Clinton Pays a Visit to O'Reilly, Who Calls Her Tax Policy 'Socialism'

WASHINGTON — Bill O'Reilly has often called Senator Clinton's policy prescriptions "socialist" and attacked her husband's record as president. Last night, however, he got to say it to her face.

Mrs. Clinton survived her first interview with the Fox News host, confidently and at times playfully sparring with him over taxes, health care, and the economy.

Mr. O'Reilly broadcast the first part of his much-hyped sitdown with Mrs. Clinton last night, and true to his signature style, the affair was as much a debate as it was an interview.

One of the former first lady's most vocal critics, Mr. O'Reilly didn't mince words. With the two seated a few feet apart in South Bend, Ind., he told Mrs. Clinton that her tax policy amounted to "socialism," that the New York economy had worsened during her tenure as senator, and that her husband did "bupkis" to solve the energy crisis during his eight years in the White House.

"You know you're going to bankrupt us with HillCare, right?" Mr. O'Reilly asked, referring to Mrs. Clinton's plan for universal health insurance coverage.

She smiled. "No, I'm not. You know that's not true." Her health care plan, she said, would not impose a new government bureaucracy and would cut costs over the long term.

On taxes, Mrs. Clinton defended her proposal to raise taxes on Americans making more than $250,000 a year, saying she would use the money to ease the burden on the middle class.

When Mr. O'Reilly noted that he would face higher taxes as a result, she replied, "I'm very happy that you're going to pay more" to help lower-income Americans. "I am going to take as much as you were paying in the '90s, and as I recall, you did pretty well in the '90s," Mrs. Clinton said.

Characterizing her tax policy as Robin Hood-style income redistribution, Mr. O'Reilly said, "That's socialism. That has a socialist component."

"No, it isn't," she replied, comparing her economic philosophy to a Republican president, Theodore Roosevelt, who she called "a great American."

Mrs. Clinton was making her first appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor" as part of her bid to woo more conservative, working class Democrats. In addition to praising Roosevelt, she had kind words for President Reagan, saying she would "learn a lesson" from him in tackling the rising costs of Social Security. The words came a little over two months after she criticized Senator Obama for praising Reagan.

In the interview, Mrs. Clinton also weighed in briefly on the controversy surrounding Mr. Obama's former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr. She said she found his recent comments "offensive and outrageous" but declined to criticize Mr. Obama over the association. The second part of the interview airs tonight.