"With his poll numbers down and a crescendo of criticism directed his way, President Bush wants to tell you a few things. So Monday morning we were invited to the White House to speak with him. This is my third interview with the president - he does get a fair shake, but he also gets tough questions. Interviewing a president is not like interviewing anyone else on the planet. You cannot be confrontational with the President of the United States. You can be direct, but you can't be disrespectful. Over the next three nights President Bush will have his say. You will know exactly where he stands on the most vital issues facing America and the world. I decided to concentrate on the conflicts - Iraq, North Korea, Iran, and terror - rather than on domestic issues. Also, I think it is important to look ahead rather than to look back. So the questions are about what is happening now and whether we are winning or losing the high-stakes battles we are fighting. Tonight we will talk about Iraq, Iran, and North Korea; Tuesday, terrorism and all the controversy surrounding the detainees; and finally on Wednesday, the personal attacks against President Bush, how he sees them, and how they affect his job."

Some highlights from Monday's installment of the exclusive interview with President Bush.

O'REILLY: Fox News military analysts say Iran is now behind the insurgency in Iraq, that to a large extent the war has morphed, and US forces are now fighting an insurgency fueled by Iran. Is that true?
BUSH: I think the enemy is more complex than that. We are concerned about some Iranian involvement, particularly about the delivery of certain kind of weapons. But the violence American people see on their screens is some sectarianism, some criminal activity, and Al Qaeda. We're dealing with all three ... if we see more Iranian involvement, we'll adjust our tactics to meet that threat.
O'REILLY: This was a very bloody month for US troops. Can any country stop Sunnis and Shi'a from killing each other?
BUSH: If the definition of success is no violence, hardly any society would be able to meet that. Our goal is an Iraq that can defend itself, sustain itself, govern itself, and is an ally in the war on terror. That goal is achievable with a combination of tough security measures by the US coalition and Iraqi forces, and a political process that recognizes that 15-million people want a unity government.
O'REILLY: Why should we be, after three-and-one-half years, encouraged that will happen?
BUSH: Because it was about six months ago that we had elections where 12-million said we want it to happen.
O'REILLY: Just because they want it doesn't mean it's going to happen.
BUSH: The alternative is to say 'it's not worth it, let's leave.' Ignore the fact that 12-million people voted, ignore the fact that that they've got a constitution, ignore the fact that they've got a unity government, and say we'll leave. That's not going to work.
O'REILLY: How about dividing it into three - Kurds, Sunni, and Shi'a - and pay them oil revenues to stop killing each other?
BUSH: I don't think that's the right way to go. I think that will increase sectarian violence and make it more dangerous.

O'REILLY: 60 percent of Americans are now against the Iraq war. Why?
BUSH: Because they want us to win. They're wondering whether or not we have the plans in place to win ... I can understand why there's frustration. The enemy knows that killing innocent people will create a sense of frustration.
O'REILLY: There's one other reason they've turned against the war in Iraq. The anti-Bush press pounds day in and day out - in the newspapers, on the network news, in books like Bob Woodward's - that you don't know what you're doing there, that you have no strategy and don't listen to dissent.
BUSH: I'm disappointed that people would propagandize to that effect, because the stakes are too high for that kind of illogical behavior. We have to stick to our stated goal, and I have said to our commanders on the ground - you achieve that goal and we'll give you the tools to do it ... Here are the stakes. It is conceivable that within decades the Middle East will be a place where moderate governments have been toppled, extremists and radicals will have gained control of oil resources, and then will use that to create a blackmail situation against the west. And Iran will have a nuclear weapon to complicate mix.

O'REILLY: Why won't the United States talk to North Korea one-on-one?
BUSH: We tried that and it didn't work ... there was a good faith effort made to engage North Korea and try to convince them in a bilateral way to give up their weapons programs. There was an agreement made and they didn't honor the agreement So I decided that since that didn't work we ought to try another way to solve this problem peacefully and that is to have China at the table, and South Korea at the table, and Japan at the table, and Russia at the table. My attitude is real simple on this - more voices saying the same thing to North Korea makes it more likely we'll be able to solve this problem peacefully.
O'REILLY: Do you ever think about this North Korean leader? Is he just insane?
BUSH: We will see as he reaches more decisions.
O'REILLY: Have you ever spoken with him?
BUSH: No I haven't.
O'REILLY: How about the personality profile the CIA give you? Is this a guy who has any connection to reality?
BUSH: He's going to have some choices to make. There's a better way forward for his country. I'm deeply concerned about the starvation inside North Korea, I'm worried about concentration camps inside North Korea, I'm worried about the human condition inside North Korea. And we are now making it clear - not just the United States, but other nations are making it very clear to North Korea that there's a better way forward. So we'll be able to judge his intentions and his motives as time goes on.

