FNC's Glenn Beck Throws Himself (Another) Pity Party

Whatever you think of their politics, the most insufferable aspect of Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly is their ability to twist every ounce of criticism back -- whether it's legitimate or not -- into a pity party for themselves.

Both hosts spend an ungodly amount of time talking about those out to persecute them ("smear merchants," O'Reilly likes to call them), which doubtless helps bond them to the most loyal members of their audience but proves a chore to endure for everyone else.

The odd part is that these pampered, fabulously compensated hosts still manage to consistently paint themselves as victims, and that their listeners/viewers buy it. To be fair, they're certainly not alone in this regard, with CNN's Lou Dobbs and to a lesser degree MSNBC's Keith Olbermann also using their platforms to lash out at critics.

At a certain point, the thin skin begins to look like crass calculation, though I've come to believe that O'Reilly, at least, is dead serious about how "vile" people are out to ruin him -- a remnant of the sexual harassment suit brought against hims several years ago.

Anyway, Media Matters has Beck's latest "They're out to get me" monologue from his radio show, and it's a pretty good summation of the tone of these "Please cry for me, Argentina" weep-fests.