Bill O'Reilly: the Pen is Mightier Than Military Service

The Daily Show can't top this. This is the funniest thing I have seen in ages.

Bill O'Reilly was during his usual War on Christmas nonsense. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation successfully lobbied to have two nativity scenes removed from Guantanamo Bay. Mikey Weinstein pointed out to O'Reilly that complaints about the religious displays came from active members of the military. O'Reilly then went ballistic by comparing himself to combat veterans.

"I covered four wars with the pen!" O'Reilly ranted.

"You’re an aggressive bully and an arrogant idiot, Weinstein retorted.

WEINSTEIN: When you’re in the military, it’s not like working at Fox or at Costco. It is an incredibly tribal, adversarial, communal and ritualistic place. There are Department of Defense directives, instructions and regulations in place that absolutely make this clear that this was wrong.

O’REILLY: It was a cowardly decision by the base commander… because this is a depiction of a secular holiday that was signed into law. That’s what it was. And if somebody’s offended by it, I want to know why. And your guys don’t have the courage to stand up and tell me. That’s the fact.

WEINSTEIN: Bill, please don’t call our members of the military cowards. The majority of them were Christians. Because if you want to start getting ad hominem, at least they joined the military and they’re prepared to fight. …They understand what their rights are. And your Christian personal rights will always be trumped by the civil rights of your fellow Americans.

O’REILLY: You know what? Mr. Weinstein, you just - and with all due respect to your parents – are just a bloviator. You don’t answer the questions and I’ll tell you what: I covered four wars with the pen! (He defiantly held up his pen)

WEINSTEIN: You’re an aggressive bully and an arrogant idiot!

O’REILLY: …Cut him off, he’s a jerk. I covered four wars with a pen, OK, Mr. Weinstein? So don’t impugn my courage ever again. You’re a weasel.

I know that O'Reilly covered The Granada war for ABC News. Whether he ever actually got near combat is another question. O'Reilly certainly didn't go into the field for Fox News or Inside Edition. There are no media reports of O'Reilly facing the same kind of near death experiences covering combat that Lara Logan had to endure. O'Reilly is full of it.