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Home Page > Blogs > Entertainment blogs > Manhattan Diary > Bill O'Reilly called a 'pinhead' to his face on 'The View' - SEE VIDEO

Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

Bill O'Reilly called a 'pinhead' to his face on 'The View' - SEE VIDEO

Posted on Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 03:00 PM

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It's not every day that Bill O'Reilly is called a 'pinhead' to his face, but today - playing off the title of his new book "Pinheads and Patriots" — that's exactly what co-hosts Joy Behar and Barbara Walters did on the set of their ABC hit chat show "The View".

Getting into a heated argument about the proposed Islamic center which will be located two blocks from Ground Zero in Manhattan, the Irish American pundit thundered that 70% of Americans did not want it to be built there.

And then, in a moment that saw all hell to break loose, O'Reilly claimed that President Obama's popularity has declined due to his position on the proposed mosque, saying that the majority of Americans don't support it because "Muslims killed us on 9/11."

For Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg this claim, that Muslims rather than Al Quaeda extremists attacked the twin towers, was a bridge too far and they walked off the set in disgust.

After the the two co-presenters swept off, broadcasting legend Barbara Walters criticized their actions and claimed that they should have been able to have a rational discussion without leaving, but then in her next breath she gave O'Reilly a tongue lashing, demanding that he apologize to Muslims for lumping them in with a core of hardened extremists. Begrudgingly, O'Reilly complied.

Then, bizarrely, Elisabeth Hasselbeck defended O'Reilly by claiming that it was really President Obama who was to blame for the confusion over who attacked us on 9/11 - Muslims or extremists. Hasselbeck didn't offer a complex reason for why she held this opinion.

You can catch the morning mayhem in all its glory below:

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jflanagan | Oct 15, 2010, 02:17 PM EDT

Just so it is clear, I'm not an O'Reilly fan and I don't hate anyone but do not see any reason to trust the Muslims. They are free to live here and anywhere they wish but when they drive out Christians from Lebanon, kill christians in Sudan, stone women, cut off hands, behead people and, because a kook two bit preacher threatens to burn Korans, threaten all Americans with death, don't ask me to trust them. I'll tolerate them but since 343 of my fellow firefighters were killed by Muslim extremists, who seem to be tolerated if not encouraged by Islamic leaders, don't give me that politically correct bull.

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jflanagan | Oct 15, 2010, 02:07 PM EDT

I wonder if they would have walked out if he complained that the Muslim Clerics that run Iran sentence women to death by stoning, that the Northern Sudan Muslims rape, kill and torture the Southern Sudan Christians or that Islamic Sharia law allows a Pakistan Muslim family to cut off a woman's nose and ears (Time Magazine story a few weeks back)? When the Moderate Muslims (if they do exist) shout come out with strong condemnation of these barbaric Muslim actions, maybe we'll believe most are peaceful, civilized people. I very little evidence of that. Even in this country a Muslim father "honor" killed two daughters for dating non-Islamic boys and his family continues to hide him from the authorities. It was Muslims flying the planes, not Cahtolics, Jews, Atheists or other religions, so saying Muslims killed us was not a lie. He should have added extremists or terrorists but that wasn't really necessary.

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hancock | Oct 15, 2010, 01:43 PM EDT

The IRA were a national group not a religous one. What percent of the Muslim world support Al Qaeda? I bet it isn't a small slither.

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irishfez | Oct 15, 2010, 01:07 PM EDT

I can't believe the amount of idiots defending O'Reilly. Are you stupid?? He said 'muslims killed us' - such an incorrect, sweeping statement that shows his ignorance. It's like the British going around saying 'Catholics killed us'. It's just wrong, no matter what party you align yourself to or no matter how conservative you are. He is wrong and he loves stirring the pot, but why be so offensive? Why didn't he say 'a small group of extremist muslims'?

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porkheaven | Oct 15, 2010, 12:21 PM EDT

I wouldn't waste my time watching those two old bimbos

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hancock | Oct 15, 2010, 11:06 AM EDT

When did the Irish turn into far left lightweight crybabies?

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Searlit | Oct 15, 2010, 11:05 AM EDT

This is what happens when people try to be right about something. They get all wrapped up in their own versions and overlook reality. They would rather pull out their psychological weapons against each other than to listen to each other. On the one side, 70% o f Americans polled did say they were against the location of the Mosque. On the other, the Muslim community, whose religion, I don't pretend to understand . All I know is I'm frightened by seeing women completely covered up, and by Sharia Law.

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Monsoonman | Oct 15, 2010, 10:56 AM EDT

hate speech? everything is hate speech to you goo goos. We couldn't criticize obama because you would brand us as racists. We can't say that marriage should be between a man and a woman or you will call us homophobes. We can't identify the hijackers of plane loads of human beings that slammed them into buildings as muslim extremists or you will call us intolerant. We can't tell our government to defend our borders without being called racists. We can't say a word about the sacred cow unionized government workers who get paid more than the private sector and retire early in grand style at taxpayer expense without being called "insensitive".

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hollabackgurl | Oct 15, 2010, 10:34 AM EDT

Joy Behar walked out on Bill O'Reilly on The View during an interview about Muslims and 9/11 becuase, she says: "I thought he was saying something that I construe as hate speech, frankly."

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killowen | Oct 15, 2010, 10:17 AM EDT

Racist crazy, desperate to please his master ....

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Yerffac | Oct 15, 2010, 10:11 AM EDT

Hasselbeck is a bimbo ninny.

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McNamara31 | Oct 15, 2010, 10:03 AM EDT

akellyny ….I agree" I'm horrified at what America has become. It used to be a land of diversity and acceptance. It has turned into a land of hatred and non-acceptance. Sad'....I would love to see a chart that plots the rise in popularity of FOX News and then compares to the rise in intolerance and bigotry in this country.

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Yerffac | Oct 15, 2010, 09:55 AM EDT

Why feature that racist o'reilly here? He's not Irish. He an hannity are a disgrace to our race--they are not Irish. Irish-Americans are a mutation.

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akellyny | Oct 15, 2010, 09:47 AM EDT

Everyone that needs to group Muslims in with terrorists, I ask you - what religion do you think the IRA are? All Catholics. So does that mean all you hypochristians out there, claiming to be Catholics are IRA terrorists??? Wake up you ignorant fools. Many Muslims were killed in the twin towers that day too. It's not a mosque being built, it's a community center. What does it take for people to actually do some research and stop being so closed minded???? I'm horrified at what America has become. It used to be a land of diversity and acceptance. It has turned into a land of hatred and non-acceptance. Sad.

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tomgallagher | Oct 15, 2010, 09:36 AM EDT

"The View" got exactly what they were looking for when they invited Bill O'Reilly to the show. I don't know why they were surprised.

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