'I have more power than anybody other than the president,' Bill O’Reilly said. O'Reilly: Only Obama more powerful

Fox broadcaster Bill O’Reilly is not lacking for pride.

“I have more power than anybody other than the president, in the sense that I can get things changed, quickly,” he told Newsweek for a profile out this week.


The Newsweek story paints the picture of a successful - if self-satisfied - television host whose ratings dominate his primetime competition with ease.

The powerhouse viewership has brought him real influence in American politics, he claims.

“I don’t have to go through the legislative process; I don’t have to do any of that. I can just bring it to the people, and say, look, this has gotta be dealt with,” O’Reilly said.

O’Reilly argues that an appearance on his show can be valuable even for his worst enemies, and that his aggressive lines of questioning can benefit those who can handle it.

“If they do well, they get huge, huge currency,” O’Reilly says. “I mean, the upside is just enormous.”

O’Reilly says that he really wants to interview former Vice President Dick Cheney - something that the Fox host has persistently tried to do over the past decade. So far, he’s had no luck. The reason? O’Reilly says it’s fear of appearing in the “no-spin zone” that his show is known for.

“There is a fear factor,” O’Reilly explains. “I’ve watched four or five of [Cheney’s] interviews — I mean, it’s all cupcakes, you know? I ask ’em questions, all right? Obama. I mean, when Obama sits with me, he doesn’t know what the hell’s coming, and it’s exciting. It’s exciting.”

Indeed, O’Reilly had some nice things to say about Obama, who once invited the host to the White House for an interview and showed him a copy of the Gettysburg Address written by Abraham Lincoln himself.

“A guy like Obama, he’s got reason to be afraid [of aggressive questioning], and he’s not… He’s composed; he likes to joust,” said O’Reilly. “I agree with the 70 percent of Americans who like him…I like him.”

O’Reilly sat for the interview to promote a new book he had co-authored with historian Martin Dugard, “Killing Lincoln.” The book, O’Reilly tells Newsweek, is not meant to be scholarly, but rather a thriller designed to keep readers captive.