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| All content taken from The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening's show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.
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"The two biggest challenges President-elect Obama faces are the economy and keeping America safe from the terror killers. Talking Points likes Obama's proposed tax cuts for small business and working Americans. But on the security front, big problems are rolling in. Obama will nominate Leon Panetta to run the Central Intelligence Agency. Panetta has no intel experience and he opposes coerced interrogation and other anti-terror methods that have kept us safe for more than seven years. With terrorism raging worldwide, is this the right time for on-the-job training? If the CIA does away with effective intelligence gathering tools, I believe the risk of terrorism rises dramatically. Some old CIA hands agree with me - on The Radio Factor former CIA analyst Michael Scheuer actually predicted another attack on America. The bottom line: Barack Obama is taking a major risk by handcuffing U.S. intelligence in its vital task of disrupting and defeating terror. If we get hit, the president will have some huge problems. As for Leon Panetta: good man, wrong mission."
The Factor was joined by former CIA analyst Gary Bernstsen, who argued against Leon Panetta as CIA boss. "I thought Obama would choose someone who was more aggressive," Bernstsen said, "not someone so far to the left. You need someone with a warrior ethos to run the CIA. We're fighting terrorists worldwide and the CIA director leads that fight." Retired Colonel David Hunt, who spent the day calling military and intelligence experts, reported that Panetta is an unpopular choice. "They think it's a dumb decision," Hunt said. "Every man and woman I talked to, retired and active, are just shaking their heads. Putting Panetta in there is putting a stake through the heart of the agency and trying to kill it." The Factor urged Obama to keep anti-terrorism as a top priority. "I don't want to scare people, but President-elect Obama is taking a huge risk here. If Leon Panetta embraces the Army Field Manual's standards, I don't think we're going to get intel from any captured terrorist suspects."
News Link: Obama under fire over Panetta selection |
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Ali Al-Marri, a Qatar citizen being held as an enemy combatant in South Carolina, is accused of being in contact with high-level Al Qaeda officials just prior to the 9/11 attacks. The ACLU and other left-leaning organizations are demanding that he be freed. To illustrate the mindset of the far left, Bill aired a call to The Radio Factor from an Oregon man named Joe. "I think you're a coward," Joe began. "You make people so fearful of Al Qaeda. Why is a big tough guy like you so afraid of Al Qaeda?" The Factor challenged Joe: "Are you kidding me? If Al Qaeda comes in and kills another 3,000 are you going to be on the phone saying the same thing?" Joe, revealing himself to be a conspiracy theorist, said he is "not even sure they killed the first 3,000." The Factor's conclusion: "So Joe turns out to be a conspiracy guy who doesn't believe that Al Qaeda attacked the United States. Unfortunately, there are many 'Joes' around the world, and some of them hold powerful positions."
News Link: How will Obama rule on Al-Marri? |
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16-year-old Jett Travolta, who had a long history of frequent seizures, apparently died from a seizure last Friday. The Factor spoke about the condition with physicians and epilepsy experts Evelyn Minaya and Orrin Devinsky. "It is rare to die of a seizure," Minaya said. "Usually you die from the consequences of the seizure - you're driving and you have an accident or you fall and have some traumatic event." Devinsky added that Jett Travolta was particularly susceptible to a fatal episode. "When you take an individual who has very poorly controlled major convulsive seizures, as this child appears to have, the risk of death increases. Some people absolutely have to be on medication for life." The Factor sympathized with John Travolta, Kelly Preston and all of Jett's loved ones. "We send our condolences to the Travolta family, which is enduring the worst hardship in the world, the loss of a child."
News Link: Travolta son died of seizure |
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Fox News legal analysts Lis Wiehl and Megyn Kelly began their analysis with would-be Senator Roland Burris, who was appointed by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich but denied entry to the Senate by Democratic leaders. "Burris has a legitimate claim," Kelly averred. "Harry Reid is pinning his argument on the fact that the Illinois secretary of state did not sign the appointment papers, but that signing is ceremonial. The second argument is that the Constitution makes the Senate ultimately responsible for who comes in." Wiehl turned to Minnesota, where Norm Coleman has filed suit to prevent Al Franken from being seated as a U.S. Senator. "I don't think the math is going to support Coleman," Wiehl said. "At most, there are 700 or 800 votes in question and Franken is ahead by 225 votes. I don't see how Coleman can win."
News Link: Burris banned from Senate
Returning for a second segment, legal aces Kelly and Wiehl analyzed the case of lobbyist Vicki Iseman, who is suing the New York Times for implying she was romantically involved with John McCain. Kelly expressed doubt that Iseman can win her case: "The article mentioned her name, but it also included her denial that there was any kind of an affair." But Wiehl gave Iseman a fighting chance: "I spoke with Vicki Iseman's attorney, who says she's a private person and the New York Times can't just catapult her to the status of a public figure, which would be a higher standard to defend. I think Iseman has a very good negligence argument and a jury might agree that this woman's life was irreparably harmed." |
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| Two days prior to what would have been Elvis Presley's 74th birthday, Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy squared off in an Elvis-themed Great American Culture Quiz. Among the questions: "What song was on the 'b' side of 'Hound Dog?'" ... "Which Elvis movie was set in the Civil War?" ... "What was Presley's biggest selling song?" Carlson staged a late comeback, but Doocy managed to hold on for a 3-2 victory. The entire GACQ is here on BillOReilly.com under "Fun Stuff." |
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Tuesday's Patriot: Singer Beyonce, who is donating her entire $4 million salary for the film "Cadillac Records" to drug rehab centers. And the Pinhead? Well, when president-elect Obama reviewed a restaurant on Chicago TV in August 2001, he effusively praised the dessert and reminded everyone to save room for the peach cobbler. The Factor agreed that "anyone who doesn't save room for peach cobbler is a pinhead."
News Link: Video: Obama reviews restaurant |
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A sampling of your recent e-mails:
Barry Vingle, Fairmont, WV: "Bill, every time I tell my liberal friends that the Factor wins in the ratings, they say Fox lies."
Shirley Reid, The Barbados: "Bill, I despair when you show things like Sharon Osbourne degrading another human being. It is sad that this is considered entertainment."
Barry Park, St. Paul, MN: "I am embarrassed by Al Franken possibly winning a Senate seat. Jesse Ventura may have been ridiculed, but at least he served his country in the military."
Jon McPalen, Burbank, CA: "Only in America could a failed radio host go on to become a U.S. Senator." |
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