O'Reilly Claims Victory in Battle Against Boss

VANQUISHED! Murdoch Call him predictable, but Bill O'Reilly just couldn't pass up the opportunity to gloat over his latest self-declared victory, even if he had to phone in from vacation to do so, and even if the "enemy" was the same company that cuts his paychecks.

O'Reilly dialed in to The O'Reilly Factor last night to rejoice with guest host Laura Ingraham over News Corp.'s decision to cancel both the publication of O.J. Simpson's book, If I Did It, and the airing of a companion TV special. "It's a culture war victory," crowed O'Reilly, who had called for a boycott of publisher (and Fox News sister company) HarperCollins. "The folks did it, and I am the messenger."

Of course, O'Reilly, being O'Reilly, concluded that the real significance of the episode was its implications for that persecuted minority, right-wing cable news shouters employed by Rupert Murdoch. "There's a few things that are really important to understand here. Number one, this should put to rest, once and for all, the independence of Fox News. How many times, Laura, have you heard 'Fox News is this, Fox News is that, bop-bop-bop-ba-boo?'" (Too many times, Bill. Too many times.)