Did Harry Belafonte Dishonor America?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is a partial transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," December 1, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.
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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: "Factor follow-up" segment tonight. Earlier this week, we told you that the AARP is honoring Harry Belafonte, whom we consider to be strongly anti-American.
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HARRY BELAFONTE, ACTOR: A lot of Jews high up in the hierarchy of the Third Reich. Color does not necessarily denote quality, content, or value. The black man is a tyrant. He's first and foremost a tyrant. Then he incidentally is black. Bush is a tyrant. And if he gathers around him black tyrants, then they all have to be treated by the leadership.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: In addition, Mr. Belafonte has said, "Our foreign policy has made a wreck of this planet" and that, "Bin Laden didn't come from the abstract. He came from somewhere, and if you look where, you'll see America's hand of villainy."
The AARP will not speak with us on camera, but joining us from Las Vegas is a man too young to join that organization, FOX News contributor Juan Williams.
You know, I don't want to pick on the AARP. I think we've established the organization as a left wing organization. It has a right to be that. I think it should be up front about it.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Harry Belafonte, that threw me. And I can't figure out to this day why they would give this guy the honor of naming him one of the Persons of the Year.
You know, I know he doesn't work for the U.N., I know all of that. But boy, he's so virulently anti-American. Go ahead.
JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Well, you know, but you got to look back at his career, Bill. This guy has had a really stellar career. I mean, in some ways, you look back towards the civil rights, you look back towards the `50's and `60's when he was a big star.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He's not a big star now. He was a major star in this country and one of the pioneers in terms of black entertainment, with people like Nat King Cole, you know, Lena Horne, even Muhammad Ali. He was one of those people who was standing up and supporting civil rights at a very difficult time in American history. And you could look at it as AARP taking their hat off to someone in their, you know, later years, which is what Belafonte has done.
O'REILLY: But that wasn't what it was all about. It was all about now. And I agree with you.
WILLIAMS: But I think now.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: I agree with you.
WILLIAMS: You know.
O'REILLY: I mean, Harry Belafonte was a force for good in the civil rights arena.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WILLIAMS: He was.
O'REILLY: I agree.
WILLIAMS: But here's what's happened. Here's what's happened. He's become like, you know, Chairman Mao used to march people out of the party because they didn't go along with party doctrine. That's what he's become. When he's going after people like Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, he's trying to push people who are good people now out because they're not his kind of black people, that's crazy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He has become a left wing Archie Bunker. He's, you know, your people worry about Pat Robertson on the right trying to assassinate, you know, saying we should assassinate Hugo Chavez or we should go after some town in Pennsylvania that doesn't agree with intelligent design. That's what Harry Belafonte has become to the left, this curmudgeon, this bitter old man. And it's just sad to see it happen.
O'REILLY: But why — I know you don't have anything to do with the AARP, but I just — we called them. And you know, they've gotten — since our first report here, thousands of people have cancelled their subscriptions to the AARP.
But I'm — all I want to know is why. Why are you embracing — look, Michael J. Fox on the cover. He's one of the guys they honor. Everybody understands that. The guy is fighting for Parkinson's Disease. He's a courageous guy. OK, I got it. I don't care what his ideology is.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Harry Belafonte — if it were a blast from the past, Juan, I could see it.
WILLIAMS: Right.
O'REILLY: But it's not.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WILLIAMS: (INAUDIBLE). Well.
O'REILLY: It's a contemporary deal. And this guy's like Fidel Castro's best friend, Belafonte. I mean, he's embraced every totalitarian left wing dictator on the planet. It's just ridiculous.
WILLIAMS: Well, you know, look. I think the world's passed Harry Belafonte by how can he embrace Fidel Castro? That's pretty repugnant in my book.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But here's the thing. I think he's got some good history. I think even you'll acknowledge that, Bill. And I think maybe that's what AARP is trying to do. I think they're trying to take their hat off to someone who really was.
O'REILLY: No, then they got to say that. Then they have to say that. And they didn't. Because I read the article about him and it was all about his work at the United Nations. My God. The United Nations? I mean.
WILLIAMS: Well, I don't.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: Come on.
WILLIAMS: I think the United Nations has a role in the world today. And I think it's a beneficial role to the United States. I think it takes up some of the slack for things we don't want to send our people to do.
O'REILLY: No, Juan. I mean, there isn't one organization on the planet in the war on terror that has hurt us more than the U.N. It just.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WILLIAMS: Well, I...
O'REILLY: Come on.
WILLIAMS: I think you're off on that, Bill. I think that what you got to see is the U.N. does have an important role to play in world affairs. And I think, here's...
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: Yes. Does that have anything to do with the oil-for-food scandal, Juan, or what?
WILLIAMS: Of course it does.
O'REILLY: Yes?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WILLIAMS: What are you talking about?
O'REILLY: Is that the important role you're referring to there?
WILLIAMS: No. Every organization has scandals. And they've got to deal with it. Belafonte, in terms of dealing with poverty and hunger around the world, and calling Americans to account, he does play an important role.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'REILLY: He blames America for the poverty of the world. It's absurd and you know it.
WILLIAMS: Well, that's, yes, I agree with you on that.
O'REILLY: All right, Juan, thanks very much. Don't lose any money out there in Vegas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WILLIAMS: You're welcome.
O'REILLY: All right?
WILLIAMS: OK.
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