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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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"Today President Obama once again addressed the Muslim world, urging the Middle East and North Africa to institute economic reform, treat their people with some dignity, and generally clean up their acts. Mr. Obama is well intentioned, but naive. A new Pew poll says that most Muslims in the world do not like Mr. Obama, despite his aggressive outreach. Over the past two years his approval rating in Muslim nations has dropped dramatically. The question is why? The answer is complicated and it reflects my opinion that there is a 'Muslim problem' in the world. The United States and the West are largely secular socities that believe in human rights; the Muslim world is centered on religion and many Muslims believe that if you don't worship Allah you are an infidel and don't deserve human rights. That divide is enormous. In addition, you have the Jewish situation. Because the USA supports Israel and many Muslims hate Jews, we are tarred by that hatred. Despite that, Mr. Obama is doing the right thing in trying to convince the Muslim world to join the real world, to compete economically, and to stop persecuting their own. So here's the sad truth - there is a Muslim problem in the world and it's getting worse."
The Factor asked two prominent American Muslims, Kamal Nawash and Zuhdi Jasser, to analyze the Pew poll showing widespread Muslim disenchantment with President Obama. "Many Muslims who supportetd President Obama in the beginning," Nawash said, "had a certain irrational exuberance as to what he was going to do. For example, they were hoping he would be different on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And there is the fact that he bombs targets in Pakistan without asking. But I don't think there is a fundamental problem between Muslims and the United States." Jasser urged President Obama to speak out against the 'theo-fascism' that rules much of the Muslim world. "There are many Muslim families like mine who are looking for leadership from the leader of the free world. It is time for a president to call evil ideology 'evil.' There are Muslims who want liberty and don't want theocracy." The Factor maintained that there remains a "Muslim problem" in the world: "For every Muslim who wants democracy and human rights, there's one who doesn't. And the one who doesn't has no rules and will blow the hell out of the one who does." |
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| The Democratic Party has already produced an ad showing Newt Gingrich accusing his GOP colleagues of "right-wing social engineering" for wanting to restructure Medicare. Fox Business host Lou Dobbs examined the Democrats' strategy. "This is working," Dobbs said, "and they have targeted 25 Congressional districts for this attack. It's utter fear-mongering - it may be good politics, but it's nasty business and it's wrong. The Democrats are going to demogogue this issue." The Factor urged both sides to engage in honest debate: "I don't resent Democrats for saying the Republican plan gives you less than they would give you, but to say to seniors, hey, Aunt Betty, you're going to lose Medicare if you don't vote for Barack Obama is really untoward. Seniors are exempt from this." |
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| Staying on the same theme, The Factor screened another Democratic scare ad showing a grandma being wheeled off a cliff. Sally Kohn of the liberal Movement Vision Lab actually defended the spot. "I have some good news for you," Kohn quipped, "no actual senior citizen was harmed in the making of this ad. But the truth is that millions of people will be harmed if Republicans pass their budget. This is not a distortion, it's an exaggeration, but it's also an exaggeration that happens to be true. It's just a silly ad." The Factor reiterated that Medicare merits a frank discussion: "Why can't you guys debate this on its merits? Why do you have to use scare tactics? President Obama himself has gone out on the stump and said if you are older you're going to be hurt by this plan. That's not true." |
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| A new blood test can supposedly indicate a person's biological weak spots and even show when somone might die. The Factor discussed the so-called breakthrough with Fox News medical correspondent Dr. Manny Alvarez and Dr. Phlippa Cheetham of the Columbia University Medical Center. "I think this is all bull," Alvarez said. "They want to sell you pills and creams, this has nothing to do with medicine today, it's a dollar-making business." Cheetham gave a concurring second opinion. "These tests create a huge amount of anxiety, they create the 'worried well' and they are taking advantage of people who are in vulnerable situations. I don't think this test is going to be useful." |
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| In the wake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger scandal, Culture Warriors Alicia Menendez and Gretchen Carlson examined whether politicians should be viewed as role models. "In this day and age," Carlson said, "you would hope that parents could be role models, but even that is not always the case. The only person you can rest assured is a good role model is God." But Menendez contended that politicians can be inspirational figures. "I don't think they have a choice, they have to be role models, and there are people with inspirational stories like Marco Rubio and Barack Obama. When it comes to people's personal lives, what bothers me is not only the infidelity, but the length to which these men will go to cover up what they've done. It's that behavior that I find more abhorrent." The Factor stressed that the Internet has changed everything: "Founders like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin would probably be out of the game if they lived now. Also JFK and FDR - very powerful men who were legitimate role models could not survive today." |
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| Martha MacCallum and Steve Doocy stepped up for another round of the Great American News Quiz. Among the questions: "Last week students at LSU stopped a man who was about to do what?" ... "Speaker John Boehner got weepy last weekend while speaking about what?" ... "During a visit to Ireland, Queen Elizabeth was instructed in what skill?" Doocy threw a perfect game, answering all five questions correctly, and earned this week's bragging rights. |
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Don Hogan, Mt. Laurel, NJ: "Bill, get real, the 'net is not destroying human beings. People reap what they sow."
Tom Weiss, Minneapolis, MN: "As bad as the lying on the 'net is, it is the acceptance of the lies that is a much bigger problem."
Patricia Wilson, Carmel, IN: "Bill, your interview with Ed Asner is a lesson in acceptance of others' views. As a young actress I worked with Mr. Asner on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and he was one of the kindest actors I have ever worked with." |
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| Thursday's Patriot or Pinhead: Actress Jodie Foster, who again expressed her support for the embattled Mel Gibson. Is her loyalty patriotic or pinheaded? Cast your vote here on BillOReilly.com. Wednesday's P or P asked about Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey, who looked back at Tom's first appearance on her program. 51% of you decided the segment was patriotic. |
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