Hotline After Dark -- There's A First Time For Everything

FNC's Bill O'Reilly caught up with Hillary Clinton in South Bend, IN. The two-part interview marks Clinton's first-ever appearance on the "O'Reilly Factor." Here are some highlights from part one:

O'Reilly: "Can you believe this Reverend Wright guy? Can you believe this guy?"

Clinton: "Well, I'm going to leave it up to voters to decide, you know."

O'Reilly: "No, no, no, no. But you're an American citizen. I'm an American citizen. He's an American citizen, Reverend Wright. What do you think when you hear a fellow American citizen say that stuff about America? What do you think?"

Clinton: "Well, I take offense at it. I think it's offensive and outrageous. And, you know, I'm going to express my opinion, others can express theirs. ... It is part of, you know, just an atmosphere that we're in today where all kinds of things are being said. And people have to, you know, decide what they believe. And I sure don't believe the United States government was behind AIDS."

After the jump, more of HRC's interview and Michelle Obama speaks out on Rev. Wright (KATHERINE LEHR).

More Clinton: "But what people are talking to me about is not that. ... For the presidential campaign, they want to know more about what I'm going to do about gas prices, to be blunt."

Clinton, asked if she feels sorry for Obama: "Well, I think that he made his views clear finally that he disagrees. And I think that's what he had to do."

O'Reilly: "Are you surprised that FOX News has been fairer to you than NBC News and a lot of the other liberal news networks? Are you surprised?"

Clinton: "I wouldn't expect anything less than a fair and balanced coverage of my campaign. ... I'm running for the toughest job in the world, and it goes with the territory" (FNC, 4/30).

HOW IT PLAYED

Dem strategist Tanya Acker: "I thought it was a masterful interview. ... I thought that it was very clever and smart of the Clinton campaign to agree to this in the first instance. And I thought she did a fine job" ("O'Reilly Factor," FNC, 4/30).

CNBC's Harwood: "Hillary Clinton can be very confident that Bill O'Reilly's viewers know about Jeremiah Wright, know plenty about Jeremiah Wright. ... She's talking to those voters on the terms that she wants to tonight. Probably a smart move by her to go on the show" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 4/30).

Ex-WH spokesperson Dee Dee Myers, asked if Clinton will address the Wright issue again before IN: "I don't think she'll address it unless she gets asked about it by the news media, which of course, is entirely possible. ... I think it's frustrating to the candidates when these issues come up and they're not hearing about it on the campaign trail. And yet, they keep getting asked about it and it keeps dominating the headlines. ... That's sort of the way the game is played at this point and both teams have to deal with it. It's frustrating" ("AC 360," CNN, 4/30).

Pat Buchanan: "You don't pile on Reverend Wright when other folks are doing the job for you" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 4/30).

LET'S GIVE THEM NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT

CNN's Malveaux sat down with Michelle Obama last night.

M. Obama, on the Wright controversy: "With all due respect, we are moving forward. I think Barack was so clear and has been so open about this issue, and he speaks for me as well. I think the timing and sort of the details and the process is, you know, it just isn't relevant to what we are trying to do. So, yes, it was painful. Yes, it has been difficult, but I think that, you know, the more difficult thing that this country is facing is really trying to move politics into conversations around problems and problem-solving. And that is what we are going to be pretty determined to do."

More M. Obama: "One of the reasons why we try to do interviews like this is not to talk about Reverend Wright, but talk about who we are beyond that caricature. And sometimes things get bogged down. And you know we do our best to say this is who we really are, and that takes time. But with time comes familiarity and growth, and we are confident that the American people are ready to move to a different place" ("AC 360," 4/30).

M. Obama and Barack Obama also sat down with NBC's Meredith Vieira. The interview will air in full this a.m. on "Today," but the MSNBC shows gave a preview last night.

Vieira: "Michelle, do you feel that Reverend Wright betrayed your husband?"

M. Obama: "You know, I think Barack has spoken so clearly and eloquently about this."

Vieira: "But do you personally feel that the reverend betrayed your husband?"

M. Obama: "You know what I think, Meredith? We have got to move forward. You know, this conversation doesn't help my kids. It doesn't help kids out there who are looking for us to make decisions and choices about how we're going to better fund education" (mult., 4/30).

See today's Hotline for more.