Show a little respect

"It wasn't what ya said, it was the way ya said it..."

--Old Feminist Proverb

I'm not suggesting that Bill O'Reilly was unfair, or operated with a subversive agenda, nor that this was "gotcha journalism," as one of my (cough) "favorite" people might say. What I do believe is that Mr. O'Reilly treated Barack Obama as though he were any other person... and not the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES.

Maybe if you've known the guy for awhile (call him "Barry," go back long ago to your days in Kenya together--oops!) it might be appropriate to: 

• interrupt him

• step on his sentences

• tell him there are those in the American public who "hate him" (as if he hasn't heard)

• or ask questions authoritatively, not inquisitively 

...in a private setting. When you have the honor of interviewing the Commander in Chief on live television, you treat him with the utmost respect, whatever you may think of him at the time.

Now it is fair to say that this very well may be the utmost respect Bill O'Reilly is capable of showing; there's no evidence to suggest otherwise at this time. Still, it is my belief that George W. Bush was hands down the worst president in history (so much so that I think there's no one capable of doing a worse job) and admittedly HATE him (still, push comes to shove, I'd probably have a beer with the guy), however I wouldn't dare treat him like THAT if I were his interviewer. All that integrity and I'm not even a journalist!

Let me reiterate: I make no claims of any ulterior motives of Bill O'Reilly to damage or expose the president with his interview. He just thought it more appropriate to treat him like a commoner instead of a statesman.