I think the American people support Al Gore. Al Gore got more votes than George W. Bush. The majority of Americans oppose this war in Iraq.
Bob Fertik Enters the No-Spin Zone
BILL O'REILLY: In the Impact segment tonight, the Web site Democrats.com is accusing three networks, CNN, MSNBC, and the Fox News Channel, of failing to give former vice president Al Gore proper respect.
With us now is Bob Fertik, co-founder of Democrats.com.
So what's the beef, Mr. Fertik?
BOB FERTIK, DEMOCRATS.COM: Well, Al Gore gave a very important speech, as you know, yesterday, where he articulated the opposition that many Democrats feel towards Bush's rush to war in Iraq.
And we believe that was an important speech that the networks -- I'm talking about the cable news networks that are 24-hour news networks -- should have cut away from what they were covering and given him the respect that he deserves as the man who received the second-highest number of votes of any politician in history, more votes -- half a million more votes than George W. Bush.
O'REILLY: Well, we reported the pith of his remarks. I mean, you know, we're not going to, we don't break in for the president of the United States and run his speeches. Why should we do that for Al Gore?
FERTIK: You break in all the time for the secretary of defense, for the president, or the vice president…
O'REILLY: And we covered him. I mean, I saw Al Gore all day long on the Fox News Channel and the other two, because I got a bank of monitors in my office, and he was on all day long with the pith of his remarks, that he thinks that you should go after terrorism first and then look at Iraq. So what was wrong with that?
FERTIK: He should have gotten full coverage of the entire speech because it was such an important speech, because this has tied up hours of debate in the British parliament, it is tying up the Congress of the United States. And the man who led the Democratic Party in the last election to victory that was stolen from him...
O'REILLY: All right. Well, that's stupid. Don't get into that. That's just dopey. But...
FERTIK: Perhaps you don't like your votes to be thrown out. But there were 175,000 voters in the state of Florida…
O'REILLY: Perhaps I, perhaps I believe in the Supreme Court, OK, Mr. Fertik? You don't like it here take a bus down to Mexico.
FERTIK: Five votes on the Supreme Court -- all five of whom were appointed when George Bush was the vice president...
O'REILLY: Look, you don't like the country, take a bus to Mexico.
FERTIK: No, I love America.
O'REILLY: That's the election -- that's the election...
FERTIK: And I believe in America every vote should count.
O'REILLY: Live with it. All right. With all due respect, every time you go back on that, anybody who's in the middle, not a Republican or a Democrat, thinks you're a geek. It's over, move on.
Now, let me read you something. Here's one of the reasons that we don't -- we wouldn't go to Al Gore's speech no matter what. He is a private citizen. We don't do that. And again, we don't go to President Bush's speeches either. We take the pith out of it and then we run it, and that's what we did.
Here's what your guy Al Gore said on February 12 of this year. OK? And this is a quote. Gore said, "Even if we give first priority to the destruction of terrorist networks and even if we succeed, there are still governments that could bring us great harm, and there is a clear case that one of these governments in particular represents a virulent threat in a class by itself, Iraq.
"As far as I'm concerned," Al Gore, "a final reckoning with that government should be on the table." And he was absolutely right. Absolutely right. Now he's changed his position. Why?
FERTIK: Well, he hasn't changed his position, Bill. If you read the speech and if you'd let your viewers listen to the speech, the whole speech, you would have heard that Al Gore does support action against Iraq. However, he supports it under the following circumstances, that the international community should be part of it, and that inspections should go first.
That is the position that would keep the coalition together.
O'REILLY: And that's the sound bite we used.
FERTIK: But you're accusing him of changing his position, that's distorting Al Gore's position.
O'REILLY: No, it's not.
FERTIK: He is consistent. And Al Gore supported the war against Iraq in 1991. That makes him a very strong spokesman for the Democratic position.
O'REILLY: Look, all I'm telling you is this. Al Gore gives a speech, we're not going to cover the entire speech, we would never do that. Al Gore won't come in and answer any questions. You know that. He won't come on this program, he doesn't go on any other programs. In fact, we had a student, Heather Nauert, in Al Gore's class in Columbia. Did you know that?
FERTIK: Yes.
O'REILLY: Al Gore wouldn't answer questions from the students, even though he was their teacher. Al Gore wants to give speeches and go home. He doesn't want to be quizzed, he doesn't want to be challenged.
And this is in our minds. So why should we allow Al Gore to spew his point of view, unchallenged, on this network? That's insane. If he wants to buy a commercial, we'll be happy to sell him one.
FERTIK: I think the American people support Al Gore. Al Gore got more votes than George W. Bush. The majority of Americans oppose this war in Iraq.
O'REILLY: No, they don't.
FERTIK: They do. The majority of the American people...
O'REILLY: Now, Mr. Fertik, you're either being untruthful or naive. Yesterday CNN-Gallup poll comes out, 66 percent of Americans support going into Iraq, even without U.N. mandates. Did you not see that poll?
FERTIK: I also saw the CBS poll which had it the other way around.
O'REILLY: No, it didn't.
FERTIK: You've got to look at the way the questions are asked.
O'REILLY: No, it didn't.
FERTIK: If you ask people what price are they willing to pay, are you willing to go down to the recruiting office, would you be willing to sign up to fight in Iraq? Would you send your child to fight in Iraq? Americans say no.
O'REILLY: Mr. Fertik...
FERTIK: Because they don't see the immediate threat to the United States.
O'REILLY: Mr. Fertik, I got to tell you. I have seen spinners in my life, but you are at the top of the list. The polls clearly say this is what Americans favor and they don't. You come on this broadcast with me and look into the camera and say to the people that's not true.
So we are going to bid you adieu. We appreciate you coming in. But it's a no spin zone. |
