Krauthammer on 'Inside Washington' Bias: 'Tag Team Wrestling In Which I Don't Have A Team'

December 2nd, 2010 12:52 PM

Appearing on Tuesday's O'Reilly Factor on FNC, columnist Charles Krauthammer described his role on the political panel show 'Inside Washington': "...it's a very liberal show....it's tag team wrestling in which I don't have a team. It's three on one which I think the odds are rather good that way – for me....we do this exercise every week and it's a good workout."

Host Bill O'Reilly brought up a recent discussion on the broadcast in which Krauthammer called out his liberal colleagues: "You were surrounded by a liberal panel and they were talking about Sarah Palin, which as you pointed out is their obsession, okay?" He then observed: "It was proof that, look, you know, you stack the deck, you're all a bunch of liberals and that's the way it is. I believe that's true and I think most of my viewership does, too." O'Reilly explained that Krauthammer was the sole "token conservative" on the show.

O'Reilly described the show as "a syndicated program done by the ABC affiliate in Washington which some PBS stations show" and went on to call for an end to public funding for such liberal programming: "...why are we continuing, non-liberal people, taxpayers, continuing to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting? Why is that happening?"

Here is a full transcript of the November 30 O'Reilly Factor exchange:

8:51PM ET

BILL O'REILLY: Recently, you were on a program, a syndicated program done by the ABC affiliate in Washington which some PBS stations show. And you were surrounded by a liberal panel and they were talking about Sarah Palin, which as you pointed out is their obsession, okay?
And it was a back and forth situation and you basically said what they were saying to you, and I don't have time to play the clip but we used it on 'Reality Check' last night.

It was proof that, look, you know, you stack the deck, you're all a bunch of liberals and that's the way it is. I believe that's true and I think most of my viewership does, too. Therefore, why, why are we continuing, non-liberal people, taxpayers, continuing to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting? Why is that happening?

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Well, look, first of all it wasn't a one-shot deal. It's a show I do every week. I've been doing it for 20 years. It's called 'Inside Washington,' it began as 'Agronsky & Company' a hundred years ago. And it's a very liberal show. It's, I mean-

O'REILLY: You're the token conservative, the token.

KRAUTHAMMER: Well, it's tag team wrestling in which I don't have a team. It's three on one which I think the odds are rather good that way – for me. So and, you know, we do this exercise every week and it's a good workout. Now, the point I'm trying to make on that show is in the liberal imagination, Sarah Palin is the conservative, the spokesman for Republicanism. She is the titular head, the moral head, the spiritual head of conservatism. And I do as a public service, I inform the readers that actually there are other Republicans in the world.

O'REILLY: Absolutely. Okay.

KRAUTHAMMER: And that, I think, ought to be done.

O'REILLY: Alright, Charles, thanks very much. We appreciate it