Clinton Says Obama Made the Right Move By Condemning Pastor, in ‘Factor’ Sit-Down
Hillary Clinton claps at a campaign stop in Portage, Ind., where she spoke briefly about her interview on "The O'Reilly Factor" Wednesday. (AP Photo)
Hillary Clinton, in her first appearance on FOX News’ “The O’Reilly Factor,” said Barack Obama made the right move by condemning Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. but that she was still offended by the pastor’s statements.
In the first part of a two-part interview — the second will air at 8 p.m. ET Thursday on FOX News — Clinton also defended her stances on health care and oil companies and sought to burnish her image as a “fighter” candidate.
Asked about Wright, Clinton said it’s up to voters to decide whether the mounting controversy over Obama’s retired pastor should impact the presidential race.
“(Obama) spoke out forcefully yesterday,” she told Bill O’Reilly in the appearance taped Wednesday in South Bend, Ind. “He made his views clear, finally, that he disagreed, and I think that’s what he had to do.”
Obama went on the offensive Tuesday, saying he was “outraged” and “angered” by Wright’s statements the day before in Washington, D.C.
Clinton matched that outrage and repeated that she would not have stayed in the church if Wright were her pastor.
“Well, I take offense. I think it’s offensive and outrageous. I’m going to express my opinion, others can express theirs. It is part of just, you know, an atmosphere we’re in today,” she told O’Reilly.
Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain told FOX News on Thursday that he doesn’t think Obama shares Wright’s views, which he described as “really, incredibly outrageous,” but he said he doesn’t feel sorry about Obama’s plight.
“I think we all face challenges when we are in political campaigns. Running for president is bean bag … I think he has to have a discussion with the American people, and he said that it’s a valid political issue so I am sure that he will do that,” he said.
McCain stepped back from an earlier effort to stop the North Carolina Republican Party from using the issue in ads for statewide campaigns.
“I wish they wouldn’t but I am not going to referee, I am just going to run my own campaign,” he said.
Wright capped off his recent round of public appearances with a stop Monday at the National Press Club. There, Wright taunted reporters and declined to retract his statement that the government is responsible for afflicting minorities with HIV.
“I sure don’t believe the United States government was behind AIDS,” Clinton said in the Wednesday interview. “This is part of the mosaic and diversity of America. I happen to think it is just totally off base … but what people are talking to me about is not that.”
Clinton also defended her support of a summer gas tax holiday, which Obama has decried as a campaign “gimmick.”
“I’m trying to lay the groundwork so that when I’m president we can get in there and say this has been going on way too long,” Clinton said of record oil profits. “I also want to take on OPEC. You know, OPEC is a cartel, it’s a monopoly.”
Under criticism from O’Reilly, Clinton said she supported universal health care because “it’s a moral issue,” and also said she would raise taxes on people making more than $250,000 a year.
“I’m going to take as much as you were paying in the ’90s,” she said.
Campaign aides said her appearance on the show was designed to reach out to working-class, independent white men who could decide the outcome of next week’s Indiana primary.
“This is a campaign of firsts. I’m sitting down today, another first,” Clinton told O’Reilly.
Clinton also spoke about the personality differences between her and Obama.
Asked if she felt Obama’s momentum stems in part from a perception that she is polarizing, she said: “Well, I’ve been around a long time. I bear a lot of the scars, ideological and political battles. I stand up for what I believe in.”
As for the criticism she’s taken over the years, she said, “This is the way our system is, they take shots at me … you’ve got to be tough (to take on drug and health care companies) and we’ve got to have a president who’s a fighter again.”
Meanwhile, Obama’s handling of the Wright flap hasn’t been all bad for the Illinois senator’s campaign. In a surprise move, the furor over the pastor helped him secure the backing of one Democratic congressman from Indiana.
