O'Reilly slams 'blind ideologue, Kool-Aid drinker' Laura Ingraham

It was a clash of the partisans on Fox News.

When teased by right-wing radio talker Laura Ingraham about his alleged "gushing" over Michelle Obama during the White House Christmas party, Bill O'Reilly was quick to bristle.

"Wait a minute," he said. "I'm going to call you out on this. I thought she was very nice at the party. I thought she treated everyone respectfully, and you're giving me a hard time about that?"

O'Reilly had written earlier in the week that the Obamas had been very kind to him and all the guests, and that he considers it a privilege to visit the White House. He even called the first lady “charismatic, articulate, and beautiful,” according to Think Progress.

"What do you think she's going to do to you?" Ingraham asked. "Not let you near the punch bowl?"

"It happened, and you have a beef with it?" O'Reilly jawed back.

"I don't remember you gushing about Laura Bush," she retorted.

"Then you have a bad memory, Miss Laura!" he belted. "Because, I said, when she gave the initial speech back in 2000, I was the first broadcaster to say, 'This woman gave an extraordinary speech'... So, you don't know what you're talking about!"

Ingraham decided to push it. "Did you eat an ACORN cookie last night?"

"Oh, bull..." he began. "You are a blind ideologue who, even if someone is nice to you won't admit it because you-- talk about a Kool-aid drinker! C'mon! You have an IV attached to your arm on the Kool-aid!"

This video was snipped by Media Matters, as broadcast by Fox News on Dec. 17, 2009.