Sorry O'Reilly, but you're wrong

On tonight's program he took a letter from a reader who corrected him about his contention on Monday that the current Caliph of IS (formerly known as ISIL, formerly known as ISIS, formerly known as AQ in Iraq), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was released from jail during the Bush administration.

Amazingly (or not depending on who you are), he doubled down on his wrongness, claiming tonight that he was released in 2004. 

He's probably confused between the two Baghdadis.  See, the first Abu Baghdadi was known as Abu OMAR al-Baghdadi, who was killed in 2010 before we won the war and left Iraq in victory.  The new Baghdadi is Abu BAKR al-Baghdadi.

BAKR was captured by coalition forces and imprisoned in Camp Bucca jail in 2005.  He was released to Iraqi custody in 2009.  Then released by Iraq in 2010.  Here's Mother Jones reporting it--and managing to blame Bush:

In 2008, while reducing the numbers of US troops in the country, Bush signed an agreement with the Iraqi government that mandated that all detainees be handed over to Iraqi forces.

In accordance with this agreement, Baghdadi was transferred to Iraqi custody in 2009, and by 2010, the Iraqi government (for a reason not explained publicly) had set him free. That same year, Baghdadi assumed leadership of ISIS. He has since been dubbed "the new bin Laden."

Yes, it's hardly worth comment to spend time knocking down their idiotic premise.  But to be fair and balanced, here's a Gateway Pundit story on the same thing, blaming Obama.

The true blame belongs with neither US president, it belongs with al-Maliki.  Knowing O'Reilly he was likely trying so hard to be fair to the president (so he'll get another interview) that he let it cloud the facts.  But facts are facts, and he reports only the facts, which is why he says he calls it the fact-or.  So we'll expect Bill's correction of his correction to the correction on Wednesday night...