Monday, November 8, 2004
On The O'Reilly Factor...
Segment Summaries
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.
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
The demise of the Democratic Party
Guests: Fox News analysts Robert Reich & Tony Snow

"I've never seen a political movement so detached from reality. Columnist Bob Herbert of the New York Times put forward the idea that many who voted for President Bush are simply 'dumb.' Then there's Michael Kinsley, who runs the editorial page at the Los Angeles Times, writing that his side is 'crippled by reason and open-mindedness.' Kinsley and other left-wing bomb throwers persuaded millions of Americans to vote for Bush. The truth is that the Democratic Party has been hijacked by the far left ? moderates are overwhelmed by the Michael Moore/George Soros/Hollywood crowd. So here's a prediction: In 2008 the Democrats will run a Hillary and Bill co-presidency campaign. She'll get the nomination, but he'll be all over the place urging Americans to get back to the go-go 90's. Bill and Hill are what the Democrats have. Persuaded?"

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich disagreed that his party is out of touch, saying, "Democrats can win if they come up with a moral message. It's immoral for people to work full time and not make enough to live on. It's immoral for the captains of American business to ship jobs abroad and take millions of dollars for themselves" The Factor countered, "If you're a deeply committed Christian or Jew or whatever ? (the Democrats) think you're an idiot. And the folks know it. And that's why if you continue to embrace these people you're never going to win." Fox News political analyst Tony Snow many Democrats are not merely neutral toward religion, but downright hostile: "The Democrats have become contemptuous of something that a lot of people regard as the core of their life and their life's meaning. At some point Democrats are going to have to engage in self-examination."

Impact Segment
Operation Phantom Fury
Guests: Fox News military analysts Lt. Col. Bill Cowan & Col. David Hunt

As US forces attacked terrorist strongholds inside Fallujah, Fox News military analysts David Hunt and Bill Cowan gave The Factor their assessments. Colonel Hunt explained, "Without taking Fallujah, you can't have elections. It's going to be a tough fight, but we will win this." Colonel Cowan agreed, saying, "Fallujah is the centerpiece of terrorist activities, so we have to at least symbolically show that city is in control of Iraqi forces with the U.S. behind them."

Unresolved Problems Segment
Terrorists still at-large?
Guests: Lorenzo Vidino, terrorism analyst, The Investigative Project

Soon after 9/11, a list of twenty-two suspected terrorists was compiled ? so far only one has been apprehended. Terrorism expert Lorenzo Vidino defended the government, saying, " The list itself is deceiving. These are definitely bad guys, but not necessarily priorities." As to why there hasn't been another attack on American soil, Vidino attributed it to a combination of luck and skill: "Definitely some attacks have been thwarted, but maybe al Qaeda is waiting for the big strike."

Personal Story Segment
Hollywood clams up
Guests: Pete Hammond, entertainment writer & Jeannie Wolf, journalist

The Factor invited various anti-Bush celebrities to appear but no one has been willing to come forward. According to entertainment journalist Jeannie Wolf, "What they did was go out and excite passion, and maybe make this the most involved election in some time. Let's remember they had some effect, it wasn't a landslide victory." Entertainment writer Pete Hammond predicted Hollywood may try to get a measure of revenge by nominating Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" for an Academy Award. The Factor predicted, "If Hollywood nominates this propaganda tract as Best Picture, you will see a backlash against the movie industry that you have never seen."

Back of the Book Segment
Judge Napolitano's new book
Guests: Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano

Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano has written a book, "Constitutional Chaos," in which he contends many government prosecutors are out of control. Napolitano told The Factor prosecutors "break the law in order to enforce the law, create crimes, and bribe witnesses." An example: Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, whose nineteen murders were overlooked in exchange for his testimony against John Gotti. Napolitano concluded, "The system is perverse. The government has to work hard at getting evidence against bad guys without breaking the law it is sworn to uphold."

Books Mentioned


Constitutional Chaos: What Happens When the Government Breaks Its Own Laws
by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano

Read more...