Just like a suburban Italian restaurant, O'Reilly said, "There wasn't any kind of craziness at all"

[dajoki]

Bill O'Reilly Says He's Being Smeared
Sept. 26, 2007, 5:48 PM EST
http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=277322&affid=100055&mpc=2

Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly said Wednesday his critics took remarks he made about a famed Harlem restaurant out of context and "fabricated a racial controversy where none exists." He criticized the liberal group Media Matters for America as "smear merchants" for publicizing statements he made on his radio show last week.

O'Reilly told his radio audience that he dined with civil rights activist Al Sharpton at Sylvia's recently and "couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference" between the black-run restaurant and others in New York City.

It was just like a suburban Italian restaurant, he said. "There wasn't any kind of craziness at all," he said.

<<snip>>

Sylvia's manager Trenness Woods-Black told the New York Daily News that O'Reilly's remarks were "insulting" and showed he has little knowledge of the black community.

At one point on the radio show, Williams mentioned that too many people see little else in black culture beyond profane rap. "That's right," O'Reilly said. "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, `M.F.-er, I want more iced tea.'"

[superkia]

1. "couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference"

He can spin and dodge all he wants but that line says exactly what HE meant.

[madeline_con]

3. Gosh, they're just like real people....

he's so very stoopid.

[madeline_con]

2. He's so full of shit...

he doesn't even realize how racist he is.

He implied that "craziness" (whatever that might be) would not surprise him, were it to be occurring during his condescending visit to Sylvia's. What an ass.

[lordsummerisle]

4. Almost as disturbing

is Juan Williams defending him...I don't get it.

[dajoki]

9. What does Al Sharpton have to say?

Obviously it bothered the restaurant's manager.

Sylvia's manager Trenness Woods-Black told the New York Daily News that O'Reilly's remarks were "insulting" and showed he has little knowledge of the black community.

[Honeycombe8]

5. HAHAHAHAHA. It is unbelievable that someone would be surprised...

that a supposed "black" restaurant would be filled with people acting like normal Americans.

Silly Billy.

[kurth]

6. Yep, it's well known that black-owned restaurants are full of

crazy customers eating crazy food served by crazy waitstaff.

[tomreedtoon]

7. Yeah, and all the waitresses look and sound like Mo'Nique.

If I actually believed that, I'd stay away from black-owned restaurants, too. The idea of Mo'Nique and O'Reilly - the Apostrophe Twins, a pair of unforgiveable egos - having a knock-down drag-out would be a sellout. Heck, you could run it on pay-per-view.

[Steve_in_California]

8. Press Reports Present a Different Picture.

"I was misquoted," declared Bill O'Reilly. "When I said that thing about 'you never go back' I was only talking about the restaurant!"