The exclusive interview with President Bush will continue Tuesday and Wednesday.

Guest: Bob Woodward, Washington Post

Author Bob Woodward, whose book "State of Denial" is extremely critical of the administration, provided his immediate reaction to the interview. "I thought he was quite subdued," Woodward said of the president. "I remember interviewing him four years ago and he said 'I loathe Kim Jong Il,' very strong language. But with you he is much more restrained, so there is a tamping down of the rhetoric on the part of the administration." Woodward defended his book's thesis that the administration is rudderless in Iraq. "We have a policy that is not working. The strategy is to neutralize the insurgency. Well, the insurgency has worsened for three-and-a-half years. We have miscalculated, and you have to say how do we get out of this and what is the strategy?" The Factor reported that President Bush seems to exude genuine confidence. "After spending a couple of hours with him, I can tell you that he believes that if we can tough this out, the Iraqis themselves will be able to get their arms around the insurgents. I'm worried that all of the politicizing of this war makes it more difficult to win. The constant 'Bush lied' carping helps these horrible people."

Guests: Fox News contributors Kirsten Powers & Michelle Malken

She is one of the most powerful people in America, but is Oprah Winfrey also among the most biased? The Factor reported that Oprah's daytime show has had a grand total of four "traditional" guests in the past few years - President Bush, Rudy Giuliani, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Mel Gibson. Meanwhile, the long list of far left guests includes Michael Moore, Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Barbra Streisand, George Clooney, and many more. FNC contributors Kirsten Powers and Michelle Malkin spoke about Oprah's leftward tilt. "She has become your typical limousine liberal," Malkin asserted, "and she risks alienating a large portion of the daytime audience. There's no question where her political leanings are." Powers pointed out that Winfrey has every right to shape her own show. "It's a free market, baby. Conservatives love the free market, and this is the free market. I do find it strange that she doesn't want to have differing views on, but she's a very smart businesswoman and I assume she thinks this is what her audience wants." The Factor added a personal note. "Oprah has declined to interview me, even though I had four # 1 books. But it was the 'O'Reilly Factor for Kids' that confused me. It was the best-selling kids' non-fiction book of 2005. Oprah is interested in protecting the kids, so why was there no interest? Call it sour grapes if you want, but facts are facts. She has the perfect right to book any guest she wants, but it looks like her show is leaning left in a big way."

Guest: Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman

Ultra-radical lawyer Lynne Stewart has been sentenced to just 28 months in prison for passing messages from her client, convicted terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman, to his followers in the Middle East. Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman asserted that the sentence fits the crime. "If Lynne Stewart had helped terrorists with attacks against American interests, she probably would have gotten life. All she did was help release a message to his Egyptian followers. It was idiotic and criminal and she deserves to be punished, but her point wasn't to hurt Americans." The Factor countered that Stewart, who could have received 30 years, deserved a heavier sentence. "She took a message from a killer and gave it to other killers, but the judge comes in and cuts her some slack. This sends the wrong message. And I want everyone to know that George Soros gave $20,000 to help her defense."

Many of you sent e-mails about the segment with Geraldo Rivera, who denounced Mel Gibson. Some excerpts:

Eileen Hansen, Fort Washington, PA: "Good for you, Bill. Geraldo's inability to forgive Gibson is wrong. Thank God that God forgives."

Sid Rubenstein, Monroe Township, NJ: "Bill, Geraldo is right and you are wrong. Anti-Semitism is hateful and Gibson has ulterior motives for his contrition."

Simon Millerton, Brooklyn, NY: "As a Jew who escaped the Soviet Union, I had all kinds of feelings during that discussion. But it was brilliantly done by an Irish guy and a Puerto Rican Jewish guy."