Bill O'Reilly Blows Up At Alan Colmes, Challenges Sam Donaldson to Come on Fox and Defend Thanking Al Jazeera

February 2nd, 2011 1:26 AM

As NewsBusters previously reported, Sam Donaldson on Sunday's "This Week" actually thanked the anti-American television network Al Jazeera for what they do in the Middle East.

On Tuesday, Fox News's Bill O'Reilly invited Alan Colmes and Monica Crowley on his program to discuss the matter, and by the end of the segment, O'Reilly was practically screaming at Sean Hannity's former partner (video follows with commentary):

It really is amazing how these guys at Fox put up with Colmes who just seems like nothing but a liberal antagonist.

As for Donaldson, he's never struck me as a man that wouldn't stand up to a challenge.

Although I couldn't identify via LexisNexis Sam ever being on O'Reilly's program, he has commented about the "Factor" host with O'Reilly responding on December 19, 2005:

BILL O'REILLY, HOST: Continuing now with FOX News analyst Newt Gingrich, who's been following the Christmas controversy with some interest. Our pal Sam Donaldson weighed in over the weekend on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM DONALDSON, THIS WEEK: We're accusing this media of ours of trying to get ratings. Well, Bill O'Reilly wants ratings. He wants to stroke the yahoos, where is Mencken when we need him, in his audience by saying there's a war on Christmas. You can say `Merry Christmas'. You can say `Happy Holidays.' `Happy Hanukah.' Say whatever you want.

The fact that he's simply trying to get ratings on this should not engage us to think that there's a war on Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Yahoos? So -- what do you think's going on here? I mean, it's reached hysteria with The New York Times column yesterday, you know, Donaldson and all these people. It has reached hysteria.

NEWT GINGRICH: Well let me say, first of all, Bill, I don't think I've ever heard a more perfect illustration of the mainstream media's elitism than what Sam Donaldson just said.

It appears there's no love lost between these two making it somewhat unlikely Donaldson would accept the challenge.

Keep your fingers crossed for this would be quite an event.