Bill O'Reilly's Indie Instincts

In a no-frills studio in Fox News' Manhattan headquarters, Bill O'Reilly was wrangling with a guest, as usual.

This time it wasn't a liberal foe but conservative strategist Dick Morris, who was hammering the Justice Department for hiring a group of lawyers -- dubbed the "Al Qaeda Seven" by the right-wing advocacy group Keep America Safe -- that had represented terrorism suspects in private practice.

But O'Reilly didn't buy Morris' argument that the lawyers' past work made them a security risk. "You shouldn't be demonized because you take on an unpopular client," he countered.

The top-rated cable talk-show host has always been a contrarian, a self-described culture warrior who touts traditionalism while also favoring gay adoption and some gun-control measures. But in recent months, as the country's political discourse has curdled, O'Reilly's independent streak has become even more pronounced -- particularly in contrast to Fox News' newest star, Glenn Beck, who has rallied both passionate fans and detractors with his apocalyptic rhetoric about the Obama administration.