Lou Dobbs on 'The O'Reilly Factor': Former CNN Anchor Says He's "Partly to Blame" For Low Ratings

Bill O'Reilly did not make his Fox News 'Factor' audience wait, starting off his hour-long show with a coveted sit down interview with Lou Dobbs. O'Reilly promised he'd find out why Dobbs left CNN so abruptly last week, after 27 years with the news network.

By way of introduction, O'Reilly speculated -- as only he can -- that Dobbs was likely pushed out due to his hard stance on illegal immigration and criticisms of the Obama administration. He even showed a clip of a recent 'Saturday Night Live' parody in which the Dobbs character renames CNN to a Spanish-friendly Si NN. O'Reilly then joyfully referred to his guest as "recently emancipated."Bill O'Reilly did not make his Fox News 'Factor' audience wait, starting off his hour-long show with a coveted sit down interview with Lou Dobbs. O'Reilly promised he'd find out why Dobbs left CNN so abruptly last week, after 27 years with the news network.

By way of introduction, O'Reilly speculated -- as only he can -- that Dobbs was likely pushed out due to his hard stance on illegal immigration and criticisms of the Obama administration. He even showed a clip of a recent 'Saturday Night Live' parody in which the Dobbs character renames CNN to a Spanish-friendly Si NN. O'Reilly then joyfully referred to his guest as "recently emancipated."

Dobbs appeared quite humble throughout their 10-minute chat, and O'Reilly took a few more minutes than is usually given to his guests, hoping, it seemed, to push Dobbs into condemning his former CNN bosses. O'Reilly pointed out the time slot changes and that it appeared as if when "ratings leveled," CNN was less likely to back up Dobbs and more likely to switch around his time slot.

The former anchor said that, in all honesty, he had "absolute editorial control" during his CNN tenure, but did add that recent admin changes had also switched the station's editorial policy away from opinion and advocacy journalism in a move towards a more neutral presentation.

Though Dobbs admits that the New York Times, extreme left wing Democrats and various immigration advocacy groups attacked him -- and that he has received phone threats as well as having his house shot at -- he did not satisfy O'Reilly's attempts to lay some blame on CNN. When the host asked Dobbs if perhaps Dobbs' position on the Bush administration had been welcome at CNN and not his current questioning of Obama, Dobbs gave O'Reilly a little bit more, saying: "I don't know whether that was the distinction that triggered CNN management, but it is the only difference between the way I conducted myself."

O'Reilly continued to bombard Dobbs, talking about lower ratings at CNN, trying to lure Dobbs with statements such as, "Every show without an opinion is dying." Dobbs, again, was careful not to take the bait. "I'm just talent," he said. "Their ratings are lower than they should be, but I'm partly to blame for that."



Dobbs clarified his position on Obama, saying he firmly believes the president is indeed a citizen, but "why not produce the doggone birth certificate?" He continued by saying that "Obama is not the devil," but that he feels the public needs to know why it's taking the President so long to make a decision in Afghanistan. O'Reilly, who later apologized for putting words in Dobbs' mouth, said that perhaps Dobbs feels as if Obama is mismanaging the country. Dobbs agreed.

The interview ended with Dobbs promising to make regular appearances on 'The O'Reilly Factor,' though there was no mention of the now-former CNN man and current radio host's rumored Fox show. When O'Reilly asked about possible interest in the New Jersey Senate, Dobbs said, "My wife and I are thinking about a lot of opportunities ... I am going to remain in the public arena."

Meanwhile on CNN, Dobbs' slot is currently being filled by the likes of Campbell Brown and Wolf Blitzer until newly named host John King's new hour-long topical news program debuts.