"As we told you last night, Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod admitted that years ago she held back some government assistance to a white farmer because of the color of his skin. After hearing that I said 'Ms. Sherrod must resign immediately,' and that's exactly what happened. But if you were watching the network news last night you would know nothing about the story. Once again, an embarrassing moment for the Obama administration was not covered. In the big picture this is a small story; every administration has had employees do dumb things. But why the news blackout when things become unpleasant for the Obama administration? The answer has to be bias - the establishment press tilts left and is reluctant to do damage to a very liberal president. There's no other reason to spike stories that bring millions of viewers to Fox News. You would think the other TV news operations, all of whom are not doing well, would want to attract that large audience. Apparently they don't."

The Factor welcomed Obama-watchers Monica Crowley and Alan Colmes, the latter of whom put forth a vigorous defense of Shirley Sherrod. "She said something 24 years ago," Colmes declared, "and the videotape that went viral was a two-and-a-half minute segment of a much longer tape. In fact, she did help the white family and kept them out of foreclosure. We did not hear the whole story and I see witch hunts against people conservatives don't like." Crowley accused many in the media of covering for the President. "From the time Barack Obama announced his candidacy, the mainstream media have been incredibly activist on his behalf, drooling in support of this guy. How many Van Joneses are in this administration, how many Shirley Sherrods? Is this administration stocked with radicals, socialists and racists?"

When liberal Fox News analyst Kirsten Powers entered the No Spin Zone, The Factor questioned her about some specific stories that have been ignored by the mainstream media. Powers said Van Jones, the former "green jobs czar" and self-proclaimed Marxist, did not merit coverage: "If people want to know about Jones, they can look on the blogosphere. But it's not a news story for you or Katie Couric." Powers also endorsed the scant coverage of alleged voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party, saying "reporters probably know that the whistleblower is a long-time conservative activist." She summarized that stories about Van Jones, Shirley Sherrod, the New Black Panthers and others are "character assassinations." But The Factor insisted that media outlets are abrogating their responsibility: "The public has a right to know who is serving them, but we're looking at a complete news blackout by the network news. This is the biggest journalistic scandal in the history of the republic."

British Prime Minister David Cameron met with President Obama Tuesday and both were questioned about allegations that BP lobbied for the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel al-Megrahi. Fox News analyst Charles Krauthammer argued that BP probably did nothing out of the ordinary. "The only reason this is becoming a story," Krauthammer said, "is because there's a leak in the Gulf and everybody is upset with BP. Is it really news that BP would have lobbied Libya to get concessions? It's the government of the UK that released al-Megrahi and that's where the blame lies. I want to know how they could possibly believe the false story that this guy had a few weeks to live." The Factor called for an aggressive investigation of BP and everyone else involved: "Aren't you, as a human being and a very astute analyst, curious why the Scottish government would release this guy? And right after he gets released BP goes into Libya to make a lot of money. Don't you want to know if something untoward happened?"

Democrats in Congress have pushed through an extension of unemployment benefits that will cost the federal government $34 billion. The Factor asked FNC's John Stossel exactly what the government owes to the unemployed. "I'm a libertarian," Stossel replied, "so I say government owes you the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The government does not owe you money, it owes us an economy that has low unemployment. Instead, the government passes thousand-page bills that kill jobs. I know it sounds cruel, but the 'safety net' encourages people not to look for work. As a libertarian I would say there shouldn't be unemployment insurance." The Factor countered that government has an obligation to help: "It's not the fault of most Americans who have lost their jobs that Wall Street wise guys traded in bad mortgage paper. You can't pursue happiness if you're destitute."

Under the "Stolen Valor Act," it is a crime to lie about receiving military honors. A Colorado judge has declared the law unconstitutional, which The Factor took up with legal analysts Lis Wiehl and Kimberly Guilfoyle. "The judge is wrong," Wiehl pronounced, "because this guy Rick Strandlof committed fraud. He says he went to Iraq and got the Purple Heart and the Silver Star, then he went to an alliance and got a job because of these lies." The legal wizards also examined the constitutionally of forcing people to purchase health care and the administration's decision to label the mandate a "tax." "The President went on news programs," Guilfoyle recalled, "saying this is absolutely not a tax, but now they're saying that in fact it is a tax and the government has the power to levy taxes." Setting modesty aside, The Factor reminded the attorneys of a past prediction: "Aren't you ladies stunned that I, a civilian with no law school training, said from the beginning that this mandate is not constitutional?"

Some evangelical Christians are arguing for "comprehensive immigration reform," which usually means giving illegals a path to citizenship. The Factor welcomed Mat Staver of the conservative Liberty Counsel, who outlined his group's immigration plan. "We have to secure the borders," Staver said, "and we have to enforce laws against hiring illegal immigrants. Then we have to deal with the 12-million people who are here staring us in the face. My proposal is that we provide them an opportunity for earned legal status. That includes penalties, going to the end of the line and going through the normal process to become legal." The Factor stressed the need to seal the border and to treat immigrants with compassion: "If I were destitute in Mexico and had mouths to feed, I'd sneak in here and send the money home. I don't want to punish these people, but I want the rule of law to prevail. And right now it isn't."

Jim Forman, Huntington Beach, CA: "Bill, your talking points memo was spot on. Led by the New York Times, the blatant bias of the traditional media diminishes our public discourse."

Jim Smith, Boston, MA: "I find it incredibly suspicious that any journalist interviewing Attorney General Holder would not be aware of the Panther controversy. I think Bob Schieffer is lying."

Tom Burley, Alto, MI: "When Howard Kurtz and others speak with a surly tone about Fox News it is because they are jealous of its success."

Kathy Kenslow, Fresno, CA: "Fox News is now the mainstream media? God help us! I say that because FNC downplays stories favorable to liberals."

Tuesday's Patriots and or Pinheads: Perhaps Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber, stars of the new spy movie "Salt," who expansively expressed their views on the recent Russia-U.S. spy swap.