Media Beat: Bang! Bang! Left Shoots at O’Reilly and Misses

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

Bill O'Reilly. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Bill O’Reilly. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

They huffed. They puffed so hard they blew a fuse in their own bodies. But the man they vengefully targeted did not budge. He called out their greasy reputations while ignoring their questions and accusations.

That uncomplicated strategy assured Bill O’Reilly of a sweet and rare victory over puerile dark forces on the left. Despite supra-human efforts by the august New York Times and a handful of congenitally outraged media columnists, Mr. O’Reilly emerged virgin spotless.

He is a juicy target because he probably is the No. 1 news personality, the most talked-about, on television.

Two liberal journalists, using one of the left-wing’s shakiest launch pads, disreputable Mother Jones, tried their darnedest this week to bring down Mr. O’Reilly of Fox News over war zone reporting from the Falklands War 33 years ago.

Last seen, the sad-eyed hit-piece authors were sputtering, “But, but, but you didn’t answer our questions.”

Now it may be true that one night in 1957, 8-year-old Mr. O’Reilly failed to do his homework and was disciplined by the nun in charge. And Mr. O’Reilly and his wife had an argument 21 years ago last night.

The authors’ slimy journalism immediately was labeled payback. Their juvenile motives were too obvious.

One of their heroes, Brian Williams, lost his career the other day over a wartime lie. Not that the left used the verb “lying” because they treat words the way your mama treated pie dough when you and I were younger, Maggie.

Getting even is a primary principle of leftist journalism.

Rem Rieder, who loathes Mr. O’Reilly, tried it yesterday in his USA Today essay. He sputtered so liquidly in trying but failing to say exactly what Mr. O’Reilly was guilty of that I used up two Kleenex boxes reading the darned thing.

Emotionally pretzeled, the aging Remmy spoke so lengthily and weepily of his love for Jonny Stewart that he forgot to mention Mr. O’Reilly’s alleged sin.

Thank you, God, for not making me a leftist.