Chris Wallace: Obama Administration Biggest Bunch of Crybabies

September 19th, 2009 2:29 PM

"These guys [the Obama administration], everything is personal...They are the biggest bunch of crybabies I have dealt with in my 30 years in Washington."

So amazingly said Fox News's Chris Wallace Friday evening.

Appearing on "The O'Reilly Factor," Wallace was rather outspoken about the relationship the Obama administration have with media, and their utter contempt for Fox News (video embedded below the fold):

BILL O'REILLY, HOST: Now for the top story tonight. Even though we tried to be fair to the president, he doesn't seem to like us very much. On Sunday, he's doing all the chat shows, except for FOX News Sunday, starring Chris Wallace, who joins us now.

He just doesn't like you.

CHRIS WALLACE, "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST: No, he doesn't like you, too.

(LAUGHTER)

O'REILLY: Look, big mistake. But it's so blatant that you would think that the Obama administration. Why do they want, and I've asked this question to a number of people, not you, why do they want to fight with FOX News? Why do they want that?

WALLACE: Well, I can understand the fight with some people on FOX News. I mean, obviously, Glenn Beck has a point of view. And you know, I think from their point of view is constantly beating on him. I think they feel that way about Sean Hannity. But you've just sat there and separated yourself from a lot of conservative critics and said, you know, I'm not sure about the missile defense. I'm not saying that's exactly my position. I think that "FOX News Sunday" is a truly fair and balanced show.

O'REILLY: You're not an ideological show at all.

WALLACE: No. And it's like they refuse to take yes for an answer. There's kind of childishness or pettiness about it.

O'REILLY: That's -- it's an immaturity that if you don't - if you don't toe our line, we're just going to ice you. But here's the deal. And I want your opinion on this. You worked for ABC News for how long?

WALLACE: 11 years.

O'REILLY: Okay. And your father for.

WALLACE: (INAUDIBLE) before that.

O'REILLY: .Mike Wallace, CBS guy. You're rooted there in the network news. It's over. The power shift in the media is now with FOX, FOX News and talk radio. And the Obama administration doesn't seem to understand that. They can go on these shows, CNN, but it doesn't matter anymore. We matter, because the people that need to be persuaded are watching us. The Independents who make the calls.

WALLACE: Absolutely. And the fact that they would go and self- consciously do CBS and ABC and NBC and CNN and Univision, I mean, you know, I'm not in any way denigrating Univision, but it is not on the regular roster of Sunday talk shows, frankly I think elevates us. It is -- when I covered - real quickly, when I covered Ronald Reagan for NBC in the `80s, you know, some days you do a good piece, a positive piece about it. Sometimes do you a tough piece. And you'd come in the next day. And they always treated you professionally. And I think it came from the top down, from the old man. Reagan who felt, you know, I'm going to get a good review today and bad review tomorrow.

O'REILLY: Right.

WALLACE: And it's nothing personal.

O'REILLY: Right.

WALLACE: These guys, everything is personal. I got to tell you though.

O'REILLY: Everything.

WALLACE: They are the biggest bunch of crybabies I have dealt with in my 30 years in Washington.

O'REILLY: And I can't.

WALLACE: They constantly are on the phone, or emailing me complaining, well, you had this guest.

O'REILLY: Right.

WALLACE: Or you did this thing. I mean, they are working the umps all the time. I think it works for the others. It doesn't work with me.

O'REILLY: Well, but it's not working for them. It's not working for them. I mean, all the polls show that Barack Obama's health care proposal is going down the drain. His popularity is declining. It's not working for them. Their strategy of if you don't tow our line, we're not going to talk to you, is a disaster. It's a PR disaster. And people are starting to get angry about it, wrong? Right?

WALLACE: Well, no, I think that's right. And I think.

O'REILLY: It's a disaster.

WALLACE: .when you have David Axelrod go on "Face the Nation" last Sunday and denigrate the million or, I don't know, 100,000 -- thousands and tens of thousands of people who came here into the streets of Washington to protest.

O'REILLY: 70,000, right.

WALLACE: .and basically says, you know, they're not representative. Well, they are representative of those 70,000.

O'REILLY: Sure.

WALLACE: I think they're representative of a lot of people. And to dismiss that, this from the president who said he wanted to reach out to all Americans?

O'REILLY: Axelrod did come on "The Factor" after the president's speech.

WALLACE: A watched speech.

O'REILLY: Yeah. And that was a smart move for him. And he was treated respectfully. He was treated -- I gave him a little jazz because that thing last five hours, the speech. I mean, it was like a Jerry Lewis telethon out there. All right, now you have the ACORN lady, Lewis.

WALLACE: Yeah. Can you imagine Barack Obama won't talk to us, but Bertha Lewis, the head of ACORN is going to give us an exclusive interview?

O'REILLY: She talked to me last May. I had her on. And we had a very good conversation by the way.

WALLACE: She's a nice, smart lady.

O'REILLY: But I'll tell you exactly what she's going to do. She's going to play the victim card that ACORN's the victim of racism and this and that. How are you going to handle that?

WALLACE: Well, you know, you got these videotapes. And you know, so what do you believe.

O'REILLY: But she didn't do it. She's going to say, look, I can't police 10,000 people.

WALLACE: (INAUDIBLE) after the Rathkes were thrown out, she was put in charge to police that organization. Where is the policing? You know, I mean, it just is a succession of transgressions one after another. And we're also going to have on with her Darrell Issa, the congressman from California who is in a big investigation. Look, I'm going to give her chance to have her say.

O'REILLY: Absolutely.

WALLACE: Just as you do. And I'm going to - we'll hear what.

O'REILLY: And she's smart.

WALLACE: .Congressman Isa has to say. And people can make up their minds.

O'REILLY: And Bertha Lewis is smart to go on.

WALLACE: And to go on FOX News.

O'REILLY: Right, because we'll pick the clips up from you. And I`ll run them on Monday, probably. You see that's the Obama.

WALLACE: I hope you will.

O'REILLY: The Obama people don't get it, that if we're winning 5 to 1, which is what FOX News dominance is now, and we beat them so badly CNN and MSNBC, that when you do something, it's all over the place. So, get your message out.

WALLACE: I think we need to say what Jerry Maguire said. Help us help you.

O'REILLY: That's right. Help FOX News help you, Obama administration. Oh, man. Chris Wallace, everybody. Check him out on Sunday morning.