Guest: Fox News military analyst Col. Oliver North

"It doesn't matter whether there is a 'civil war' in Iraq - that is a media-driven situation. But it does matter whether the USA can control the situation. If the Bush administration has failed, here are the consequences for you. One, Iran will increase its power and begin to dominate the world's oil flow. All Americans will be at Iran's mercy when it comes to oil. Two, Al Qaeda would proclaim a great victory over America, and terrorists would have a sanctuary. Three, no one could stop Iran from getting nukes, so they develop doomsday weapons and give them to whomever. So you can see that allowing Iraq to go under would be a catastrophe for the world. But if the Iraqi people will not step up and fight for their freedom, there is little the USA can do. Therein lies the biggest foreign policy problem I have ever seen in my lifetime. Back here, we have a press that is invested in seeing that President Bush is humiliated in Iraq. Then there are those Americans who dislike the president so much they want America to lose. So there you have it - a hostile American and world media, an American public that has lost faith in the war, and some who are even rooting for a defeat. And then, the Iraqi people who will not step up and stop the madness they see every day. God help us, and I mean that literally."

For more on Iraq, The Factor was joined by Fox News military analyst Col. Oliver North, who demanded greater commitment from non-military components of the federal government. "This is a war that is being fought only by those on the ground, and not by the rest of our government." North provided two specific examples. "We've got soldiers building schools and putting textbooks in them, but no one from the Department of Education. We have the National Guard helping Iraqi farmers get better crop yields instead of our Department of Agriculture." The Factor argued that Col. North's prescription poses its own dangers. "You can't do that here because it's a terrorist insurgency. If you put American civilians over there, they'll be kidnapped and brutalized, and I don't think U.S. forces can protect them."

Related: Bush meets with Iraqi PM

Guest: Fox News crime analyst Det. Rod Wheeler

21-year old Cpl. Brian Matthews, just back from Iraq, was killed Thanksgiving night in Maryland when his car was struck by 25-year old Eduardo Soriano, an illegal immigrant who nevertheless had a valid driver's license. FNC analyst Rod Wheeler explained that illegals can easily obtain a driver's license in at least 15 states. "Soriano got his license in North Carolina, which is a magnet for a lot of illegal aliens, then exchanged that for a Maryland license." Wheeler added that Soriano's blood alcohol level was .32, four times the legal limit. The Factor summed up the tragedy like this: "The bottom line is that you have an Iraqi veteran and his girlfriend dead because North Carolina will not check a driver's license application and Maryland will not act aggressively when stopping people they suspect of being in the country illegally. That is the state of the union in the United States in 2006."

Related: Drunk illegal alien kills Iraq vet with car

Guest: Author Kieran Mulvaney

There has been a rash attacks by animals, including sting rays, alligators, a killer whale, a sea lion and even a wild turkey. Author Kieran Mulvaney claimed the attacks are partly because people are settling in new areas. "Some of it is just animals being animals, and we're expanding into their range a lot more. There is a lot of migration by people toward the coasts and a lot more interaction with coastal wildlife." Mulvaney predicted that any global warming may lead to even more attacks. "Some animals are going to become a lot more stressed looking for food. They're going to have to start moving to go look for food, and that could bring them in contact with people. So these situations could become more common." The Factor expressed surprise at the recent attacks on humans by sting rays. "We had Steve Irwin killed by a sting ray, and then there was another sting ray attack. I have never heard of this before and I'm a diver."

Related: Alligator Attack

Related: Killer Whale Attack

Related: Sea Lion Attack

Related: Wild Turkey Attack

Guest: Political analyst Dick Morris

Hillary Clinton has the money, but Barack Obama has the charm, at least according to a recent public opinion survey that ranked Obama extremely high in "likeability." Political analyst Dick Morris remarked on Obama's meteoric rise. "He has vaulted past Gore, past Kerry, past Edwards, and nobody knows him. He attracts tremendous attention, which is a commentary on how fed up people are with the usual suspects and how vulnerable Hillary is. 69% of the Democratic primary voters do not vote for Hillary." The Factor added that Barack Obama owes part of his popularity to a sympathetic interview by Oprah Winfrey. "This is an Oprah-driven candidacy. He appeared on her program and was very well accepted. He has no negatives because no one knows him, but he won't come on here."

Related: Which politicians are more likeable?

Related: Full Poll Results

Guests: Fox News contributor Jane Hall & author Bernard Goldberg

Jane Hall and Bernard Goldberg joined The Factor to scrutinize the media, in this case the press reaction to Danny DeVito's anti-Bush rant. The Factor asked why the press ignores, or even praises, celebrities who insult the president. Goldberg speculated that many reporters actually agree with the Bush-bashers. "In the liberal media culture, insults to the president - calling him a Nazi, a fascist, or a moron - have no more effect than water does on a fish. That is their only frame of reference." Hall blamed the women on "The View" for sitting by while DeVito slandered the president. "He was drunk and out of control, and he should apologize for being disrespectful. The people on 'The View' should not have seemed to endorse what he was doing." Goldberg and Hall both claimed DeVito's career will not suffer, but The Factor disagreed. " DeVito was grossly disrespectful. He is a marginal player and I think a lot of people who liked him from 'Taxi' and things like that don't like him any more."

Related: 'The View' says Danny Devito 'welcome back' after drunken anti-Bush tirade

Guest: Elizabeth MacDonald, Forbes

The world's largest retailer has reported a drop in sales for the first time in a decade, and is also the target of a negative ad condemning the chain for maltreating its employees. Business writer Elizabeth MacDonald reported that Wal-Mart is being harmed by the ads, which are paid for by organized labor. "Wal-Mart is putting a lot of inefficient businesses out of business. Those businesses had hired union workers, so the unions have been trying to get Wal-Mart to unionize, which it will not. That's why you see attack commercials like this." The Factor added that Wal-Mart actually helps the very people it is accused of harming. "The tradeoff is that Wal-Mart gives working Americans a place to buy products at a much lower price, so working Americans benefit because Wal-Mart keeps its overhead down."

Related: Wal-Mart reports sales slump

Related: Wal-Mart under attack

Your e-mails dealt with a variety of recent segments. Some excerpts:

Ronald Moore, Holt, FL: "Mr. O'Reilly, I was shocked by the way you spoke to Congressman (Barney) Frank."

Greg Contreras, Baltimore, MD: "Bill, as an economist, I say you were right to interrogate Frank about 'income redistribution' which he dodged."

David Harris, Pickerington, OH: "Bill, I say you need to lighten up. Danny DeVito poked fun at Bush. Last time I looked it was a free country."

Peggy Bolte, Cranesville, PA: "DeVito showed ignorance and 'The View' ladies laughed. Now I know why I don't watch that show."

Michael Gordinier, Santa Rosa, CA: "Bill, you said 'righteous anger' is a good thing. Well, Danny showed 'righteous anger.'"