Michelle began Monday's program with an analysis of the YearlyKos annual convention, which attracted the top-tier Democratic presidential candidates. Conservative blogger Rick Moran, who attended the gathering, gave his impressions. "John Edwards was certainly the most popular candidate there, and Dennis Kucinich, the other far-left Democrat, was probably more popular than Hillary Clinton. These were not really 'radical' leftists in the sense that they're conspiracy-mongers. They are the mainstream 'netroots,' which is far left, but not way out there." Moran also pointed out that many bloggers at the conference have engaged in vile rhetoric. "When you're talking about the YearlyKos, you're talking about the big lefty bloggers. And, yes, they do in fact traffic in hate-mongering." But FNC's Juan Williams defended the candidates who spoke at the convention. "This is now part of the media landscape and American politics. There are occasionally people who are hateful, but you also see some serious arguments put forth, which is why people who are running for president decided to show up." Michelle reminded viewers that Bill will interview Sgt. David Aguina, who created a ruckus at the Kos convention when he defended the surge in Iraq, on Tuesday's Factor.

News Link: Hillary booed at YearlyKos

21 South Korean church workers are being held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan - two of their colleagues have already been murdered. Michelle spoke with Presbyterian minister Sunny Kang, who previously implied that America's invasion of Afghanistan led to this situation. "I wouldn't use the word 'blame,'" Kang clarified. "But the human suffering in Afghanistan was seen by the world, and Christian churches were motivated by their compassion. As human suffering increases, people will respond." James Na described the missionaries as heroic and selfless. "There have been accusations that these people got what they deserved, which is outrageous. They should be applauded and called the real martyrs, not the people blow up pizzerias and kill children." Michelle added her praise for the missionaries. "These are all young and courageous people of faith who believed in their mission, who believed they could help the people of Afghanistan in a humanitarian way. I see a lot of anti-Christian bigotry aimed at these people, but it was the monstrous Talibanis who were responsible for this."

News Link: Some feel no sympathy for S. Korean hostages

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference will honor Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who has been indicted for dogfighting. Michelle was joined by R.L. White, president of the Atlanta NAACP, who actually called Vick heroic. "He's a hero to many in Atlanta - he has brought people to the stadium, he has made millions of dollars for his sponsors, and he has done things for the children. The same thing is being done to him that he is alleged of doing to the dogs. He is being 'lynched' because you can lynch someone's character and they will never recover from it." Michelle was struck by how far so-called "civil rights" organizations have fallen. "Do you think your predecessors would be happy with you invoking 'lynching' rhetoric in this case? The civil rights movement is using imagery from the 50's and 60's to talk about a multi-million dollar football player who might be guilty of gross and massive animal abuse."

News Link: SCLC plans to honor Vick

News Link: Update: SCLC backs off Vick recognition

Some Vermonters are calling for the Green Mountain State to secede from the United States. Back in June, Bill spoke with one of the movement's founders, Thomas Naylor, who explained the rationale. "I love Vermont, I don't love the United States, which has lost its moral compass. One of my fantasies is that Vermont secedes, teams up with New Hampshire, Maine, and the four Atlantic provinces, and we create our own little country called New Arcadia." The Factor eagerly and facetiously offered to provide assistance. "I want to help you secede. Can we raise some money for you or can we provide transportation? Canada is just a few miles away - why don't you guys just go there?"

After Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama implied that an invasion of Pakistan may be warranted, Republican Mitt Romney accused Obama of morphing from "Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week." Michelle welcomed conservative Carrie Lukas, who claimed all the Democratic candidates face a similar problem. "Obama made a complete about-face, and it's one of the difficulties the Democratic candidates face. While they are appealing to their anti-war base, they also want to show that they can be tough on terror. The question is whether the Democrats will be comfortable staying in their get-out-of-Iraq-as-soon-as-possible position." But Democratic strategist Michael Brown argued that his party's candidates are in synch with the American people. "This is politics as usual in a very heated campaign season, and what really matters is where the Republicans are in the polls. No matter what Democratic candidate is the nominee, they all beat every single Republican. So the Republicans are starting to attack now."

News Link: Republicans debate, and mock Obama

New York City will soon open a public school for Arabic-speaking students. It has now been revealed that principal Debbie Almontaser is linked to a group selling t-shirts that read "Intifada NYC," a reference to the Palestinian uprising in the Middle East. Pamela Hall, whose organization is actively trying to stop the school, put forth her objections. "Debbie Almontaser is connected to some radical organizations. This woman has never been a principal, she has still not revealed her curricula, her faculty, or her students. They open in three weeks and we don't who this is. This is a public school and we're still fighting the lack of transparency."

News Link: Arabic school principal endorses Intifada

Two con artists in Philadelphia were arrested for allegedly stealing personal and financial information belonging various celebrities, among them Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, and Paris Hilton. Journalist Pat LaLama, who has been investigating the crime, described it as relatively unsophisticated. "This couple went to the post office and filled out a change of address form for the entertainers. It was that simple, and then once the mail came to their home they were then able to write phony checks and use phony credit card numbers. History has shown that celebrities are a little lax in this area."

News Link: Celebrity ID theft ring busted