Bill O’Reilly makes a bold but not so fresh declaration.
Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar storm off the set in disgust as their crowd of viewers cheer and Barbara Walters pleads for a little bit of sanity.
But wait, why? What happened? News organizations have been covering the latest fallout between two of The View’s hosts and O’Reilly, of Fox’s The O’Reilly Factor fame, since the incident occurred this morning, but most the headlines don’t get into specifics.
It’d be easy to assume that Whoopi and Joy, some of the most outspoken women on a talk show packed with outspoken women, were just doing as they usually do: kicking up a fuss because someone said something they disagree with. Storming off might be a bit much, but of you look at their track records on the show, maybe it’s not such a stretch.
Actually, though, Goldberg and Behar had good cause to be upset.
O’Reilly appeared on this (Thursday) morning’s taping of The View to promote his latest book, Pinheads and Patriots. Talk soon turned to the Park51/”Ground Zero” mosque and community center.
O’Reilly declared he was against the construction of the mosque and community center because of its close proximity to Ground Zero.
(The mosque and community center would be built about two blocks north of Ground Zero. The proposal of the mosque and community center has sparked controversy throughout the nation and the world. Some oppose the project because they believe it’s disrespectful to the victims of September 11th and their families to build a Muslim worship center so close to the site of the World Trade Centers; others support the mosque and community center’s construction because they believe it’s an issue of religious freedom and because they hope Park51 will promote healing.)
“That’s inappropriate,” said O’Reilly of the mosque and community center. “Sure, they have a right to do it, and in the constitution – but it’s inappropriate because a lot of the 9/11 families…say look, we don’t want that.”
The discussion continued with O’Reilly expressing his disappointment in Pres. Obama’s reaction to the Park51 project. Goldberg and O’Reilly exchanged comments about Obama’s response to the Park 51 mosque and community center until O’Reilly declared “seventy percent of Americans don’t want that mosque.”
Goldberg then asked, in response to O’Reilly’s assertion that 70% of Americans don’t approve of the Park51 mosque and community center, “Why is that? Why is it inappropriate?”
“Because Muslims killed us on 9/11!” O’Reilly replied.
Goldberg reacted strongly. “Oh my god!” she cried. The broadcast fell silent for a moment as the censors bleeped out her declaration, “That’s such bullshit!”
To be honest, it’s hard to tell who’s saying what after that. The main talking point, made by Goldberg, was that Muslims didn’t perpetuate the September 11th attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Centers – Muslim extremists did.
And that’s a valid point to make. There is a clear distinction between the vast majority of Muslims and the 19 Muslim extremists who acted in the September 11th terrorist attacks. Most Muslims – and certainly those constructing the Park51 mosque and community center – abhor the practices of al-Qaeda and other extremist groups. I believe that it’s irresponsible for a man of O’Reilly’s prominence to fail to make that clarification.
Behar stood up to leave first, and Goldberg followed her out as the audience applauded their move.
After they departed, Walters said their leaving was an example of what shouldn’t happen on The View. “We should be able to have a discussion without washing out hands and screaming and walking off stage,” she said.
She then made O’Reilly clarify that the men who participated in the September 11th terrorist attacks were “Muslim extremists.” O’Reilly amended his previous statement, and the show continued.
So does the controversy over his original comments.
Wherever public opinion ends up – and so far, it seems to be on the women’s side – O’Reilly is not sorry about what he said. He used the “Talking Points” segment of his show this evening to further explain his position on Muslims and the Park51 project.
“No one I know wants to insult Muslims, but almost everybody I know are tired of the political correctness surrounding the 9/11 attack,” he said. “The truth is if moderate Muslims all over the world would stand with America against radical Islam, the terrorists couldn’t exist. But obviously that is not happening.”
Now go out and debate!
