Culture warrior Bill O'Reilly takes on 'pro-abortion zealots' and 'Fox News haters'

Bill O'Reilly took to his Fox News bully pulpit last night to defend his good name in the wake of George Tiller's murder. There's been a whole lot of finger pointing after Tiller's killing, and some of it's in O'Reilly's direction.

O'Reilly was playing victim, saying he knew as soon as he heard about Tiller's murder that the "pro-abortion zealots" and "Fox News haters" would tar him with his own words. Those words -- repeatedly referring to Tiller as "Tiller the killer" or "Tiller the baby killer" -- O'Reilly credited last night to "pro-life groups." O'Reilly has also said Tiller had "blood on his hands"  and called Tiller's medical practice "Nazi stuff" in league with Mao's China and Soviet Russia

Last night, O'Reilly preached to a panel of sycophants -- Kansas secretary of state candidate Kris Kobach; Brian Russell (the attorney for Linda Carter, the mistress of former Kansas AG Paul Morrison), and O'Reilly regulars Juan Williams and Mary Katherine Ham. They all played O'Reilly apologist, kissing his ring and giving him the affirmations he craved.






Over the years, Tiller had been a target of many O'Reilly rants. In 2007, O'Reilly sent a camera crew to ambush Tiller.

Last night, O'Reilly reported on what was supposedly the real agenda of the "far-left": They're going to exploit Tiller's murder to silence anti-abortion activists and Fox News.

Crooks and Liars highlights this quote from Russell on Monday's O'Reilly Factor (my emphasis).

Ideologically-driven killers rarely are influenced by anything other than their ideology. Obama got this wrong a few days ago when said that people become terrorists because they hear what's going on with Gitmo. No, they don't. They become terrorists because of ideology and just like this guy (Tiller's killer) almost certainly and exclusively because of ideology shot Tiller. These people who are saying that this drivel to you are as far off on their side of the issue as this shooter is on his.

Salon has a pretty great dissection of Monday's Factor. So does News Hounds.

Media Matters did a lot of digging into the O'Reilly/Tiller archives and found this gem from the radio factor.

"And if I could get my hands on Tiller -- well, you know. Can't be vigilantes. Can't do that. It's just a figure of speech."

Or listen for yourself.
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