After Bill O’Reilly’s lengthy interview with Bill Clinton last night (12/20/11), there was a shorter interview with presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. O’Reilly spent most of the discussion arguing with Gingrich about his plan to attack federal judges whose rulings he disapproves of.

Gingrich told O’Reilly, “People have blown this way out of proportion. There are cases where you have to rebalance the powers between the branches.”

But O’Reilly countered, “I think the mistake you made, with all due respect, is that you used a little guy… in Texas, who made an insane ruling that you can’t say ‘Amen’ at a graduation… But you can’t have Congress involved in foolish decisions at that level. And that’s the guy you pointed to.”

Gingrich disagreed. “Why do the American people have to tolerate an anti-religious bigot sitting on the bench?

O’Reilly said the “system has a way to neutralize that guy.” But he also lectured Gingrich, “You came off as imperious in this and people have that perception of you anyway, that if you were the president, you’re gonna do pretty much what the heck what you wanna do and people are going, ‘Whoa, wait a minute!’”

O’Reilly went on to note that he has a best-selling book about Abraham Lincoln and then suggested Gingrich ought to be more Lincolnesque.