"Governor Sarah Palin and I talked on camera for about an hour this afternoon - we'll show you the interview Thursday, Friday and next Monday. What I find fascinating is the bashing the governor continues to receive by the far left. The left is peddling Palin as a shallow demagogue who would lead us to tragic circumstances, and fear is driving that point of view. But what is the left really frightened about, when a poll shows just 23% of Americans have a favorable view of Mrs. Palin? Well, they're frightened of potential. The same poll shows that 37% of Americans are basically undecided about Governor Palin, so she has the potential to persuade millions of voters that her vision for the country is worthy. Mrs. Palin is the only Republican who is a genuine star, and if she can recapture credibility she can rise fast. Folks are getting fed up with government intrusion, political correctness, and murky policies that drain personal freedom. If that continues, a populist like Sarah Palin might well emerge as a serious contender for power. That is why the attacks on her keep on coming. The left fears Sarah Palin."

The Factor invited FNC's Alan Colmes and Monica Crowley to critique the Talking Points Memo. "Sarah Palin represents an existential threat to liberalism," Crowley asserted, "because she is a pro-life, pro-gun conservative woman who actually leads her life according to those values. Therefore, she must be destroyed! She also represents a real possibility to redefine feminism." But Colmes argued that Sarah Palin is not a politician to be taken seriously. "She's an amusement," Colmes said, "not a serious policy person. Her book is not a policy book, it's an 'even the score' book by someone who is angry. I don't see the opposition to her as hateful." The Factor previewed the interview with Palin that will be shown Thursday, Friday and Monday: "We talked about hard-core policy, the media, ideology, and who she really is.?

A majority of Americans wants captured terrorists tried in military tribunals, not in civilian courts. The Factor was joined by FNC analyst Charles Krauthammer, who savaged the Obama administration for its decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a federal court. "It's absurd," Krauthammer declared. "If we are compelled to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in civilian court, then how is it that five other suspected terrorists are being tried in military courts? Al Qaeda are illegal combatants in an undeclared war - they don't wear uniforms and they attack civilians, so they have no rights under international law or the Constitution." Krauthammer predicted that chaos will ensue when Mohammed is tried in New York City. "This will be a circus, the largest propaganda stage ever given to a terrorist in American history. The attack on 9/11 was a silent movie; now Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will have a director's cut in which he does the narration. It will be the greatest spectacle in terror history, and it is inconceivable why this administration would allow this to happen.?

During his visit to the No Spin Zone Monday night, former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs said he left CNN because the network is moving away from opinion shows. But the Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal activist group, claims its pressure on CNN helped get Dobbs off the air. "I don't think it was just us," SPLC President Richard Cohen said, "but we pointed out the lies and racist conspiracy theories that Dobbs propagated on his show. We wrote to CNN and asked them to correct some of the crazy things he said. Finally, this summer, we asked CNN to remove him from the air when he started to give credence to the bogus theories about Obama's citizenship." The Factor challenged Cohen's handling of the situation: "I feel like you and your organization, while you do some good, are fascist in your approach to people with whom you disagree. Lou Dobbs should have been challenged, but he shouldn't be pulled off the air.?

The Obama administration has a web site that supposedly delineates how many jobs have been 'saved or created' by stimulus funds. FNC anchor John Stossel and others have questioned many of the claims on the site. "It turns out," Stossel reported, "that a lot of these 'saved or created' jobs are just nonsense. For example, the site claims 30 jobs were saved or created in Arizona's 15th Congressional District. But the state only has eight congressional districts. The government also spent $1,000 to buy a single lawnmower, then reported that it saved 50 jobs in Arkansas. What galls me most is this conceit that government can create jobs. Government just robs Peter to pay Paul, it doesn't create real wealth." The Factor posed two very pertinent rhetorical questions: "If there are this many mistakes, what will happen with health care? If they're spending $1,000 on a lawnmower, what are they going to spend on a heart operation??

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has blocked the release of pictures showing prisoners being abused by military personnel. The Factor asked FNC legal analyst Lis Wiehl how Gates prevailed over the ACLU, which wanted the photos made public. "I think what happened," Wiehl said, "is that Obama and Gates actually looked at those pictures and saw the horror of the pictures. They knew they would be bad to have out there, so Congress very quietly passed a law that said the Defense Secretary can classify any photos." FNC's Kimberly Guilfoyle focused on an elementary school in Massachusetts that has fired the first shot in the annual Christmas wars. "The school told kids you can't have Christmas items or religious items at the holiday fair, which is a fundraiser for the school. The kids look forward to this every year, but they now can not have a Christmas tree or even red and green wrapping paper. The school is afraid of litigation from the ACLU." The Factor pithily concluded, "These people are crazy!?

After a week on the sidelines, Martha MacCallum returned to challenge Steve Doocy in the Great American News Quiz. Among the questions: "In which state was Governor Sarah Palin born?" ... "Vice President Nixon was attacked by a mob in which South American country in 1958?" ... "Which pop star recently said she didn't realize that cheating with a woman was still considered cheating?" Doocy was losing with just two questions to go, but staged a comeback that Peyton Manning would envy and eked out the win. The entire GANQ can be found here on BillOreilly.com under 'Fun Stuff.?

Tuesday's Patriots: Regis Philbin and Meryl Streep, who had a humorous misunderstanding on Philbin's talk show. And the Pinhead: Actor Woody Harrelson, who blamed the war in Afghanistan on "the guys from Chevron."