Obama on O’Reilly?

Has Barack Obama teamed up with Rupert Murdoch?

The New York Times has reported that Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama, will make his first appearance on conservative, Bill O’Reilly’s, “The O’Reilly Factor” this Thursday.

When I saw that, I recalled a headline on Huffington about a secret meeting between Obama and Murdoch.

Just before the New York Democratic primary, when I [Michael Wolff] found myself undecided between Clinton and Obama, I said to Murdoch (a little flirtation, like a little gossip, softens him), “Rupert, I don’t know who to vote for—so I’m going to give you my vote. You choose.”

He [Murdoch} paused, considered, nodded his head slowly: “Obama—he’ll sell more papers.”

…

Obama, on the other hand, was snubbing Murdoch. Every time he reached out (Murdoch executives tried to get the Kennedys to help smooth the way to an introduction), nothing. The Fox stain was on Murdoch.

It wasn’t until early in the summer that Obama relented and a secret courtesy meeting was arranged. The meeting began with Murdoch sitting down, knee to knee with Obama, at the Waldorf-Astoria.

…

Then, after he said his piece, Murdoch switched places and let his special guest, Roger Ailes, sit knee to knee with Obama.

Obama lit into Ailes. He said that he didn’t want to waste his time talking to Ailes if Fox was just going to continue to abuse him and his wife, that Fox had relentlessly portrayed him as suspicious, foreign, fearsome—just short of a terrorist.

Ailes, unruffled, said it might not have been this way if Obama had more willingly come on the air instead of so often giving Fox the back of his hand.

A tentative truce, which may or may not have vast historical significance, was at that moment agreed upon.

If I’m Obama there’s now way I trust Murdoch and Ailes and go on O’Reilly’s show, even if promises are made to use kid gloves. No Way. And Turbocratic makes a good point:

This could cause potential problems for Obama if he commits some sort of gaffe, that takes the focus off of Palin and McCain, and shifts it back to him.

Things are going real shitty for the GOP. Why ruin it?