama's speech was about the safety of the region and of our nation. It shouldn't be characterizing them as Evil...

      How did the "Axis of Evil" work out for Bush?

      We need the world to hate us less for our own self-interest
      Report Abuse
    • Author by SMTDL (December 02, 2009 12:49 pm ET)
      1 1
      AND..where was O'Reilly's concern for urgency when Bush abandoned Afghanistan for 7 years!?He is in the running for biggest hypocrite on the right but has so much competition..I'd say GlennBeck/Limbaugh/Karl Rove/Dick Cheney still are leading ..followed by Sarah Palin/Sean Hannity..damn so many contenders ..Coulter/Malkin/Inghram/Savage/Dobbs....pathetic lot all of 'em!!!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by EclecticAng (December 02, 2009 12:52 pm ET)
         
      No one cares on TV anymore if what they say is true. Glenn Beck goes on every night and spreads fear and hatred of the democrats, the President and anyone who doesn't believe like he does. Worst of all, the right listens and believes everything Beck says. They follow it to the T.

      Andrea
      http://cornucopia2009.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/on-topic-afghanistan-from-the-left/
      Report Abuse
    • Author by robrob (December 02, 2009 2:16 pm ET)
      4 1
      BOR: You didn't say they were bad guys.
      BHO: They are bad guys.
      BOR: You didn't call them evil.
      BHO: They are certainly evil
      BOR: You didn't tell us we were fighting them over there to prevent bloodshed elsewhere.
      BHO: We are fighting them there to prevent bloodshed elsewhere.
      BOR: You didn't wear a flag pin...
      Report Abuse
    • Author by mookie von zipper (December 02, 2009 2:19 pm ET)
      3 1
      sure, he watched the speech, he just didn't listen. but quivelling over who said evil and when misses more important points.

      o'reilly has a fair one on emotion. when you send armies into harm's way, you might want to motivate them to win. jeez, bring in dick butkus for a pep talk if you have to. obama sounded like he was giving the cadets a permission slip for a field trip. that's just the attitude the taliban expects from an organization planning a camping trip thru july 2011. with an announced deadline they'll just dig in and wait it out, no matter what is done to them in the interim. who believes 18 months is of any concern to an enemy with generations used to war outside their front door?

      it made perfect sense to go in and destroy the al-qaeda training camps. but now, even though obama told afghanis otherwise last night, we are and have been just occupiers. and to what end? that's what obama failed to make clear last night, other than some vague idea of restoring democracy and addressing developing threats. and just because bush did this also is no excuse, this is obama's baby now and has been for nearly a year. afghanistan was relatively quiet during the presidential campaign, and obama hinted he was going to do just what he's doing there now. but the nobel committee and the rest of his devoted followers apparently were too enamored with his "we never should have gone to iraq" policy and his general apologetic tone, on display again last night, toward the rest of the world.

      why are we in afghanistan and why don't we just destroy the taliban, again, and come back as needed?:

      boeing
      ge
      general dynamics
      lockheed martin
      raytheon

      an extended visit anywhere, rather than just kicking the enemy's ass, is better for their bottom line... you can rail all you want about bush and cheney being all too cozy with halliburton, but dems are no strangers to corporate america.

      reporting from murderland ranch,
      i'm mookie von zipper
      massmurdermedia

      Report Abuse
      • Author by mikehuck1976 (December 02, 2009 4:19 pm ET)
           
        why are we in afghanistan and why don't we just destroy the taliban, again, and come back as needed?: - mookie

        That is the correct question to me. We can set timetables or not set timetables - it doesn't matter. This is their land. They will always wait us out. I do not see an end game here. I never have. I understand wanting to go in and get bin Laden after 9/11. I am still for going after him. I think there are still ways to get to him. I just do not see what we plan on achieving with the troops. The people we are fighting in Afghanistan are, in no way, a threat to our sovereignty. I just do not see the need to lose more lives of our younger generation.

        I also agree with you and Eisenhower on the military industrial complex. However, I do not agree with the pep talk. If our soldiers are in need of a pep talk in order to perform their duties at the high level they always have, then we need to bring them home NOW.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by mikehuck1976 (December 02, 2009 4:22 pm ET)
        1  
        Why does mookie get a thumbs-down for that post? You can disagree with him on the emotional part, but it is a fair opinion to have. And, if you disagree with him about the Democratic party being in the same pockets of the same military conglomerates as the Republicans, you are only seeing things through the same partisan view that O'Reilly has from the right.

