Two days ago, Michelle Obama made this poorly-worded statement to supporters in Milwaukee:

For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country, because it feels like hope is making a comeback.

There’s no doubt that Michelle Obama has been proud of her country before, and she was almost certainly referring to our country’s politics, which have a much sketchier record over the last few decades than America itself.  But nevertheless, that is exactly the kind of statement that Republicans historically have used to tear Democratic candidates apart.  Even Cindy McCain couldn’t resist taking a shot yesterday, and it’s hard to blame her.  The fact that it has taken 48 hours for the Obama campaign to issue a reponse from Michelle Obama herself only compounds the mistake.  Today, in Rhode Island, she made this clarifying statement:

I am proud.  I’m proud of this country, I’m proud of the fact that people are ready to roll up their sleeves and do something phenomenal.  But let me tell you something.  I know I wouldn’t be here, standing here… Barack and I, our stories wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for a fundamental belief and pride in this country and what it stands for.

Ordinarily, this might have been too little, too late to completely put out the fire that’s raging in conservative circles.  But the Obama campaign got a ton of help on that front earlier today when an over enthusiastic Bill O’Reilly walked head first into this buzzsaw on his radio show:

I don’t want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there’s evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels.  If that’s how she really feels— that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever— then that’s legit.

There’s no way to know if the despicable racial undertones in O’Reilly’s statement were deliberate.  Typically, ambiguous gaffes like this are the result of carelessness rather than deliberate malevolence, such as the Golf Channel announcer who used a similar phrase regarding Tiger Woods.  But given O’Reilly’s long history of making racially inflammatory statements, he deserves to be thrown to the wolves on this one.  He has earned a suspension at the least, and surely more than a few people will not rest until he receives one.

But even before O’Reilly is punished, the embarrassment caused by his wildly inappropriate statement and the news that is sure to surround how Fox News responds will likely overshadow the original story and quell much of the enthusiasm with which conservatives have been attacking Michelle Obama.  There’s nothing to be gained by the Obama campaign pushing this story, but it will be pushed (I’m guessing Al Sharpton’s line may be busy for the next few days).  And make no mistake, Bill O’Reilly very well may have just bailed the Obama campaign out of the hole they’ve been ignoring since Monday.