The O'Reilly Factor, Limbaugh Go After Obama's Pastor
 Friday, March 14th, 2008

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On the one hand, you have those that say the "liberal media" is too lax on Democratic Senator Barack Obama, due to Obama being the first African American U.S. presidential candidate.  Former member of Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign, Geraldine Ferraro, resigned from Clinton's campaign after commenting that Obama is "lucky for who he is," in reference to his race.

Ferraro, 72, a Democratic politician and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, withdrew from Hillary's camp late Wednesday, after Torrance, California's Daily Breeze published her remarks last week:

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," Ferraro said.  "And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position...and the country is caught up in the concept."

When Ferraro quit Hillary's presidential campaign, her resignation letter said, "The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you.  I won't let that happen."  She denied that her remarks were racist, and told ABC's Good Morning America, she apologized if anyone thought the remarks were meant to be racist, though refused to apologize for the media firestorm it caused.

Hillary Clinton addressed this at a press conference, saying, "I rejected what she said, and I certainly do repudiate it...and regret deeply that it was said.  Obviously, she doesn't speak for the campaign, she doesn't speak for any of my positions, and she has resigned from the--very large--finance committee."

While Ferraro's comment may have some degree of truth, it's apparent she hasn't been tuning into FOX lately.  The O'Reilly Factor with Bill O'Reilly yesterday aired a series of clips of the preacher who married Barack and Michelle Obama and baptized their children, Reverend Jeremiah White.

I happened to catch this clip on RedLasso, though I don't watch the O'Reilly Factor myself (and am more than a little shocked that Bill O'Reilly has had a TV show for this long).  O'Reilly introduces the clips of Rev. White with, "And today, there's yet another race issue...well, FOX News has obtained portions of Reverend White's sermons, that are anti-American, to say the least.  Viewer warning:  offensive material coming up."

Well, you subconsciously steel yourself for the worst, right?  Except it never comes.  Check out the video:

What is anti-American about this?  Did he say something I missed after playing it 3 times?  I am not an Obama supporter whatsoever, nor am I an African American citizen.  I am a young Caucasian female from the Midwest - a Ron Paul supporter with a little bit of naivete mixed in with a whole lot of cynicism.  And I found nothing offensive about this.  I think a lot of what the guy said was right.

It may not have been "pc" for the Reverend to say "God d*mn America," I'll grant O'Reilly that...but it seemed to me that Rev. White was caught up in a moment of frustration over how blacks are sometimes treated in America.  You needn't look past the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to understand that frustration.

In fact, what sticks out most is that FOX News had the gall not only to claim "another race issue" here, but to give you any sort of viewer-be-advised-this-is-treasonous disclaimer.  This is FOX.  Owned by an Australian multi-billionaire.  The same network that airs TMZ TV - you know, that show where Harvey Levin laughs at news that an 85-year-old elderly pedestrian got hit by a car and went flying across the street.  The show that, at some point or another, has likely offended everyone.

And that's not even getting into what airs on FX, or other FOX-owned channels.  The only presidential candidates I've seen FOX show in a positive light are Republican Senator John McCain (who, up until last year, was using aforementioned mogul Rupert Murdoch's private jet), and sometimes Mike Huckabee.  Sometimes .

Some of the footage fox used was over six years old.  Rush Limbaugh has jumped on board the hate train as well, airing a segment over the preacher's words in which he said, "Um...Is this what is meant by a 'new future?'  Is this what is meant by 'change?'  Barack Obama, community activist.  His preacher is a hate monger, a black segregationist."

Yes, let's take tiny clips of a few small portions of one man's lifetime of speeches, find the most controversial of them, and use them against an entirely separate human being (Barack, who has said himself that Rev. White "is like an old uncle who says things I don't always agree with").

Fear not, Ferraro:  the "race" card - which we'd all be better off not playing in the first place - works equally against Barack Obama.  And kudos to him for not letting it stop him.

The people we should be truly embarrassed by are the O'Reilly's and Limbaugh's of this country.

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