The Spoils of War: Winners and Losers

by Bill O'Reilly Thursday, Apr. 17, 2003 at 6:09 PM
oreilly@foxnews.com

Bill O'Reilly assesses the winners and losers from the Iraq war

It should come as no surprise that the fall of Saddam Hussein is causing an avalanche of repercussions all around the world. While no one can predict the future, the immediate past is fairly easy to catalog, and Saddam has taken a lot of people down with him. The following folks are, at this very moment, feeling Saddam's pain.



Vladimir Putin: Once a guy who roamed the range with President Bush, Mr. Putin should not be planning any visits to Texas soon. His government likely supplied the Iraqis with weapons outlawed by the United Nations, and many Texans might find that extremely offensive. You can be sure the powers that be in Washington have. Can it get any colder in Moscow? You bet.

Vicente Fox: Another former pal of George W.'s, the Mexican presidente now finds himself so far outside the American power "loop" he might as well be the king of Tonga. Fox's decision not to support his close friend Mr. Bush in the United Nations Security Council must be considered muy malo.



Jacque Chirac: replaces Michael Jackson as the most detested man in America. Maybe he should visit one of Jackson's plastic surgeons as he faces persona non grata status in the USA.



The Hollywood Left: Martin Sheen, George Clooney, Susan Sarandon, et al. all failed auditions as serious thinkers. Only the French are still listening.



The Pope: Apparently, John Paul II is on a personal crusade to destroy the Roman Catholic Church in America. He's still allowing cardinals like Roger Mahoney in Los Angeles to stonewall priest sex abuse allegations. Then the Pontiff has the chutzpah to call the Iraq war "immoral." A miracle is needed.

John Kerry: A genuine American war hero, the senator redefines the word "inappropriate" by calling for a "regime change" in the USA in the middle of a shooting war. Even Democrats shuddered.



Network News People: Ratings for CBS News have declined 15 percent during the war! ABC News was down 6 percent, and NBC was up only 3 percent. In the meantime, Americans flocked to watch cable TV news. Talk about regime change!



Pinhead Professors: The reputations of fine universities such as Columbia and Princeton have been tarnished by the insane rantings of some radical professors. Even some students are getting fed up with so-called "teachers" advocating the deaths of American troops. Would you pay ,000 a year to hear a professor applaud Mogadishu?



The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times: "The times, they are changin'," sang Bob Dylan. Well, yeah. These two powerful newspapers slanted hard news headlines to fit their editorial position early in the war. Plus, their editorial positions were flat and wrong. Who wants spin home delivered?



Senator Edward Kennedy: His appeasement of Saddam may mean the death of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. Moderates like Joseph Lieberman and John Edwards are rising, Senator Kennedy and his committed ideologues risk extinction. At this point, Ted makes George McGovern look like a Navy SEAL.



And finally, one big stealth winner in the Iraq war: Senator Hillary Clinton. She simply disappeared after voting for military action last fall, dodging all direct questions about the war but making it clear she did not side with the peace movement. Say what you want about Hillary, she has no use for losers.

Original: The Spoils of War: Winners and Losers