|
|
| All content taken from The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening's show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.
|
|
|
"Three key witnesses are expected to testify Wednesday about the murder of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya on September 11th. The Obama administration at first told the world that the attack was a spontaneous anti-American action; instead, it was a well-planned terrorist attack, likely by Al Qaeda agents. So the testimony could be devastating to President Obama and to Hillary Clinton, who ran the State Department at the time. The key question is whether there was a coverup. Part of President Obama's platform last fall was the assertion that terror agencies were badly damaged, but if organized terrorists did indeed kill Ambassador Stevens, that claim would have been dubious. Anti-Obama forces are looking forward to the hearings because they want to put State Department officials on the record. But what about the American people? The Obama administration, and that includes Hillary Clinton, made a calculation that the American people don't care about the Benghazi story. We will see how things play out this week."
The Factor scrutinized the Benghazi story with Lt. Col. Ralph Peters and Col. David Hunt. "There is absolutely a cover-up," Peters declared. "I believe President Obama lied to the American people, Hillary Clinton lied to Congress, Susan Rice lied to the UN, Jay Carney lied to the media, and the mainstream establishment media have protected this administration right down the line. It sounds like we're going to get 'smoking gun' testimony and the question is how much a President can get away with if the media is sympathetic." Col. Hunt turned to the war drums in the Middle East, where Israel attacked Syrian weapons installations over the weekend. "We've been tracing missiles transferred from Syria and where they've been going, which is partly to Hezbollah. Israel had the right to defend itself and they made two very accurate strikes. Any time Israel attacks there are consequences to us, but this was a necessary attack." |
|
|
| Fox News analyst Karl Rove also looked ahead to the Benghazi hearings and the potential political fallout. "People are still trying to figure this story out and it has not yet begun to bite," Rove said, "but it might this week given the testimony we are about to hear. There's an excellent piece in the Weekly Standard that draws this right into the White House. On the night of the attack people told the President the Benghazi facility was under attack and he basically said, 'okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow.'" The Factor argued that the Benghazi story will only resonate if it indicts high-level officials: "This has to involve Hillary Clinton or President Obama. If it involves unnamed people at the State Department, then it just goes away. The American people deserve to know the truth here." |
|
|
| On the same subject, Brit Hume looked ahead to Wednesday's hearings and the possible impact on Hillary Clinton's wish to be president. "She was in Washington and on duty when the attack happened," Hume reported, "but she wasn't closely questioned about that when she went before a committee on Capitol Hill. If the advance information about Wednesday's testimony pans out, it will be beyond doubt that there was a cover-up here. There's no way that people like former Secretary Clinton are going to be able to escape responsibility for this." The Factor demanded far greater transparency: "It is stunning that we don't have a timeline of what she knew, when she knew it, and who told her what. Historically Mrs. Clinton has gotten away with a lot, nothing seems to stick to her." |
|
|
| During his commencement address at Ohio State University, President Obama commanded the newly-minted graduates to reject anyone warning about government tyranny. Mary Katharine Ham and Juan Williams evaluated the President's remarks. "I don't think he frightened anyone," Williams said, "all he did was tell these young people that we want you to do more than just being an occasional voter and a taxpayer. We want you to get out there and start a business, run for office, get involved." But Ham found a less benign motive in the President's remarks. "One of his worst habits is to dismiss and demonize his opponents. Something like cynicism toward the government can actually just be healthy skepticism born of actual experience with the federal government. During his time in office young people have grown in skepticism toward the federal government and toward the President." |
|
|
| Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather has accused President Obama's political opponents of excessive viciousness. FNC media analyst Bernie Goldberg, a longtime colleague of Rather's, weighed in on that accusation. "People in power have enemies," Goldberg said, "and Barack Obama is no different. But I don't remember Dan Rather worrying about Richard Nixon or George W. Bush when liberal Democrats wanted to 'cut his heart out.' We live in a polarized culture and Democrats and Republicans have very different visions, so Dan Rather is half-right - he's right that some Republicans won't cooperate with Barack Obama, but he left out the fact that Barack Obama is not going to cooperate with those Republicans. He analyzed the politics of this situation from a liberal Democratic point of view, which comes as no surprise." |
|
|
| When a high school in Arizona declared May 1st "Redneck Day," some students and parents took umbrage. The Factor invited Adam Carolla to opine. "'Redneck Day' is white-on-white crime," Carolla pointed out, "it's whitey making fun of whitey and it's 15-year-olds pretending to be Roy Clark from Hee Haw. What happened to our sense of humor, why is everyone's nose out of joint?" Carolla also tried to rationalize the stunning box office success of the movie "Iron Man 3." "I don't know what's going on," he confessed. "When did it become okay for 45-year-old males to speak openly about their love for comic books? Remember when 45-year-old guys would smoke cigars and drink brandy and talk about their mistresses? Or storm the beaches at Normandy? I don't know what's going on with this generation." |
|
|
Carl Caudill, Reno, NV: "Bill, you are woefully wrong regarding the May Day protesters in Seattle. They are not left-wing loons. They are hardcore anarchists. Using the term 'loons' diminishes their threat."
Richard Johnson, Springfield, MO: "The anarchists are emboldened by liberal commentators like James Carville and a liberal president in power."
Rian Gittman, Parkland, FL: "The left is like moderate Muslims. Neither speak out against extremists in their midst. If you don't speak out, you are part of the problem." |
|
|
| Bill's new book "Keep It Pithy" includes observations and writings from The Factor's 17 years on the air. When you buy a copy here on BillOReilly.com you'll get a free Fisher House tote bag and one dollar will be donated to that very worthy charity. |
|
|