Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly began his show tonight with a Talking Points Commentary on the George Tiller murder, specifically those who’ve blamed him for the crime. “Clear-thinking Americans should condemn the murder of late-term abortionist Tiller,” O’Reilly began. “Eventhough the man terminated thousands of pregnancies, what he did was within Kansas law.” Then O’Reilly turned his commentary on his critics.
When I heard about Tiller’s murder, I knew pro-abortion zealots and Fox News haters would attempt to blame us for the crime. That is exactly what has happened.
He singled out the Daily Kos, the Kansas City Star and former 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes who wrote about the Tiller murder on Huffington Post. To Mapes he said, “Unlike you, I report honesty. Every single thing we said about Tiller was true and my analysis was based on those facts.”
On MSNBC, Keith Olbermann spent eight minutes at the end of his show on the issue talking about the “power of words.” “Fox News Channel will never restrain itself from incitement to murder and terrorism,” said Olbermann. “Not until its profits begin to decline, when its growth stops.”
Olbermann called for viewers to “quarantine” Fox News, then said he was retiring his O’Reilly impersonation. “One of my pleasures is constantly criticizing him in that Ted Baxter voice. But this is no time for laughter… So as of this show’s end, I will retire the name, the photograph, and the caricature.”
• Earlier: Abortion Doctor Who Was Focus of O’Reilly Segments For Years is Shot Dead