"Senator Obama was at his most eloquent Tuesday when he talked about race in America, calling it 'a part of our union that we have not yet made perfect.' Americans can only work those problems out if blacks and whites talk to each other. But that will not happen until bogus claims of racism become cardinal sins. Many Americans understand that any disagreement with a person of color can get you branded a racist. People like Jesse Jackson and far left smear machines like Media Matters make livings off race-baiting. Talking Points is simply fed up with this and is curious to know whether Senator Obama understands that race-baiters on the left are interfering with constructive dialogue. The bottom line is that Senator Obama must understand that many white Americans will not engage in race discussions because they fear making a mistake and being called a racist. That is undeniable, and if you still don't buy it, just give liberal icon Geraldine Ferraro a call."

The Factor was joined by radio host Laura Ingraham, who lamented the prevalence of views similar to Reverend Wright's. "We have a deeply anti-American movement growing worldwide with the far left radicals. There's a strain of it here in the United States, and you saw that at that pulpit. It's a divisive kind of rhetoric that scares people, and the larger question Barack Obama should address is this kind of hatred toward America. Is this helping people advance?" The Factor reiterated that many whites, even those of good will, are reluctant to talk honestly about race. "There is a lot of fear in the air. I don't know whether Barack Obama understands what you just said, that a lot of Americans fear the far left."

News Link: Wright controversy may dog Obama

The Factor reported that news organizations are investigating another story - Barack Obama's possible relationship with Illinois state senator James Meeks, a fiery minister who compared the mayor of Chicago to a slave master. In the meantime, how should Obama's political rivals handle this issue? Maria Cardona, a strategist for Hillary Clinton, steered clear of the controversy. "This is completely between Senator Obama," Cardona said, "and the American people. For now, Senator Clinton will continue her focus on her message." Former Republican Senator Rick Santorum advised John McCain to keep his powder dry, at least for the moment. "This is an issue McCain needs to stay away from, there's no point in him getting involved. The mainstream media has fawned over Barack Obama and now we're seeing another side. He joined this church for political advantage and he's paying the consequences."

News Link: Video: Another Obama associate blasts white 'slave masters' from pulpit

The Factor was joined by two prominent pollsters, both of whom noted a rapid decline in Barack Obama's poll numbers. "Hillary Clinton gained a net of seven points in three days," reported Scott Rasmussen. "I expect we're going to see a lot of volatility in the wake of Obama's speech. There are questions about electability that were not in play before. This will be with Barack Obama for the entire campaign." Ernie Paicopolos expanded on the same trend. "The race was already turning prior to the Wright situation, Hillary Clinton was closing. She has been trying to raise questions about Obama all along." The Factor suggested that Obama's momentum may be gone for good. "It looks like Pennsylvania is going to be a walk for Senator Clinton. The country certainly has far more questions about Barack Obama than a week ago, and the left-wing press can't spin this because of the power of the Wright tapes."

News Link: Poll: Wright story hurting Obama

The Catholic Church has listed seven new sins, among them amassing excess wealth, polluting the Earth and genetic engineering. Catholic advocate Christine O'Donnell explained the church's actions. "The bishop in charge of making social judgments was clarifying modern manifestations of original sins. He is saying the sin is the social injustice that causes the chasm between excessive wealth and great poverty. And the root sin of polluting or littering is the slothfulness and greed. The bishop was reminding us of our desperate need for forgiveness, and exhorting people to do a regular inspection of their conscience."

News Link: Vatican unveils 7 new sins

Speaking at the "Take America Back" conference, perennial PBS host Bill Moyers ridiculed Bill O'Reilly and Fox News. The Factor offered this response: "Moyers puts himself up, at our tax expense, as a fair and objective guy. And here he is at the biggest left-loon conference in the world mocking me. He's a charlatan who epitomizes the left-wing media in this country and doesn't even pay his employees' health insurance." Dennis Miller then added insult to insult. "I don't like the fact that Moyers has been partially on my dime for his entire career and his production company reaps the benefits from a lot of these tapes. And I don't like the fact that some guy on my dime is talking at a convention called 'Take Back America.' You don't have to 'take America back,' we'll give it back, you just haven't made enough sense to elect a president lately." Miller also weighed in with this observation of Barack Obama's speech: "On the plus side, he's still standing. On the downside, I don't think he can be president any more. There's almost no way the Democrats can't run Obama, and there's almost no way he can win the general election. I think the race is over, John McCain won the presidency in the past few days."

News Link: Spitzer escort may sue media

Internet ace Mary Katharine Ham began with news about Joe Francis, the notorious creator of "Girls Gone Wild," who was recently released from prison. "Francis found out that Eliot Spitzer's prostitute was a 'girl gone wild' when she was 18. She was taking her clothes off for no money, and Francis has her on video." Ham also scrutinized the war against Hillary Clinton supporters on the far-left Daily Kos web site. "This is indicative of the Obama-Hillary divide in the Democratic Party. On the liberal blogs, Hillary is the symbol of the centrist establishment, and the leaders in the community have decided she's not worthy of fair treatment." The Factor added that the so-called 'Kos Kids' are frequently unhinged. "The stuff on Daily Kos is so vile that some Hillary Clinton supporters are worried for their safety. And I want everyone should know that Newsweek magazine hired the founder of that site."

News Link: Spitzer escort was 17 in 'Girls Gone Wild' video

News Link: Footage: Spitzer escort in 'Girls Gone Wild'

Wednesday's Patriots: The New York Yankees, who went to Virginia Tech to play an exhibition game dedicated to the memory of the campus shooting victims. And the Pinhead: Heather Mills, who reportedly poured water on the head of Paul McCartney's attorney. Nominate a Pinhead or a Patriot by sending an email to pnp@billoreilly.com.

News Link: NY Yankees honor VA Tech

News Link: Pics: Heather Mills throws water on McCartney's atty

A sampling of your recent e-mails:

Cynthia Lauer, East Patchogue, NY: "O'Reilly, the fact that you would even try to point to the good parts of Obama's speech tells me you have been drinking kool-aid."

Pastor Steve Thomas, Davenport, IA: "O'Reilly, I am turned off by your political slaughtering of Obama."

Wayne Hepner, Staten Island, NY: "After seeing Obama's speech, I want him answering the White House phone. He doesn't panic easily."

Gwen Sullivan, Ridgewood, NJ: "I remain uneasy about Obama. He did not address the hate and misinformation coming out of his church."

Yochanan Elrom, Jerusalem, Israel: "What would black America think if John McCain had attended a white nationalist church?"