"Last week I didn't do much analysis on the ten-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks because it's a very emotional issue for me. Close friends lost family members and the neighborhood in which I live suffered scores of casualties. But now some radical Muslims and radical-left Americans are insulting the memory of those lost on 9/11. In London a bunch of Muslim extremists protested and burned the American flag. We should not dismiss those crazy extremists even though they do not speak for the majority of Muslims around the world. Back home, some poisonous rhetoric was on display. Far-left radical Paul Krugman, a columnist for the New York Times, wrote this: 'The memory of 9/11 has been irrevocably poisoned; it has become an occasion for shame.' Mr. Krugman is truly a misguided individual and I don't take anything he says seriously. He's angry because his liberal economic policies have failed dismally and the President he reveres is in deep trouble. And then there's former Times reporter Chris Hedges, who accused the U.S. of 'brutality and triumphalism.' I'm pointing this out because some of their more moderate confederates don't condemn these statements. The Times actually pays Krugman to spout this stuff. Calling America a terrorist nation for aggressively defending itself is provocative in the extreme. All clear-thinking Americans should condemn it."

For another view of Krugman and Hedges, The Factor welcomed Democrats Leslie Marshall and Dick Harpootlian. "What they said is wrong," Harpootlian declared, "and I think their perspective on this is almost bitter. But the voice of the Democratic Party is far more moderate than you give it credit for." In contrast, Marshall was unwilling to denounce the vitriolic anti-American statements. "Although I don't believe we're a nation of terrorists," she said, "I do believe that 9/11 had both a uniting and a dividing effect. I don't agree with 100% of their opinions and some of what they said is misguided, but I don't condemn a person's right in the United States to be angry at their nation." The Factor promptly took Marshall to the proverbial woodshed: "I'm surprised that you're not condemning this rhetoric that puts Americans in the position of being terrorists. I'm not ashamed of our reaction after 9/11."

President Obama has sent his proposed jobs bill to Congress and urged its immediate passage. Fox News political analyst Brit Hume called the $400-billion-plus spending bill economically indefensible. "President Obama probably believes," Hume said, "that this burst of extra spending will get cash in the economy and produce some jobs. But has any economy ever been subjected to more peacetime 'stimulus' than this one has over the past couple of years? There's been a trillion dollars of spending and an enormous injection of liquidity by the Federal Reserve, and it's almost universally regarded by the public as a failure. Now comes the President with another proposed stimulus and I don't think the Republicans face any political danger by not passing it." The Factor complained that both parties are intransigent: "There are some Republicans who won't vote for anything the President proposes because they want to see him lose. There's a poisonous atmosphere in Washington."

Fox News analysts Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham examined Governor Rick Perry's surge in the Republican race, which coincided with the steep decline of Michele Bachmann. "Perry has knocked her out of the box," Williams said, "and she's a non-factor. He is so confident in his positions that I think many in the Tea Party believe he will do a better job of fighting Barack Obama. They see him as capable of bringing the fire." Ham elaborated on Perry's appeal to so many Republicans. "His record in Texas is a boon to him. Conservatives see him and say, 'He's like me, he's a Tea Party guy,' and he's also got the executive experience and a track record of raising money. Republicans believe Perry is the more electable candidate."

The Factor welcomed former Fox News host Glenn Beck, who has just launched his new Internet venture GBTV. "What I'm going to do," Beck explained, "is inform you about what's coming next so you can call me crazy for six months, then when it happens you'll say, 'So who knew?' GBTV is for people who say, 'Now what, what do we do with this information?'" Turning to politics, Beck expressed a general lack of enthusiasm for the Republican field. "I like Michele Bachmann and I like Rick Perry, but Mitt Romney doesn't understand what a Ponzi scheme is because clearly Social Security is a Ponzi scheme."

The Today Show's Ann Curry presented viewers with a puff piece about Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his daily routine. The Factor asked Fox News media analyst Bernie Goldberg to critique the segment. "I'll give you two theories," Goldberg said. "One is that she gave him a Valentine story hoping to win over the regime and get a real interview. If that's the case, fine. The second possibility is that it's just crummy journalism. Here we have an American journalist portraying Ahmadinejad as 'Mr. Nice Guy,' and neither you nor I would want our name on a piece like that." The Factor laid out Ahmadinejad's history of treachery. "People have to understand that Ahmadinejad and the Iranians have killed thousands of Americans - they've fostered terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world. This is a guy who will go down in history as one of the world's greatest villains."

The Factor began Reality Check with a special announcement about the Wounded Warrior Project: "The five living presidents - Jimmy Carter, President Bush the elder and the younger, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all signed three Wounded Warrior posters. We are putting the first one up for auction on BillOReilly.com today, and I am opening the bidding at $10,000. Many folks can't afford to get into this auction, so the Wounded Warrior Project will send you a facsimile of the poster for a donation of $25 or more." On another topic, The Factor offered some pithy advice to anyone considering a new car purchase: "I always buy American and I'm driving a GM car right now. Check believes it's very important that Americans buy domestically-made vehicles. It obviously helps the economy and the service is better. So be smart and patriotic - buy American."