Why Does Bill O'Reilly Feel Like He Can Speak for Black America?

I just read an article on msn.com regarding comments that Bill O'Reilly made to the effect that Michael Jackson is not a Black icon. You can read the article here: http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=420144&gt1=28103

He touches on the fact that Michael changed his skin color and is not the biological father of his children. Anyone with eyes in their head knew that before there were ever any DNA tests. Bleaching one's skin doesn't change their genes. If you're Black, you're Black and if you have children with someone who's not, then some part of your genetics is going to show up. Those kids are white. So what? That's no concern of mine.

O'Reilly also sees Michael's need to change his skin color as Michael turning his back on the Black community. I feel like Michael's choice had nothing to do with any kind of dissatisfaction with the Black community. I think it had more to do with his dissatisfaction with himself and maybe with the man who raised him. There are horror stories about the way that Joe treated Michael. Joe has also proven himself to be someone that the public should have no sympathy for as evidenced by his appearance at the BET awards and his "need" to promote his new record label and its artists during a time when he should be mourning his youngest son.

Michael Jackson surrounded himself with people of all races. While I really wish that he hadn't decided to have all of that plastic surgery and change his skin color, I don't see it as him trying to break away from being Black. I see it as him trying to break away from his childhood as Michael Joseph Jackson, a child who some could say was exploited for his own father's personal gain. His change in looks is the farthest he could get from that. I feel that his decision goes deeper than race. As a Black person, I feel that I can speak on it with much more insight than someone like Bill O'Reilly.