Democrat in the Lion's Den

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly interviewed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama about Iraq on Thursday night on The O'Reilly Factor -- an interview request Obama agreed to after holding out for many months.

The Democrat acknowledged that the elevation of U.S. troop levels in Iraq commonly called the surge had "succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."

The conservative talk show host started by pressing the Senator on whether he'd be willing to strike Iran militarily to prevent it from getting nuclear arms, to which Obama replied he would not rule out military options but wanted to pursue other means of pressuring Iran.

O'Reilly did not look impressed. "We'll assume that you're going to ratchet everything you can rachet," O'Reilly said. "But I'm going to assume that Iran's going to say, 'Blank you,' and I want a President, whether you or McCain that says, 'You ain't doin' that.'"

O'Reilly then turned to Iraq.

O'Reilly: I think history will show it's the wrong battlefield. Okay? And I think that you were perspicacious in your original assessment of the battlefield.

Obama (clearly misreading what was about to happen): I appreciate it.

O'Reilly: I think you were desperately wrong on the surge. And I think you should admit it to the nation -- that now we have defeated the terrorists in Iraq.

Obama: The surge has succeeded in ways that nobody had anticipated --- by the way including President Bush and some of its other supporters. It has gone very well. .... There's an underlying problem with what we've done. We have reduced the violence but the Iraqis still haven't taken responsibility.

O'Reilly has promised three (!) other segments with Obama over the next week. The interview was brokered by none other than News Corp mogul Rupert Murdoch during a meeting at which he brought Obama and Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes together. According to Murdoch biographer Michael Wolff as well as the Washington Post, Obama complained about what he felt was unfair treatment from Fox. Ailes told the Post he replied that Fox would treat him fairly but wouldn't be in the tank for him, as, Ailes contended, the other television networks were.

-- David Folkenflik

9:30 PM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink

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