7:30AM ET SEGMENT:
SMITH: First, we want to take a look at a little walking episode on 'The View' yesterday.
RODRIGUEZ: Good one.
SMITH: Two of the hosts walked off the set when the conversation got a
little heated. Erica Hill along with us this morning with the story.
Good morning.
ERICA HILL: Some walking, some huffing and puffing, although I don't
think it's from the brisk walking. It was really a little bit of a
battle yesterday. Fox News's Bill O'Reilly was the guest and it didn't
take long before the sparks began to fly between him and some of the
most liberal co-hosts.
BARBARA WALTERS: Please welcome Bill O'Reilly.
HILL: When Barbara Walters introduced the conservative talk show host
on 'The View' Thursday, she ignited a major fuse, turning daytime TV
into dynamite.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Daytime Drama; O'Reilly Causes Set Walk-Off on 'The View']
JOY BEHAR: This is America-
BILL O'REILLY: Hold it. Hold it. Listen to me, because you'll learn, alright? Thank you.
HILL: The explosive topic, the controversial Islamic cultural center planned near Ground Zero in New York City.
JOY BEHAR: I'm an American.
O'REILLY: Let me break this you to, 70% of Americans don't want that mosque down there. So, don't give me the 'we' business.
BEHAR: Where's that poll? Where's that poll? I want to see that poll.
O'REILLY: You want to bet on that? You want to bet? I'll show you that poll in a minute.
BEHAR: All I'm saying is I'm American, too.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: 70% of Americans don't want-
O'REILLY: 70% don't want it down there.
GOLDBERG: But why is that? Bill, why are we saying-
O'REILLY: Because it's inappropriate.
GOLDBERG: Why is it inappropriate?
O'REILLY: Because Muslims killed us on 9/11!
GOLDBERG: No. Oh, my god! That is [bleep].
O'REILLY: Muslims didn't kill us on 9/11, is that what you're saying?
GOLDBERG: Extremists. Excuse me, extremists did that.
O'REILLY: What religion were they in?
WALTERS: Doesn't matter what they are-
GOLDBERG: What religion was Mr. McVeigh? Mr. McVeigh was an extremist as well and he killed people. What the hell?!
O'REILLY: I'm telling you, 70% of the country-
BEHAR: I don't want to sit here.
O'REILLY: Go.
BEHAR: I don't.
O'REILLY: Go.
BEHAR: I'm outraged by that statement.
O'REILLY: You're outraged about 'Muslims killing us on 9/11'?
HILL: The dispute led to co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg walking
off their own show, leaving Walters to defuse the situation.
WALTERS: You have just seen what should not happen.
HILL: And Walters addressed both her co-hosts and O'Reilly.
WALTERS: Now, let me just say to you in a calmer voice-
O'REILLY: Sure.
WALTERS: It was extremists. You cannot take a whole religion and demean them because-
O'REILLY: I'm not demeaning anybody.
WALTERS: Yes, you are.
HILL: Goldberg and Behar did return after O'Reilly apologized, but the story didn't end there.
O'REILLY: I loved that exposition today. Didn't you?
HILL: On O'Reilly's prime-time show on Fox News, the incident was a major topic all night.
ALICIA MENENDEZ [SENIOR ADVISOR, NDN]: You see how that might be condescending?
O'REILLY: A little bit.
MENENDEZ: That's good, that's a good admission.
O'REILLY: But you know, I am often offensive. I think everyone knows that.
HILL: And on her HLN show, Behar wasn't about to let it go, either.
BEHAR: Today on 'The View,' Bill O'Reilly had a real pinhead moment.
HILL: A moment viewers won't soon forget.
O'REILLY: You're outraged about 'Muslims killed us on 9/11'?
HILL: He uses that term 'pinhead' a lot and he was also on 'The View'
promoting his book, which is called 'Pinheads and Patriots.'
SMITH: He loves all this attention.
HILL: This is - he thrives on it. And you know what? It brings great
attention to his show, great attention to 'The View,' so for all of
them-
RODRIGUEZ: It worked out for everybody.
HILL: There you go.
RODRIGUEZ: You know, we anchor live TV for two hours and it can be very
hard to keep your emotions in check when a guest says something that
you don't agree with, but you don't walk off, you sit there and you
challenge them with information, you bring up the counterpoint. Maybe
they have a little more leeway because it's not a news show, but their
show is called 'The View,' they should accept all points of view.
SMITH: He is the bloviater-in-chief, though, and he was in full bloviation mode yesterday.
RODRIGUEZ: He loved it.
SMITH: He was so happy to see their reactions to him. And so, I think
in a situation like - he's been on the show bunches and bunches of
times, and he's not a guy you particularly go head to head with.
HILL: No, and you know what you're getting, too.
SMITH: Well, he wants to get under your skin. If you're going to come
back at him you need to figure out how to do the same thing.
HILL: There you go, advice from Harry Smith.
SMITH: Yeah, there you go.
