The Factor Rundown
Eric Bolling
Unresolved Problems Segment
Want KILLING REAGAN Free?
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Destroying the ISIS Threat
Eric began Friday's show with President Obama's vow to "destroy" the terrorists of ISIS. Middle East experts Rick Grenell and Matthew Duss provided their analysis of the situation. "Some people believe that you should leave the hornet's nest right where it is," Grenell said, "but the fact is that you're going to get stung. There are people who want to destroy America, they are plotting, and the lesson of 9/11 is that we cannot let the guy get into the plane before we deal with him." Duss argued that military must be supplemented by diplomacy. "There's nothing wrong with getting tough with ISIS, but I think it is a problem if the only thing we do is air strikes. There has to be a much broader political strategy to accompany the military option. You have to address the grievances that contribute to young men joining groups like ISIS." Eric took umbrage with Duss's suggestion that we should try to understand the Islamists' anger: "Are you suggesting that we sit down and talk to these people and find out what's making them mad at us before we fight back?"
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At War with ISIS?
Administration officials have been contradictory as to whether the United States is actually at war with ISIS. Eric tried to sort out the confusion with radio talk show host Richard Fowler. "The word 'war' is a matter of semantics," Fowler asserted. "The truth is that we're having a limited military strike in northern Syria and northern Iraq. We can all agree that it's the right thing to do, and the fact that we're arguing over the word 'war' is mind-numbing to me. ISIS is not a country, it's a group of people in the desert who are creating havoc." But Eric insisted that we are indeed at war and that should be clearly stated: "When you see beheaded Americans on video, that would be considered an act of war. And when we fly hundreds of sorties to bomb ISIS, that's war. They don't want to call it war because they don't want to go to Congress for a vote."
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Angry Families
The families of James Foley and Steven Sotloff, the journalists who were beheaded by ISIS, have denounced the Obama administration for not allowing them to negotiate to free their sons. Eric asked Geraldo Rivera to elaborate. "I can certainly relate to the families," Rivera said, "and if this were my brother I would do anything I could to negotiate with anybody I could to save his life. Our country has a policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists, but that's a lie because we have negotiated with terrorists throughout our history." As one example, Rivera noted that the U.S. recently swapped five Taliban commanders for POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. "I would have negotiated to get the sergeant back because I don't think we can leave a G.I. behind. So the policy is hypocritical because the government does negotiate with terrorists. They tell you not to, but they do when it suits them."
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What Did the NFL Know?
Turning to the Ray Rice imbroglio, Eric welcomed Associated Press reporter Rob Maaddi, who broke the story that the NFL was in possession of the video showing Rice punching his then-fiancée. "We don't know exactly who possessed that tape," Maaddi said, "but we do know that the tape was in the building of the NFL league office. Everybody is now going to try to figure out whether Commissioner Roger Goodell actually saw it or who saw it at the NFL." Eric was then joined by sports reporter Jim Gray, who elaborated on the Rice case. "It's inexplicable to me how Ray Rice and his fiancée could both be charged with misdemeanors on that night. Then there was the prosecutor, the district attorney, and the judge. There was a massive failure of judgment here on all levels before you even get to the NFL, the team owner, the general manager, and the coach. It all broke down."
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Has Ray Rice Been Treated Fairly?
Some Baltimore Ravens fans, including many women, are sticking up for Ray Rice and claim that he is being judged too harshly. Eric discussed Rice's suspension with psychologist Bonny Forrest and attorney Steve Greenberg. "From a moral standpoint," Forrest said, "these players are role models for kids and we should be holding them to a higher standard. There is a domestic violence problem in the NFL and there should be a zero tolerance in the league." But Greenberg argued that Ray Rice's original two-game suspension was probably fair. "The evidence that we have is that the police looked at this, the prosecutors looked at it, the NFL conducted an investigation, and everybody said this was the penalty Ray Rice should pay. But now, because they have to protect their brand, they're making him the fall guy because they're bowing to public pressure."
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The Media and ISIS
Eric asked Fox News media analysts Howard Kurtz and Lauren Ashburn whether President Obama was pressured into action against ISIS by coverage of the gruesome beheadings of two Americans. "The media coverage was the decisive factor in a surge of public support for military action against ISIS," Kurtz affirmed. "Of course journalists need to cover the threat posed by these butchers and they needed to cover the beheadings, but the sheer volume of the coverage amounted to beating the war drums." Ashburn concurred that the media has played a major role in stirring President Obama to action. "Without those videos I doubt that you would have seen the president in a prime time address saying we'll go after these people. Those images were the catalyst for the administration to finally take some action. President Obama is a reluctant warrior and the press is saying, 'Do something!'"
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Kidnapped by Terrorists
Finally, Eric introduced Bill's interview with reporter David Rohde, who was captured by Taliban soldiers in 2008 and spent seven months under their control in Pakistan. "The Pakistani military didn't lift a finger to find me," Rohde said, "and as far as I know they made no effort to find Bowe Bergdahl for five years. In the beginning it was scary because I thought they were going to kill me." Rohde also commented on the furor over Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's release. "I think he has to answer a lot of questions about why he left his base. It's been a terrible five years and I'm sure he feels horrible about what he's put his family through. Maybe he deserted, but let's wait and hear his side of the story."
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