The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
Is It Legal?
Impact Segment
Factor Followup
Personal Story
Ingraham Angle
Factor Mail
Tip of the Day
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President Obama Defines ISIS
Guests:Max Boot & David Tafuri
"Talking Points believes the number one problem in the world is the Islamic jihad. That's because Iran is tied into that situation and is close to developing a nuclear weapon. But even without Iran, when you have millions of Muslims believing they can murder infidels at will, you have a historical problem. President Obama now says that a 60-country coalition will 'slowly push back ISIL out of Iraq.' Slowly is the key word there. As thousands are being slaughtered, the USA and other Western powers are acting slowly. So let's break it down. The U.S. defeated the Iraqi insurgency, including al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. Subsequently, the Iraqi government blew it, persecuting the Sunni minority, leading to chaos and corruption. President Obama went against nearly every general and national security person and withdrew all U.S. combat troops from Iraq. A huge mistake, perhaps the biggest error he has made. Jihadists began to run wild and infiltrated Iraq from Syria. The president ignored the situation and called the ISIS savages the junior varsity. So now we have another war in Iraq, with Iran fighting ISIS. There is extreme violence and thousands of human beings are being killed. Analyzing this, the president comes to the conclusion that it was President Bush's fault. While the Iraq War cost far too much blood and treasure, it was a victory until President Obama mucked it up. If 10,000 U.S. forces had remained in Iraq, ISIS could not have achieved a foothold and Iran would not be running the show. But you will never convince President Obama of that. Finally, about the 60-nation coalition the president refers to so often. It's a phantom! These countries do little or nothing and President Obama is hiding behind this phony facade. If there were indeed 60 nations committed to wiping out ISIS, these savages would already be dead. Does everybody get that?"

Foreign policy specialists Max Boot and David Tafuri joined The Factor with their analysis of President Obama's strategy. "You're absolutely correct," Boot declared, "in that this problem has arisen on President Obama's watch and he has to take responsibility for dealing with it. But he's not doing enough - since we began bombing ISIS, they have actually increased the amount of territory they control in Syria. We are handing the country to Iran on a silver platter." Tafuri, who advised President Obama, staunchly defended his former boss. "We should have left a residual force behind, but that would not have solved the problem with ISIS. Keep in mind that the withdrawal timeline from Iraq was set by President Bush before he left office. President Obama followed that timeline and he has made progress."
Americans Fighting Against ISIS
Guests:Kimberly Guilfoyle & Lis Wiehl
Some American veterans are heading off to the Middle East to join the fight against ISIS. Lis Wiehl and Kimberly Guilfoyle examined the legality of the warriors' actions. "It's absolutely legal," Wiehl declared, "as long as they're going voluntarily, they don't commit war crimes, and they don't team up with a terrorist group that is against us." Guilfoyle pointed out one ironic complication, namely that the U.S. vets may be fighting alongside troops from Iran. "Iran is now jumping into the fray and providing support to the Iraqi army, so what is the classification of Iran as it relates to the United States?" Before departing, Guilfoyle made the St. Patrick's Day revelation that she is half Irish, half Puerto Rican, and 100% celebratory.
Illegal Drugs in America
Guests:Monica Crowley & Kirsten Powers
President Obama says non-violent drug offenders are treated too harshly by the criminal justice system, a contention The Factor discussed with Monica Crowley and Kirsten Powers. "The president is right," Powers asserted, "we do have too many non-violent drug offenders. The offenders are not only the people who are selling the drugs, they are also the consumers. This was part of the war on drugs, which has been a colossal failure." But Crowley argued that drug merchants are in fact inciting violence. "Dealing drugs should be classified as a violent offense. Go into any drug-addled community and you can see the human wreckage." The Factor vehemently disagreed with Powers and President Obama: "Selling heroin, cocaine, and meth is not a non-violent action. Those substances kill you, enslave you, they ruin lives and families."
Chaos in Public Schools
Guest:Paul Sperry
Many public schools in the USA are beset by violence and mayhem. Journalist Paul Sperry, who tracked the problem in Chicago, joined The Factor with some of his findings. "Chicago is trying a softer discipline approach," he reported, "but it is not working as a deterrent to violence. Under 'restorative justice,' problem kids are encouraged to talk about their feelings and the root causes of their anger, while others are supposed to sit there and show respect. Teachers say it's just leading to chaos. There are kids roaming the halls, threatening teachers, and actually groping teachers." The Factor complained, "When you allow this kind of behavior, you undermine teachers and you'll have parents pulling their kids out of the school."
The Return of Barney Frank
Guest:Barney Frank
Former Congressman Barney Frank, whose previous forays into the No Spin Zone were notoriously contentious, rejoined The Factor to boast about President Obama's accomplishments. "The economy is a very important accomplishment for which he deserves credit," Frank began. "From the time he took office until now there has been an enormous turnaround. There has also been financial reform, and he has been very forceful in helping us diminish prejudice based on sexual orientation." The Factor reminded Frank, "Wages are still down and that's the key indicator." Frank also claimed that race relations are better and that President Obama brought U.S. troops home from Iraq. But no Barney Frank appearance would be complete without some disputatiousness. "No one ever gets a chance to talk on your show," he groused. "You're not hurting my feelings, you're hurting the discussion."
More on the Hillary Clinton Scandal
Guest:Laura Ingraham
The State Department has finally conceded that Hillary Clinton did not sign a standard departure form indicating that she had turned over all her documents. Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham opined on that revelation. "Whether or not she signed that form," Ingraham said, "she could still have exposure on obstruction of justice. Her private emails were destroyed, and if that was done to evade an upcoming investigation, that is an obstruction of justice. That could be the real problem for her." The Factor concluded, "It will be very hard to know what emails she erased if they do not get her server."
Viewers Sound Off
Factor Words of the Day
Chris Kasting, Johnson City, TN: "Bill, why don't you go down to the State Department and crack some heads?"

Barb Maudsley, Bountiful, UT: "We the People will learn who is telling Jen Psaki to stonewall as soon as we learn who told Susan Rice to mislead on the Benghazi issue."

Brian, Wareham, MA: "Mr. O, my sociology professor told the class that whites slaughtered Indians and that institutional racism puts African-Americans at a disadvantage."

Julie Hayzlett, Murfreesboro, TN: "Bill, I don't think the nuns would be pleased to see Jesse Watters covering '50 Shades of Grey.'"
Ethnic Pride
It's a proud day for the Irish, and you should also be proud of your own ethnicity, which helps define who you are.