On Monday, Bill O’Reilly made good on his promise to apologize for being an idiot if the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, contrary to his prediction that it would not. Well, thanks to Chief Justice Roberts, O’Reilly had to eat crow and issue his mea culpa on The O’Reilly Factor, but he did so in the most O’Reilly way possible: By saying that he wasn’t sorry, by qualifying the apology, and without definitively saying that he’s an idiot.
During the March 26 segment when O’Reilly was talking over to Caroline Fredrickson, President of the American Constitutional Society, O’Reilly declared of the Obamacare requirement that individuals buy health insurance or face a tax (or a penalty), “This is absolutely a mandate, it’s absolute a force, it’s absolutely police powers from the federal government, and it’s going to be 5-4. And if I’m wrong I will come one and I will play your clip and I will apologize for being an idiot.”
At least he had the right score. Here’s O’Reilly’s Monday apology: “I’m not really sorry but — I am a man of my word so I apologize for not factoring in the John Roberts situation. Truthfully, I never in a million years thought the Chief Justice would go beyond the scope of the Commerce Clause debate and into taxation. I may be an idiot for not considering that.”
Is an apology still an apology if the person giving isn’t sorry? Also, O’Reilly didn’t directly apologize for being an idiot. He apologized for failing to factor in the “John Roberts situation.” And he couldn’t muster the strength to just say outright that he is an idiot.
O’Reilly brought along Fox Contributor Bernie Goldberg for the ride to help him absorb the ego blow which makes for a pretty hilarious four minutes as O’Reilly struggles with the whole thing. And although O’Reilly’s apology wasn’t perfect, his colleague Sean Hannity still hasn’t been waterboarded for charity.
