Bill O'Reilly comes from a blue-collar background and lives with his wife and two young children in an upscale community. He has written six books, four were N.Y. Times number one bestsellers, the most recent entitled, "Culture Warrior." Standing at 6 feet, 4 inches, he can resemble a formidable culture warrior at times.
O'Reilly holds a degree in History from Marist College, a Master's in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University and another Master's Degree in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. O'Reilly invented his nightly program after tours of duty in the more conventional news departments of CBS and ABC. But conventional was never his style, and his views and loyal listeners have helped him grow into a media icon. Besides the "Factor" on TV, he hosts a daily two-hour radio program, "The Radio Factor".
O'Reilly won't be affiliated with any party. He consistently states he has no complaints against either liberals or conservatives; it's the far left AND right he has issues with. He even credits Clinton's presidency as a success. What people who never watch FOX News or O'Reilly assume is based on ignorance because 50% of the FOX staff are liberals and over 50% of O'Reilly's staff are liberals. Don't believe me? It can be easily verified.
Though the far left says he and FOX news are extremist right wing bigots; even "Screaming" Howard Dean left Bill O'Reilly's show admitting he was "treated fairly". Bill has had other well known liberal celebrities like John Kerry whom he defended during the Swift Boat controversy. O'Reilly defended Dan Rather on the bogus story of Bush's military record saying he didn't mean to slander the president, Rather just used poor judgement. He criticized Ann Coulter for claiming the 9/11 widows enjoyed their husband's deaths. Bill has interviewed Michael Moore. "The O'Reilly Factor" has been the highest rated broadcast for more than 200 straight weeks.
O'Reilly admits the Bush administration's invasion in Iraq was ill-conceived; but, doesn't believe the Iraqi people should be abandoned so that Iran can have its influence in that country. He says the U.S. should invite all the Iraqi leaders to the White House, e.g. Sunni, Shia - Muqtada al-Sadr, etc., and say "look, you either call your goons off and live in peace or watch your people kill one another in a civil war, because we're leaving. We can't be your police anymore." Seems there is an inconsistency.
He says oil demand for 2005-2006 is up only .6% yet profits are up 36% for Exxon, and holds Exxon-Mobil responsible for 'gouging' even though he won't boycott Shell whose profits are up by 40%. Anyway, he disdains Exxon's profits which enrich stockholders; yet, he applauds Bush's tax policy which he says helps the rich who in turn spend more which helps the rest of the business sector. Seems there is another inconsistency. He also says Exxon shouldn't be gouging during war time even though the economy is still doing well and Bush hasn't yet to ask Congress to officially declare war on Al Queda.
O'Reilly complains that Bush hasn't done anything on any level to promote conservation.
He is so infuriated with liberal U.S. judges who let child molesters and rapists off with light sentences, he has been promoting Jessica's Law(Jessica Lunsford Act) .
O'Reilly is incensed over inept legal officials botching high profile cases. Bill O'Reilly is personally taking on the JonBenet Ramsey case to get to the bottom of why an incriminating tape was ignored.
Mark Hulett of Vermont was convicted of sexually assaulting a girl starting when she was 6 for a period of 4 years. Judge Edward Cashman gave him 6 months (another Vermont judge gave a man the same sentence for contempt of court). Judge Edward Cashman felt he should lower the sentence from 10 years to 6 months so the man could get treatment - it wasn't his fault because he suffers from an illness - punishment isn't the answer. The Vermont media applauded Judge Edward Cashman.
Vermont is Howard Dean Land, not to say many Vermont people weren't outraged; just the media wouldn't acknowledge it. O'Reilly began a campaign which forced this judge to issue a new sentence of 3-10 years.
O'Reilly asks "The little girl's human rights were violated; but, did the ACLU or the National Organisation for Woman's Rights stand up for her?"
Remember Ward Churchill, radical professor at University of Colorado, who proclaimed many of the Americans killed on 9/11 were "little Eichmann's" who deserved to die because they were Capitalists? When O'Reilly heard he was to speak at Hamilton College, O'Reilly hammered the college on Radio and television - Hamilton College eventually folded and Churchill never spoke there.
O'Reilly is concerned about having a woman president because he has stated that, although men are more likely to be violent, women are more likely to be duplicitous and evil; but, adds men fall apart more quickly under pressure. He can only remember Margaret Thatcher as an example of female leadership on the world stage, having forgotten: Aquino, Bhutto, Ghandi, Meir, and Merkel.
In his latest book, "Culture Warrior", he describes himself as a traditionalist and the opposing type of American as a "Secular Progressive" or "S-P", i.e. someone who believes in: borders being open to all comers, forced sharing of personal assets, parity for alternative lifestyles, vastly more freedom for minors e.g. minors not required to notify parents of pregnancy or abortion, Christmas not being celebrated - deemphasised, unfettered destruction of human fetuses - even third term, euthanasia, drug legalization, and the United States being inherently bad.
Here are Bill's Ten Commandments for the "Traditional Warrior":
Bill would say that the "Secular Progressive" would call one a "bigot" for being against gay marriage, a pro-life activist would be "anti-woman's rights", aggressive action against terrorism would be considered "war mongering", someone taking that stand who didn't serve in the military would be called a "chicken hawk". By the same token, "Secular Progressive" people call FOX News and Bill O'Reilly unbalanced, pro Bush, right wing extremists because they simply don't have a left wing slant all the time as does 90% of the media in the country.
"With the controversy comes death threats on a daily basis," O'Reilly said. "Not only from kooks. But the FBI came in and warned me and a few other people at Fox News that al Qaeda had us on a death list - that's a little disconcerting."
"When I am dead, my tombstone will read, 'He finally stopped talking,'" he said.