The O’Reilly factor remains the number one cable news show on television (at least according to Neilsen ratings, which doesn’t account for online viewership). His ratings beat any of the shows on MSNBC or CNN. He’s the “top dog”.

Knowing this is why it’s simply inexcusable for Mr. O’Reilly to continue to LIE about the dedicated journalism of NBC News (of which MSNBC and NBC News are inextricably linked) with regard to American drone strikes. O’Reilly claims DIRECTLY that NBC News has been mum on drone strikes. He accuses NBC News directly of protecting the President, and asks “why aren’t they speaking out” about drones.

This is complete and utter nonsense. NBC News has been relentless in their criticism of the Obama Administration’s drone program, and the very scary issues regarding it. The proof is out in the real world for all of YouTube to see. So I’ve decided to provide a little compendium of the drone coverage.

From my recollection, here’s Rachel Maddow’s first story covering the drone war… aired December 5th, 2009

And further coverage of Maddow discussing the death of Anwar Al-Awlaki and Samir Khan by drone strike. She’s openly criticizing the Obama Administration because Al-Awlaki and Khan were American citizens. This was in 2011…

Oh, and nevermind that Ms. Maddow’s book Drift discusses drone strikes as a central tennet of military privitization.

And then of course, Tuesday night… when Ms. Maddow interviewed Michael Isikoff after he obtained classified documents on the drone strikes.

So it’s time for Bill O’Reilly to come clean and simply admit that he lied to his viewers. With all of the coverage that NBC News and MSNBC have done about drone strikes, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY that the educated and informed staff of the O’Reilly Factor could have missed Rachel Maddow’s criticism of the Obama Administration on this. The jig is up O’Reilly… and we are calling you out.