In one of the finest commentaries I've seen, Lawrence O'Donnell lays the gauntlet gently, quietly and firmly at Bill O'Reilly's feet over O'Reilly's claim that MSNBC has "anti-American" tendencies. Not once did O'Donnell raise his voice. Not once did he say or do anything that was bombastic or angry, but underneath the quiet voice there was mockery and anger. Quite well done.

He also makes a great point. While we all focus on Glenn Beck's wingnuttery, BillO is in the background making stuff up, saying whatever he wants, and getting away with it. Here's his lead:

Time for tonight's rewrite. Do you ever get the feeling that Glenn Beck's job is to be a smoke screen for Bill O'Reilly? Beck is busy saying so many utterly insane things that get him so much attention that it's easy to miss O'Reilly's lower voltage lies. Here is O'Reilly talking with renowned prostitute patron Dick Morris about the thing O'Reilly can never stop talking about, his interview with President Obama.

And yes, that thought has occurred to me. Glenn Beck is a distraction, attractive only to the whackos who put on their tinfoil hats and wait for the second coming of the Messiah on a rocket. But Bill O'Reilly, now that guy looks credible, especially when sandwiched next to Beck.

O'Donnell's observation that O'Reilly has learned that he can lie to viewers and get away with it is what drives all of us here to make sure he doesn't get away with it. And now Lawrence O'Donnell issues a challenge to BillO (love the way he spits out the name "Billy"):

Now, I have a homework assignment for your underworked staff. Since they finished explaining the tides and the moon to you, put them to work trying to find what this network has done or what I have done that is anti-American. Take as long as you want. Find it and show it to your audience. and if you're as afraid to accept my challenge as I think you are, if you don't even try to provide fact to back up what you said about me, no one watching this show is going to be surprised, Billy, because they will know that you will have proved everything that I just said.

Full transcript follows (as taken from their real-time transcript attached to the video):