Kinky on O'Reilly Factor (March 17)

Obama's Preacher Stirs Controversy

O'REILLY: Thanks for staying with us. I'm Bill O'Reilly.
In the "Campaign '08" segment tonight, we continue our analysis of Barack Obama's campaign in light of the stunning pastor controversy. Joining us now from Washington, FOX News analyst Juan Williams, and from Austin, Texas, human being analyst Kinky Friedman. That's the only -- only description I have of you. People going who is he? What does he do? I said he's a human being annual analyst.
All right. How is this playing -- how is this playing among the folks in Texas, Kinky?

KINKY FRIEDMAN, HUMORIST: Happy St. Patrick's Day.

O'REILLY: Thank you, sir. I appreciate the blazer, as well.

FRIEDMAN: Yes. In the words of Brendan Baen (ph), the Jews and the Irish do not share a culture. We share a psychosis. That's why you and I get along, I think.

O'REILLY: Probably so.

FREIDMAN: Most of the time. All right.

O'REILLY: How is this thing playing in Texas among the folks?

FRIEDMAN: Well -- well, I think Jeremiah Wright's words, "God damn America," are very hard to parse.

O'REILLY: It was out of context, according to the preachers we had on. Out of context.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, yes, yes. The veterans down here, the blue-collar Democrats down here, I don't think are -- most people, many people are not relating to it well.
I'm trying to empathize with Wright, and I can I see, as a Marine, like Ira Hayes, you know,, the hero coming back to the land he thought to save, he can't get into a restaurant. He can't get into a hotel. But this is 50 years ago, Bill, and he is still not heard Jesus' words on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
I mean, this is a correctible country. That's the beauty of it. We can change our laws and our lives. That's a little thing called the Civil War, the civil rights movement. We catch a bad guy like Lieutenant Rusty Cowley (ph). We court-martial him. And this man still hasn't -- he's still pissed after all this time.

O'REILLY: He does not like the country, that's for sure.
FRIEDMAN: No, no. He hates America.

O'REILLY: Juan, how is this playing among your effete set of friends?

JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS ANALYST: Well, luck of the Irish to you, O'Reilly.
I think that my effete set of friends, for the most, part say, "Well, you know, it's just a minister. You don't have to hold everybody accountable for what their minister has to say."
And then for people like me who say, "But wait a second. This is about character and judgment on Obama's part," they say, "Hey, what are you, a race traitor or a Tom? Why are you saying that?"
These are the same people who said that Obama wasn't black enough at the start of the campaign, didn't support him, you know, favored somehow, the idea that he needed to have been in the civil rights movement or had his head cracked open in order to have any support from the black community.
And now they're offering all these rationalizations: "Oh, it's liberation gospel. And liberation gospel calls for condemning the oppressor."
And I say, "Wait a second. Liberation gospel calls for identifying Jesus as a friend of those in need and those who have been oppressed."

O'REILLY: Also, the liberation gospel is based on the truth, and this is nonsense what that guy's spouting. But I want to be fair to your effete circle of friends, Juan. Not that I know them. I'd never hang with people you do.
But only eight percent, according to a Rasmussen poll of Americans, have a favorable opinion of the Reverend Wright. Only 8. And that's got to include a huge number of African-Americans. OK? Because the polls are done randomly.
So, I don't -- I don't want white America to think that black America is rallying around this crazy guy. They're not. It's just that the people who are outspoken in his defense obviously get a lot of the publicity.

WILLIAMS: That's a good point. They're not rallying around him personally. But they're rallying around the idea that you make excuses for him because it could damage Barack Obama.

O'REILLY: Well, that's a political component.

WILLIAMS: That's what I'm saying. It's about the politics of it.

O'REILLY: You heard the Democratic Party yesterday on the Sunday shows go, "We have to move on." I want everybody to know, when you hear the words move on, that means...

WILLIAMS: Yes. Watch out.

O'REILLY: I don't have anything to say.

Williams: Watch your wallet.

O'REILLY: I can't defend this. The word "comprehensive immigration reform" means "I have no idea how to solve that problem." And the word "let's move on" means "you got me, and I don't want to talk about this again." Those are the codes.
Now, Kinky, when the New York Times ran the front-page story on John McCain, that was about judgment and association, correct?

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

O'REILLY: And what is this Obama story about?

FRIEDMAN: The same thing applies right here. And Bill, I would hate to see Obama lose in this way, because I do think he's the first politician that's brought real hope to people. And, you know, like Emily Dickinson says, "Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul." I mean, God bless Obama, God bless Emily Dickinson, and God bless America.

O'REILLY: OK. Juan, you're in the media. Front-page story of the New York Times, association, right? Association and judgment. This is the same story. Different set of circumstances. Instead of a lobbyist, there's a nutty preacher. Association and, what?

FRIEDMAN: Same story.

WILLIAMS: Well, and judgment.

FRIEDMAN: Right.

WILLIAMS: And that's what I say. I say this story is about judgment.

O'REILLY: But the New York Times buried one, buried Obama. Couldn't find it.

WILLIAMS: Not only -- not only the New York Times. But let me tell you, there are a bunch of big newspapers in this country that have absolutely ignored this story.

O'REILLY: How about the Washington Post? I haven't been following them. Are they ignoring it?

WILLIAMS: Not much.

O'REILLY: No?

WILLIAMS: Well, no. It's in the inside. But it's not getting the kind of play that -- because it's the talk of the town. And you know what? This has real political consequence, Bill, because just as Kinky was saying, the Reagan Democrats, I think a lot of the Jewish voters, they see Wright cozying up with Farrakhan. I think a lot of Hispanic voter, Hispanics who say, "Wait a minute. I don't want part of this kind of racial hate. That's not my story." Those people are going to get turned away. That hurts Barack Obama. That hurts Democrats going into the general election.

O'REILLY: All right, Kinky, he's giving a speech, Barack Obama is, tomorrow in the morning on race. And if you were writing the speech, you would tell him to say what?

FRIEDMAN: I would go to Gandhi, you know, "Forgiveness is the ornament of the brave." Gandhi says -- Gandhi, I think Gandhi told his barber this. He said -- he said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They're so unlike your Christ."
And Obama, listen, here's -- I would hate for him to lose this way.

O'REILLY: No, I got it. I got it. And I have sympathy for that position.

FRIEDMAN: I mean, Marion Berry -- the great Marion Berry says get over it.

O'REILLY: Well, I think, you know, forgiveness aspect is only in play, though, remember, gentlemen, when it is asked for.
Gentlemen, thanks very much.

WILLIAMS: That's what he's got to do. He's got to say, "I'm growing. I'm asking for forgiveness. I'm a sinner."

O'REILLY: All right