I've been resisting. . .

. . .commenting on Bill O'Reilly's issues because, well, I've been waiting for the wiseass smirk to disappear from my face. You see, I indirectly predicted something like this would happen with him a few weeks ago, over at Ldot. I compared him to Lonesome Rhodes, Andy Griffith's character from one of my favorite films, A Face in the Crowd. Oddly enough, a little while after posting that comment, one appeared in response, which said something like, "The question is, who's going to play Patricia O'Neal's part." I wish I could remember the username of the poster.

I'm sure I wasn't the first person to draw a parallel between O'Reilly and the classic character. But, I'm given to fits of smugness when I'm so incredibly, devastatingly correct, original or not.

In all honesty, I've read very little about the story. I've picked up a few snippets here and there, but only enough to divine the fact that O'Reilly is a bit of a pottymouth, and that the smugness I feel right now is an everyday thing for him. But, I don't delight in his ordeal, despite that smugness. I never worked up enough of an opinion about the man to feel anything other than a sense of shame that the people around him are having to deal with the aftermath. Also, there is the possibility that it's all a set-up.

Set-up, or not, Bill O'Reilly has no one but himself to blame for the situation he's in, and I'm sure he'll be forthcoming about that, someday. There are a lot of people like Anne Lewis, Gene Lyons, Joe Conason, and Al Franken -- each with footlockers full of bones to pick with him; remnants of the Lewinsky era. In that sense, his current predicament virtually mirrors that of Bill Clinton. Ostensibly smart men making stupid, silly mistakes.

That's not to say that the two men's transgressions are on an equal scale, however. There will be no anti-Semitic leftwing consipiracies coming out in the wake of this scandal, pointing to a Zionist plot to control the US government by planting a young Jewish girl in close proximity to the president -- known to have a weakness for them. There will be no frivolous assertions of executive privilege, or perp walks. The biggest impact is likely be on late night comedy programming, liberal parody websites, and O'Reilly's ratings, of course.

My advice to O'Reilly devotees: Just shake your head, look at your shoes, and laugh for the next few weeks.

UPDATE: Make that Patricia Neal. I'm not very good at being a film buff.

UPDATE:
I do admit, my take is all based on conjecture and speculation. There's no point in denying that. Dead to rights. Since I haven't heard the tapes, or anything other than an allegation, and a denial, I can't possibly know if it's true, or really an extortion attempt.