|
|
| 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.
|
|
|
| Greg began Friday's program with the mounting ISIS threat and mixed messages coming out of the administration. Foreign policy specialists Lisa Daftari and Mark Dubowitz analyzed the chaos and confusion. "I believe ISIS when they tell us they are serious about the creation of an Islamic state," Daftari declared. "And you know what else we should believe? The headlines, the intelligence, and our eyes. We're looking at the Islamic State doubling their land and engaging in a wholesale genocide of Christians. The situation is getting worse while the talking points from the White House podium are conflicting." Dubowitz added that the problem goes far beyond ISIS. "This is about global radical Islam. There's a terrible, bloody sectarian war taking place in the Middle East. It is spreading globally and young people are being recruited from our cities to fight." |
|
|
| What would Geraldo Rivera do to destroy ISIS? He entered the No Spin Zone and laid out a plan. "You have to declare war on these savages," Rivera began, "and you have to understand that it's them or us. The first thing I would do is bring back General David Petraeus, the architect of the surge. He's the one person that can get the Sunnis back on our side. You have to cut off Mosul, which is occupied by ISIS, from the outside world by vastly expanding our aerial campaign. I would give the Kurds everything they need and more, I would give the Iraqi army everything it needs, but I would put American commanders in charge. The only way we're going to get this done is with our strategic vision and our battle-hardened commanders." Greg lamented that America has become ever-more divided and "we can't unify against a common enemy like ISIS." |
|
|
| Outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder insists that race has played a role in the criticism he has received. Radio talk show host Richard Fowler and attorney David Rifkin debated that contention. "The accusation is not legitimate," Rivkin said, "and he is suggesting that we need to lower the standard of proof in federal civil rights prosecutions. That is an exceedingly bad idea, it would allow the federal government to swoop in any time political expediency demands it. This attorney general doesn't care about the Constitution!" But Fowler described Holder as a model law enforcement officer. "He has a stellar record. We've had a decrease in terrorist crimes and violent crimes, and our police officers are getting more funding than ever before. But we live in a society where people's civil rights are being eroded and there has to be a place for the federal government to act and protect the rights of all citizens." |
|
|
| The Obama administration may use executive power to ban certain bullets that are used in the popular AR-15 rifle. Greg discussed the assault on ammo with columnist Jeanne Zaino and Republican consultant Lisa Boothe. "When you're president and there's another party in Congress," Zaino said, "you can't get your agenda passed and you look for other ways to do it. President Obama has settled on the way other presidents have - executive orders and vetoes. So this is a very common tactic." But Boothe contended that President Obama's dictates are not common at all. "His executive actions are disturbing. With immigration, his decision was to move forward unilaterally, throw away the Constitution, and undermine the will of the people. With this ammunition ban, we're once again seeing President Obama circumventing Congress." |
|
|
| Conservatives are convening this week at their annual CPAC convention, evaluating many of the GOP's presidential hopefuls. Republican pollsters Kellyanne Conway and Chris Wilson assessed the convention thus far. "It was a very exciting second day at CPAC," Conway said, "and the big news today was Jeb Bush coming into hostile territory and facing many of his critics. Common Core and immigration are two issues in which he faces serious headwinds among conservatives." Wilson agreed that Bush is anathema to hard core conservatives. "Every candidate leaves us something to remember, and Jeb Bush believes there's a good Washington that can do good things if the right people are in charge. That's contrary to what everyone else had to say. Conservative voters have to come together and nominate a candidate that will motivate the base." |
|
|
| The University of Minnesota has decided, in its infinite wisdom, to omit any mention of race in some campus crime alerts. Greg spoke with Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who is not amused by the university's new policy. "This is what happens when political correctness begins to seep into law enforcement," Clarke groused. "I guess the University of Minnesota president wants everyone to be an equal opportunity suspect, but what we try to do with a description is give as much information as possible. If you take race out of the mix it makes it more difficult for law enforcement to get people into custody. This university president capitulated to political correctness and that's very dangerous to the students." Greg ridiculed the school and its guidelines: "If you follow this logic, even mentioning the gender of a suspect could be viewed as sexist. So in fact we just have to say they are 'humans.' Although you could say that calling them 'human' is a slight against other earthlings like cattle or canines." |
|
|
| Greg wrapped up the week with a monologue about the enduring importance of E Pluribus Unum: "Wesleyan University in Connecticut now welcomes 'lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, flexual, asexual, polyamorous, bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism' to the 'Open House' dorm, which is a safe space for those self-identified students. It's a microcosm of a nation becoming more fixated on identity and less on unity. Have we become so preoccupied with identity that we've discarded unity? For 2016 the big issue isn't really the economy or terror or joblessness. It's a bigger thing, so big that it encompasses all three. To grow an economy, to fight terror, and to enable the freedom to find work, it's about one country, one people. If you take these issues seriously, then you must banish the purveyors of the 'America is bad' mentality and admit that it's time for a renewed, invigorated defense, and our own awesome, persuasive propaganda. It's time for an American crusade. And, like Wesleyan, it should include everyone." |
|
|