O’Reilly targeted by al Qaeda?

September 22, 2006

One of my all-time favorite Stephen Colbert quips came a couple of weeks ago when he delivered a stinging rebuke to Geraldo Rivera and Bill O’Reilly, after the two criticized the Comedy Central hosts. Colbert told Jon Stewart:

“What are you implying, John? That Geraldo and O’Reilly are narcissists that enthralled by their overblown egos? Projecting their own petty insecurities on the world around them? Inventing false enemies for the sole purpose of bolstering their sense of self-importance? Itty-bitty Nixons minus the relevance or the hint of vision?”

I kept thinking about the scolding after learning that O’Reilly thinks al Qaeda is so concerned about him, the terrorist network wants to kill him.

According to a September 20 ABC News Online article promoting an upcoming appearance of Fox News host Bill [tag]O’Reilly[/tag] on ABC’s 20/20 to promote his new book Culture Warrior (Broadway, September 2006), O’Reilly stated that he receives “death threats on a daily basis,” and that it’s “a little disconcerting” that “the [tag]FBI[/tag] came in and warned me and a few other people at Fox News that [tag]al Qaeda[/tag] had us on a death list.”

As it usually the case with O’Reilly, it’s total nonsense. An FBI official responded to the claim by saying that he is “not aware of any FBI agents warning anyone at Fox News of their presence on any list” and that he is “not aware of any Al Qaeda hit list targeting journalists.” Radar also noted that one “correspondent” at Fox News said that “neither he nor anyone he’s spoken to at the network has been warned by the FBI.”

You mean, O’Reilly would fabricate an entire story to exaggerate his importance? You don’t say.

It could be true, his crime is the sexual abuse of falafel.

  • To call Bill O unhinged is an insult to the unhinged. Jon Stewart addressed this last night by reminding Bill that we are ALL on the hit list and that the FBI just has not gotten around to tellingus each personally. Funny stuff.

    I want to know how Bill O’Reilley still has enough credibility to get a book deal and appear on 20/20.

  • Isn’t this the same guy who thought his boycott against France had an impact on the French economy?

    And I would think anyone who contributes to the dumbing down of the American people would be welcomed with open arms by bin Laden.

  • There will always be crackpots and ‘Reilly is certainly one. No amount of scolding will change that. If anyone is to be scolded it is (1) any network that, for the sake of a buck, gives him a microphone to spread his delusions as if they were reasonable, and (2) those who give him an audience.

  • What an ego.

    I am not convinced they even know who he is. And even if they do I would think they use him as comic relief.

  • No, sorry, that’s my hit list. Don’t worry Bill, I just want to hit you in the face with a pie.
    Full of fire ants.

    What is this world coming to? Mr. B.O. should be standing on a street corner mumbling his crack pot ideas between bouts of screaming about the giant green weasles only he can see. Instead he has a TV show.

  • “screaming about the giant green weasles only he can see”

    And I’m sure the giant green weasel guy would be more entertaining and more accurate.

  • It’s the same al Qaeda that was going to blow up the Sears tower. You know a bunch of dumb asses that were tricked into some lame plot by the FBI.

  • I happened to catch a few minutes of O’Lielly last night, and he looked even more ridiculous than usual. His makeup was about 3 inches thick and bright orange.

    What a loon.

  • Don’t forget, Ol’ Bill considers everyone who disagrees with him to be al Qaeda in his black or white world.

  • Last night my wife reminded me of Oliver North’s preposterous claim during the Iran-gate hearings that Abu Nidal was after him, and that he or one of his minions had poisoned Col. North’s dog. Several of North’s neighbors, however, recalled that the dog had cancer. This is great stuff.

  • According to a September 20 ABC News Online article promoting an upcoming appearance of Fox News host Bill O’Reilly on ABC’s 20/20 to promote his new book […]

    I don’t watch TV, so I don’t know how common this is. But it struck me as somewhat peculiar to see ABC (which was so deeply embroiled in the hoo-hah of twisting the path to 9/11) and Fox News (the favorite channel of Dickhead Cheney) paired under the marital canopy like that…

  • ***I want to know how Bill O’Reilley still has enough credibility to get a book deal and appear on 20/20.***
    ——————————————————MNProgressive

    Hey—some guy got a big book deal on a complete set of fabrications and exxagerations, and made it onto Oprahand apologies in advance to Oprah for the comparison to ABC.

    Oh…and I’ll gladly donate to a fund to help buy O’Lielly some of that famous “George Felix Allen” brand body armor. Should set me back by how moch—zero dollars and zero cents….

  • sorry—that should be “how much….”

    must…drink………less……………….coffee………………………………………

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