An Encounter in Pennsylvania
My interview with Barack Obama during the Republican Convention brought me some insight into the presidential campaign that I certainly did not have before the chat.
For months my producers had been trying to nail down a time and place for the interview, and finally it came together very quickly. The day before John McCain was to give his acceptance speech in St. Paul, Minn., the Obama people called. I was to meet the Senator in Pennsylvania the next morning. Be there or be square. The timing was obvious: disrupt the Republican flow. Give Senator Obama a high-profile TV slot just before McCain's big speech. Because I knew I would most likely not get a second chance to talk to Obama, we hopped on a chartered plane and flew to the Keystone State.
Senator Obama himself was commanding but cautious as he entered the interview room. He knew the talk would be a challenge. He did well, and millions of people saw a spirited back-and-forth.
Whenever a politician is straight with me, I gain a measure of respect for that person. Obama answered my questions, and we both let the chips fall. His campaign was using me, and my program was using him for high ratings. But our conversation is still being talked about. So we both won.
O'Reilly is host of The O'Reilly Factor and The Radio Factor; his latest book is the best seller A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity