President Obama, Bill O’Reilly go head-to-head in pre-Super Bowl interview matchup

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The President and the outspoken Fox News Channel commentator tackled a series of political topics before ending on a surprisingly sweet note. Obama also predicted the score of game would be 24-21 but did not pick a winner.

President Obama went one-on-one with outspoken conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly Sunday, in a pre-Super Bowl matchup that turned out to be almost as exciting as the football game that would follow. Obama re-fought a number of old fights with the forthright commentator during the brief but highly contentious discussion that aired live just two hours ahead of the Super Bowl kickoff.

“We all anticipated there would be glitches ... I don’t think I anticipated or anybody anticipated the degree of the problems of the website,” he said.

O’Reilly didn’t waste any time in throwing back a counterpunch, asking Obama if it was 'the biggest mistake of your presidency to tell the nation ... you can keep your insurance?' “You’ve got a long list of mistakes I’ve made,” Obama shot back. “This is one that I regret.”

The odd couple then engaged in a tense and lengthy discussion about the 2013 IRS scandal, during which the agency targeted conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status with added scrutiny, as well as the White House response to the tragic Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that left U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens dead. The acidic 10-minute interview, however, ended on a sweet note, with O’Reilly thanking Obama for his time and wishing him a surprising compliment.

"I know you think we haven’t been fair, but I think your heart is in the right place,” O’Reilly said. Obama then predicted the final score of the Super Bowl would be 24-21, but did not say whether he thought the Seattle Seahawks or Denver Broncos would win. RELATED: BRADSHAW OFF SUPER BOWL BROADCAST D

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