After his explosive performance went viral on Wednesday evening, Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly was apparently having second thoughts last night.
According to the Huffington Post, after the public expressed alarm over his on-air tantrum, O'Reilly offered a very qualified apology to invited guest Alan Colmes, Fox News' designated liberal piñata, on Thursday night. O'Reilly said he was 'sorry' that he accused Colmes of 'lying.'
O'Reilly's temper had exploded the night before whilst debating President Obama's attitude towards spending cuts. O'Reilly's hit out at Colmes when he claimed Obama had said he would cut entitlements, including Medicare.
The pugnacious pundit slammed his fist hard on the table and angrily spat at Colmes, 'You are lying here.'
But a more conciliatory O'Reilly appeared on the screen on Thursday night.
'Lots of folks talking about my shootout with Alan Colmes last night where I asked him what specific — specific — budget cuts President Obama has proposed,' he said at the start of the show.
'Colmes hemmed and hawed saying the president’s promising to cut Medicare, or something. But the truth is Mr. Obama has not put forth any specific federal spending cuts. It's all a bunch of general nonsense and so Colmes and I got into it. Even though I’m sorry I said Alan was lying — I should not have used that word — I'm glad the exposition occurred.'
O'Reilly then spoke of his concern about the nation's rising debt and what he called 'economic madness,' saying that he had loudly abused his guest 'to get everyone's attention' about Obama's stance.
'The president of the United States is not looking out for the country right now,' O’Reilly said. 'He is hell-bent on destroying the Republican Party and he does not seem to care if the nation collapses as a result.'
O'Reilly was given a dose of his own medicine later on in the show when guest columnist Kirsten Powers berated him over what she called his false claims.
Powers reiterated that Colmes' was correct: President Obama was on record having proposed spending cuts. $400 billion in health care cuts that the White House wanted to make, in fact.
'You need to admit you are wrong,' she said. 'You are wrong about this and now you’re playing a game.'
O'Reilly argued that Obama has not offered 'specific' cuts. 'This is where you and I will never agree,' he added.
'Because I use facts?' Powers shot back.
Powers added that O'Reilly was 'one hundred percent wrong' in his claims. In fact Obama's plan for spending cuts was online for anyone to see, she said.
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