Guest: Laura Ingraham

"Earlier this week you heard Ann Coulter smash Newt Gingrich on this broadcast; she believes he is not committed to the conservative cause and would get hammered by President Obama in the general election. Many prominent conservatives are siding with Coulter, but it is the independent vote that will win the election and it's hard to say whether Gingrich could win over independents who think President Obama is not up to the job. They just want performance, particularly in the economy, and at this point it looks like America will improve economically in the next nine months. If the Republican candidate is a controversial person that might also help the President, and certainly Newt Gingrich is explosive. However, there's no doubt that some conservative voters see Gingrich as an avenger, someone who will not take any guff from the President or the media. Right now that is the Speaker's main attraction, and I must say I am surprised by the right wing. I've known the Speaker for about ten years and to me he's a bona fide conservative. He may wander off the reservation sometimes, but that simply shows he's not a zombie. If a year ago somebody told me that the committed right would be attacking Newt Gingrich on ideology, I would have laughed scornfully. But that is what is happening today."

The Factor asked conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham why so many of her ideological brethren are vehemently opposed to Newt Gingrich. "Gingrich obviously ruffled a lot of feathers when he was in Washington," Ingraham said. "He was a bogeyman of the left and a stalwart defender of free enterprise, but then he wandered off and supported things like tax credits for biofuels. Things like that make you wonder whether he'll start pushing through a cap-and-trade program if he gets into office. There are a lot of conservatives who rightly look at Gingrich and wonder whether he'll do all sorts of crazy stuff." The Factor theorized that most anti-Gingrich sentiment is based solely on electability: "Ann Coulter and others in the Republican hierarchy really despise President Obama and they don't think that Newt Gingrich can beat Obama in the general election."

Guest: Michele Bachmann

Congresswoman and former GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann, who has been watching the surviving Republicans pound one another, entered the No Spin Zone with her perspective. "You do get the snot beaten out of you," she said, "and that's just the way the system works. But it's a good system and I defend the process - you have to be a very tough individual. I wish I could have been a part of every single debate, it's a wonderful process that helps explain why Barack Obama can't have a second term." Bachmann stressed her own neutrality in the current race. "I intend to play a unifying role and I want this party to come together. I want independents to be attracted to our candidate because this is the last exit ramp for the country - if we don't get it right this time, we might not be able to find our way back."

Guests: Sandy Rios & Cathy Areu

Pat Buchanan, formerly one of the few conservatives on MSNBC, has been jettisoned by the far-left network because his new book laments America's secularism and multiculturalism. The Factor discussed the firing with conservative radio talk show host Sandy Rios and liberal journalist Cathy Areu. "A lot of people were suspicious that he was a white supremacist," Areu said, "and by writing this book it's now clear. If I didn't know he had written this, I would have thought that someone from the KKK had written it. He's an extremist and he absolutely should be fired." Rios portrayed Buchanan's dismissal as a form of censorship. "What's extreme here is the assault on First Amendment rights. Pat Buchanan is a great thinker and he is being shut off because MSNBC is afraid of what he has to say." The Factor ridiculed MSNBC for its blatant bias: "Buchanan isn't saying anything now that he hasn't said before in plenty of different forums. If the litmus test is that you fire extremists, MSNBC would have nobody on the air."

Guests: Gretchen Carlson & Margaret Hoover

Late night funnyman Jay Leno, joking about Mitt Romney's wealth, showed an ornate gold temple and quipped that it is Romney's summer home. A California man promptly sued because the temple is in fact the most sacred site in the Sikh religion. The Factor asked Culture Warriors Margaret Hoover and Gretchen Carlson whether folks are too sensitive about religion. "I think some people overdo it," Hoover said, "and I think that this is a case of over-litigiousness and oversensitivity. You get a lot of frivolous lawsuits in California where people are going after money." Carlson also dismissed the suit as downright silly. "I think this lawsuit is to get attention because this is not a very well-known religion across America. If anyone should be suing, it should be Mitt Romney because it is not his real house." The Factor urged people of all faiths to lighten up: "I respect religion but people have to have a little sense of humor about it. You're not getting any points with the deity unless you have a sense of humor."

Guest: Megyn Kelly

This week Congressional Republicans grilled the head of the National Parks Service about the agency's leniency toward Occupy protesters camping out on federal property. Fox News anchor and lawyer Megyn Kelly sorted out the legalities. "The Occupy people are technically breaking the law," Kelly stated. "If it's just a protest that's one thing, but if it morphs into camping that's another thing. There's no question that the National Parks Service has the authority to take them out, but he says he wants to be careful not to kick out one group and not another. You have to be somewhat open-minded because protesting is at the heart of America." The Factor worried that an unsettling precedent is being established: "The Parks Service is not upholding the letter of the law and this opens the door for every outfit to camp out in every park under the guise of protest. This is outrageous - there are rats, there are drugs and cops are under siege."

Guests: Martha MacCallum & Steve Doocy

Martha MacCallum and Steve Doocy took center stage to test their knowledge of the Academy Awards. Among the questions: "Melissa McCarthy, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, is a cousin to what other celebrity?" ... "Who has hosted the Oscar ceremony more than anyone else?" With Doocy turning in an absolutely abysmal performance, MacCallum won and vaulted into first place in the 2012 standings.

Stephen Schimmel, Newport Coast, CA: "That's right, O'Reilly, all the folks are stupid except you. You are arrogant to assume we don't understand economics."

Brian Fisher, Chambersburg, PA: "Hey, Bill, we are fans of Snookie and Jersey Shore, but also watch the Factor. Does that make us pinheads?"

Adam Gruzs, Baltimore, MD: "I am a Ron Paul supporter and I don't appreciate Dick Morris calling us crazy."

Thursday's Patriot: Newt Gingrich, who challenged the Nancy Pelosi to "bring it on" after Pelosi implied that she possesses secret information that would preclude Gingrich from winning the presidency.