Bill O’Reilly and Donald Trump had the sadz last night over just how unfairly they have been treated in the media. Each forgetting how they have made millions from the awful media, O’Reilly offered Trump a friendly shoulder to cry on about being “attacked” by the Gold Star Khan family while O’Reilly commiserated because he was so unfairly criticized for saying “well-fed slaves” built the White House.
O’Reilly clearly thought Donald Trump made a tactical error in attacking Gold Star family Khizr and Ghazala Khan. But, as I noted in O’Reilly’s previous discussion of this firestorm of disgust that ensued, O’Reilly showed absolutely no moral disapproval or personal disappointment with Trump's heartlessness.
That heartlessness was reiterated, without rebuke, last night.
But first, Trump got a friendly platform for a little foreign policy and Russia Rehab.
Trump began by calling President Obama, “the worst president maybe in the history of our country." He added, "I believe I know far more about foreign policy than he knows.” Trump actually cited Ukraine as an example – which was another of Trump’s major gaffes of late.
O’Reilly thoughtfully didn’t mention it.
Nor did O’Reilly have a question about what Trump was getting at when he said, “Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing, frankly if we actually got along with Russia?” Trump went on to say that he wanted to get together with Russia to “knock the hell out of ISIS.” But there are plenty of reasons his statement should concern most Americans, coming as it does in the wake of Trump’s traitorous "joke" urging Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's email server and questions about his murky connections to the country.
But O’Reilly let that one go, too.
Instead, O’Reilly changed the subject to “this Khan situation.” He was referring to Trump’s shocking and bigoted smears of Khizr and Ghazala Khan whose war-hero son was killed in the Iraq war. Just as bad was Trump’s shockingly insensitive suggestion he had sacrificed as much as they have because he’s such a successful businessman.
But to O’Reilly, this was merely a campaign error, not any kind of character flaw. (Transcript below, via FoxNews.com, with my emphases and some light copy editing.)
O’REILLY: Let me refocus you back on this Khan situation because the press is running wild with it. In hindsight, wouldn’t it have been smarter for your campaign just to pretty much ignore him?
TRUMP: Well, you know, I was watching television. I said, “Isn’t that nice? Isn’t that nice?” And all of a sudden I was viciously attacked on the stage of the Democratic National Convention by Mr. Khan. And I responded to that vicious attack. And what happened is the press took it and made it a big deal and that’s fine. I speak—I speak very well obviously. I mean, there is no greater sacrifice than you lose a son or a daughter and, you know, in the way that this happened and I understand that.
But, regardless, I was viciously attacked. So, I think I have the right. Am I supposed to not have the right to at least say something back?
[…] This was a press event. The press played it day in day out. CNN which is a totally dishonest. Let me just tell you. CNN which is a totally dishonest group just kept playing it over and over.
Instead of pointing out that Americans of all political persuasions were appalled by Trump’s lack of empathy and maturity, O’Reilly helped validate Trump’s victimhood – by playing up his own.
O’REILLY: All right. I can identify. They did the same thing to me last week because I gave historical facts about how the White House—
TRUMP: I saw that and it didn’t stop.
O’REILLY: So, look, and it will never stop.
O'Reilly was referring to the "historical context" he felt the need to add to Michelle Obama's DNC speech, that slaves who built the White House were "well-fed and had decent lodgings." Rather than try to understand what was insulting and tone deaf about that remark, O'Reilly spent nearly 12 minutes playing the victim and accusing liberals of wanting him dead.
Still, O’Reilly didn’t let his eyes stray far from the prize of helping his milkshake BFF get elected.
O’REILLY: But look, here is what your supporters want to know and some people are undecided who you need to persuade over to your camp. It wasn’t wise to bring the mother in. I understand Khan. And I got that, you know, he is going to come after you and he was obviously hired by the Clinton campaign to do that. It was orchestrated as we just said in the talking points. Everybody knew the script. But the mother is just sitting there. And for you to bring her in, that gives him the opportunity. You just open the door for them to come in and hammer you as this mean kind of guy.
[…]
O’REILLY: But anyway, you can fight me. You can come at me. But if there is some little Muslim woman who loses a son, you can’t. You just can’t. No matter what she does. She can get set you on fire and you can say, thank you I hated those trousers.
TRUMP: I know.
O’REILLY: You know, you just got to let it go.
TRUMP: I didn’t fight her.
O’REILLY: We’ll hold you over.
TRUMP: But please remember, I was viciously attacked and all I did was respond to it and it ends up being a four day story.
Bill O’Reilly claims on every show that he’s “looking out for you.” But if you have a son or daughter in the military? Not quite so much.
Watch it below, from the August 2 The O’Reilly Factor.
They have agendas; they have rudimentary emotions like avarice, fear, anger, spite and vengeance; but the only positive feelings they seem capable of (joy, contentment, satisfaction) are associated with what they see as personal triumphs or with the humiliation and pain of their real or imagined enemies/rivals. Worship at the Temple of Me or suffer my scorn.
I would feel dreadfully sorry for creatures who deny themselves basic human qualities including empathy, generosity of spirit, humility and altruism, except for the fact that they spread misery and disquiet to whomever they touch.
Both are nauseatingly narcissistic and not too sharp.
I’ve seen both their wives naked!