Rep. Baron Hill said he is “pleased that Senator Obama clearly and unequivocally denounced Reverend Wright’s remarks. Hoosiers don’t feel that way about our country, I don’t feel that way about our country and Senator Obama made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t feel that way either.”
Hill said that the way Obama handled the Wright controversy actually persuaded him to endorse. Indiana’s primary is Tuesday.
Asked about Wright in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Obama said the situation was “difficult.”
“He’s somebody who married us, he baptized our children — he’s done good things in terms of building the church, but frankly what he said over the last few days and in some of the sermons that have been excerpted were unacceptable and … what we want to do now though is to make sure that this doesn’t continue to be a perpetual distraction.”
Click here to see a clip from O’Reilly’s interview with Clinton.
The second part of the Clinton interview with Bill O’Reilly airs Thursday on the FOX News Channel at 8 p.m. ET.
FOX News’ Chad Pergram, Aaron Bruns and Bonney Kapp and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
I am flummoxed what people are saying here…What was excellent about this interview???????????????????? This was just average, something that Hillary keeps reapeating over and over. Nothing new…..It was planned, remember how she hated fox news and Oreilly. SHAMe on Hillary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More than ever, this interview convinced me that Hillary is the best candidate for the most difficult job in the world! She’s smart, tough, funny, gutsey and charming!
But most of all I’m afraid that if Obama is elected president, any one who criticises him will continue to be labled racist! He’ll be more of a divider than a uniter if he continues to allow the race card to be played instead of appologising to the American people for sitting in Rev Wright’s pews for 20 years! Finally renouncing Rev Wright was a start, but the real question is judgement - how could a “uniter” have been a member of Wright’s church for so long?
Obama’s not ready to be president, Hillary is!
OReilly’s questions were appropriate, not about re-Rev Wright, who I think spoke the truth and shpuld npt be condemned, However it appears Hillary , as usual, did not answer the specifics, She side-stepped in various political ways.,and apparently, she was not credible. Of all people< Don Imus, said she was fabulous, which I cannot see at all. Are we DUMB??about his lady. She accused Fox news of right-wing conspiracy, and hated OReilly guts, This was the lady who said that she will never attend any interviews or never wanted to participate in any of the DEBATES, although the other candidates wanted to. She had REFUSED every time. Is this how this lady works,,,amazes me , like hell. I think OReilly was very cautious with her, and it was not FABULOUS, just mediocre type of love/hate interview….
I thought the interview was great. Hillary held her own as I expected she would. Nobody is perfect, but at this moment in time she is what we need for president. She is a fighter and can handle anyone. It is time this country woke up—we have major, major problems and we need the strongest leader. VOTE FOR HILLARY.
Great interview Hillery did a great job answering Bill question.She was relax had anwers for every question he had.I can’t wait to see tonight interview.You will never see Obama sit down with anyone from Fox.She a very strong determined woman a fighter.A very smart woman.She just what the country needs now.
I agree with O’Reilly Hillary does have a socialist approach. Turning back Bush’s tax cut will hurt more than help. Her plan for free health care will have a devastating financial impact on the nation. We are not in the 90’s anymore - what worked then may not be what we need now. That said she smokes OBama! She stood head to toe with Oreilly and that is not easy. If it had been OBama today he would be crying saying it just wasn’t fair! Just exactly what he said after the debate - Good job to both O Reilly and Hillary - but I still remain a McCain voter.
Hillary was great! SHE HAS MY VOTE.
I am confident that Hillary Clinton is a stronger candidate and will the one who will be able to implement universal Health care better than other candidates. The interview with Bill shows her capability to face issues head on with utmost ease. I do not understand why people do not see that. It is still not late for her to be THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. She is witty, intelligent, understanding, caring and tries to do her best for America. People are missing a chance of a lifetime.
Did I miss the part of the interview where Bill asked her about Paul v Clinton?
Do a search and read people!!
Finally, a candidate who understands how government should work:
“I’M going to take as much as you were paying in the ’90s,”