Tex Cobb vs. Whoopi Goldberg

In a desperate attempt to gain at least a little credibility with mainstream America, and a few ratings points in the process, The View featured a segment with Bill O'Reilly today.  In a discussion about the wisdom of building a mosque on the site of a building damaged during the attacks by Muslim extremists on 9/11/01, O'Reilly was insensitive enough to mention that the attacks were carried out by Muslims.  Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg predictably went ballistic.  These two deep thinkers are famous for such wonderful tolerant progressive rants such as Behar's claim that Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann is "anti-children." Bachmann and her husband have two children and have raised 23 foster children. While the "pro-children" Ms. Behar has raised only 25 fewer children, but who is counting?  One of Ms. Goldberg's finer moments came when she defended child molester, Roman Polanski by saying that essentially since he drugged the underage girl first, the act wasn't "Rape rape."

In today's episode with Bill O'Reilly, the two progressive spokespersons immediately went into a rabid attack, comparing Timothy McVeigh to the 9/11 terrorists, saying O'Reilly doesn't refer to McVeigh as the Christian bomber.  As Bill O'Reilly points out, Timothy McVeigh never claimed to be Christian, and absolutely never claimed his attack was in the name of Christianity.  The 9/11 murderers, on the other hand, did carry out their attacks in the name of Islam, albeit their own perverted extremist version of the religion.  Behar and Goldberg stood and walked off the set of the show before allowing O'Reilly to make his point.  It was ratings gold.  If Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg would only continue their protest, the show might actually become relevant.

When seeing the highlights of today's walkout, I was immediately reminded of boxer turned actor, Randall "Tex" Cobb.  Cobb fought several heavyweight championship matches in the early 1980's.  He once stated that his strategy was to let his opponent hit him in the face until he was completely exhausted, then Cobb would try to knock him out.  The match  for which Cobb is most famous, was in 1982 against heavyweight champion, Larry Holmes.  True to Cobb's strategy, Holmes pounded on Cobb's face for 15 rounds.  Problem for Cobb was that Holmes never tired.  And Cobb never fell.


Tex Cobb was never mistaken for Tom Cruise before the fight, but after the fight, he may have been mistaken for 200 pounds of ground meat.  Boxing was a major sport at the time, and the most famous boxing announcer was Howard Cosell.  Cosell was voted the most loved, and most hated sportscaster in America for ten straight years.  He was a regular on Friday night boxing and on Monday Night Football.  At the end of the Cobb vs. Holmes match, Cosell was so disgusted by the beating that Cobb received that he announced his retirement from announcing boxing matches.  When the beaten and bloody Cobb was told of Cosell's retirement, he responded, "I'll go another 15 rounds with Larry right now if Cosell will get off Monday Night Football too."

I think Bill O'Reilly more than held his own with Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg today.  He should volunteer to be a daily guest on The View, if Behar and Goldberg will stay retired!