TONY BLAIR: [....] I think it's my duty to tell it to you if I really believe it and I do really believe it. I may be wrong in believing it but I do believe it.JEREMY PAXMAN: Prime Minister, thank you. And thank you all and goodnight from the Baltic Centre.
O'REILLY: Man, I hope your mom isn't watching this.GLICK: Well, I hope she is.
O'REILLY: I hope your mother is not watching this because you -- that's it. I'm not going to say anymore.
GLICK: OK.
O'REILLY: In respect for your father...
GLICK: On September 14, do you want to know what I'm doing?
O'REILLY: Shut up! Shut up!
GLICK: Oh, please don't tell me to shut up.
O'REILLY: As respect -- as respect -- in respect for your father, who was a Port Authority worker, a fine American, who got killed unnecessarily by barbarians...
GLICK: By radical extremists who were trained by this government...
O'REILLY: Out of respect for him...
GLICK: ... not the people of America.
O'REILLY: ... I'm not going to...
GLICK: ... The people of the ruling class, the small minority.
O'REILLY: Cut his mic. I'm not going to dress you down anymore, out of respect for your father.
GLICK: That means we're done?
O'REILLY: We're done.
(via Jim Winstead)
OK, I won't defend the type of American political debate you are referring to, but I think your sample isn't exactly representative. Many British sessions of Parliament make the American Congress look downright civilized.
Besides, Bill O'Reilly is a tool. If you really want intelligent and reasonable political debate on American TV, there are a few places for it (News Hour, Meet the Press, and the now-defunct Firing Line, which WFB hosted for 34 years), and his show is not one of them. :-)
One of my favorite quotes about most "debate" shows on TV, from an article in Time: '[Michael] Kinsley recalls that as co-host of Crossfire, the CNN shoutfest, he once disagreed with a guest in too civil a tone. "No, no!" the producer shouted into his earpiece. "Get mad! Get mad!"'
Bah. Give me Russert!
Chris, if I get a TV with a tuner some day I'll be sure to ask you which debate programs to look for to avoid putting the TV on eBay again right away. :-)
And what's the reference to Political Debates in this double posting??
its well!!!