        Thumbs-up from me, mookie. I don't agree with the entirety of the post, but certainly valid opinions. And, the kind of thoughtful, intelligent disagreement from the right that this country needs more of, not less.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by shaggles (December 02, 2009 5:53 pm ET)
             
          Unfortunately some of us lefties are getting just as bad as the serial thumbs downer troll on the right. Seems like they just see RightOn or Mookie or Fairliberal and automatically give a thumbs down no matter what the posts content. Oh well. It's only an internet forum.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by mookie von zipper (December 02, 2009 10:41 pm ET)
               
            darn it, shag, i hit the wrong reply again... please read below...

            Report Abuse
        • Author by mookie von zipper (December 02, 2009 10:34 pm ET)
             
          thank you for your cooperation in this matter...

          Report Abuse
          • Author by mookie von zipper (December 02, 2009 10:38 pm ET)
               
            oops, the thanks i meant was to huck, but thanks to you as well... i meant to reply to you that i don't recall ever getting more thumbs ups than downs... i must be losing my touch...

            Report Abuse
        • Author by mookie von zipper (December 02, 2009 10:36 pm ET)
             
          thank you for your cooperation in this matter...

          Report Abuse
    • Author by shaggles (December 02, 2009 2:25 pm ET)
         
      Of course he didn't watch it. He probably wrote that commentary before it even happened. I will say that I think Obama is wrong though. Chasing al Qaeda around the Middle East does not lessen the chance of an attack here. The whole idea that you can fight al Qaeda and terrorism in general the way you would fight a war with another country is stupid. Instead of spending 30 Billion a year more in Afghanistan spend 1/10th of that on law enfourcment here and we'll have little to fear from terrorists.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by TheVision (December 02, 2009 4:23 pm ET)
           
        I disagree with your comments. I don't think we are chasing AQ around the Middle East, all we have to do is show up, and they will find us. Also, I have worked in Local and Federal Law Enforcement for over 15 years, and nothing, no amount of preparation can prevent a determined enemy from carrying out their insidious deed. You can oly hope to minimize the affects, or hope that they are so stupid and unorganized that they railroad their own plans. We spend Billions of dollars each year on Federal Law Enforcement and associated programs, to stop drugs, terrorist, dangerous gods and insects form entering this country and we do a very good job. Sometimes you have to meet the enemy on their home turf to look them straight in the eyes and say "KMA"!
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Captnahab (December 02, 2009 2:52 pm ET)
         
      O'Rielly assumes his audience didn't watch the address
      either because they are mostly dummies anyway.
      He can bloviate whatever he wants to because every day
      the O'Rielly fan wakes up in a brand new world that
      Bill will explain and simplify for him.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by TheVision (December 02, 2009 2:56 pm ET)
         
      You know, there are times when I think there is still hope for Bill. Then there are these times, when I realize that I am being way to generous in giving Fox news and Bill the clown the benefit of the doubt. I just don't understand it? What did he expect. After 7 -8 years in A-Stan is it really necessary to go over who the bad guys are? If we don't know by now we need to get the heck up out of there. Also, does he really need to stress the urgency in why this battle is being waged? I think everyone rembers the terrorist attack of 9/11? At least everyone but Dana Perino. I do no agree with everything that the President does, hell I don't agree with averything anybody does. I just think that Faux News and Party of No along with the now extremist following is taking this way to far. If you disagree disagree with integrity. Do not spread lies and exaggerated tales. I just can not get on board with this way of thinking and obvious attempt at railroading the President. I said it before and I will say it again, Faux News should be held accountable and be made to account for all the lies and fearmongering it is spreading.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by boulderhippy (December 02, 2009 4:28 pm ET)
         
      This is so laughable it is pathetic. The president just ordered 30,000 of our young men and women to fight in a country full of backward thinking scum and you talk about is Bill.
      He isn’t the one continuing Bush policy.

      P.S. MMFA censor, when will my posts appear in real time? This time lag is annoying. Fox News lets you post immediately. I guess they have a higher class of posters.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by PresidentAlGore (December 02, 2009 8:59 pm ET)
         
      Thats quite an accusatin. He didnt call them evil? I mean... he DID call them evil, but that would really be something if he didnt, right? what exactly is the accusation here? that obama is pro taliban? "well pin heads, since hes not calling them evil, he clearly thinks they should run the country!"

      what happend to not attacking the president during wartime? or was that hannity....?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by albertsenj (December 03, 2009 1:40 am ET)
         
      Now c'mon did the President actually say those EXACT words? No.

      Therefore Billo is at least technically correct. But, I thought the folks at Faux didn't do 'nuance'.
      Report Abuse

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