Why Is the Far Left Saying America Is a Dumb Country?

Leave it to Bill Maher, perhaps the most blunt left-wing guy in the country, to say what many far-left people really think, while talking about Sarah Palin:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think she has a future nationally as a presidential candidate?

BILL MAHER, HOST, "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": I don't know about a presidential candidate, but I would never put anything past this stupid country.

BLITZER: So people are already complaining that you're calling the United States a stupid country and giving you a chance to clarify.

MAHER: I don't need to clarify. It is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

But why do uber-liberals believe the USA is a dumb country?

Gov. Palin is obviously a fuse on this. The left despises her. But the truth is the governor did a pretty good job in Alaska. Her approval rating when she left office was 54 percent, despite spending a lot of time outside the state. Mrs. Palin is portrayed by the left as dumb, but how does that square with her solid performance in office? No, she did not study at an Ivy League college, graduating from the University of Idaho. But again, she did the job she was elected to do.

So let's compare her to a darling of the left, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Barack Obama's good friend. Gov. Patrick has a law degree from Harvard, so he's a smart guy. But his approval rating now stands at an embarrassing 36 percent and the state is in chaos.

So Palin is dumb, but Alaska is running fine. And Patrick is smart, but Massachusetts is failing. Don't you hate it when the facts get in the way of stupid theory?

Eighty-seven percent of American adults ages 25 to 64 have graduated from high school or college, compared to 85 percent in Britain and 67 percent in France. Obviously, we, the people, are fairly well-educated.

The far left ignorance meter is simply driven by ideology. If you disagree with their polices, you're a moron. Some on the right do that as well.

I enjoy debating with Bill Maher, but sometimes he pontificates without knowing the facts, like when he said Iraq should be divided:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHER: The partition is the most logical plan, the thing that could possibly get us out of there.

O'REILLY: OK, but in order to have the partition work, you'd have to keep U.S. troops there for probably three, four more years to supervise that kind of a partitioning of the nation.

MAHER: I don't know those kind of details. I don't think that would probably sail in this country since two-thirds of the country is already against us being there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, I would never say Mr. Maher is dumb, even when he's light on details, as Sarah Palin sometimes was. Maher is witty, often misinformed, sometimes simply wrong. But to question his intelligence would be unfair, just as he was unfair to call America a dumb country.

As President Obama might put it, he acted stupidly.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Wednesday night I went to see the Beach Boys on Long Island. For my money, the best summer pop group of all time.

While talking to the guys backstage, they told me they are launching a project to help soldiers who have post-traumatic stress disorder. I told them "The Factor" would help any way we could, and we will keep you posted. The Beach Boys remain patriots.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots"!

On the pinhead front, apparently some kids will do anything to get out of going to church. Authorities in Plain City, Utah, have released dash-cam video of a 7-year-old leading them on a slow-speed chase. The boy didn't want to go to church, so he stole his father's car keys and made a run for it in the car.

Police say they will not charge the kid, but his parents should, if you know what I mean. If they don't, they are pinheads.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com