"With President Obama staking his future on passing health care reform, the end game has begun. The Congressional Budget Office has put forth that Obama-care would cost $940 billion over ten years, but would actually bring down the deficit because health care costs would decline. Republicans don't believe those numbers and point to the universal health care system in Massachusetts, where costs have risen every year. But with the cover the CBO is providing, it looks like Democrats may get the votes they need to pass Obama-care. Talking Points will say it again - nobody knows if universal health care will work. But the President remains supremely confident that his vision will work and that 32-million uninsured folks will get health insurance, most of it subsidized by the federal government. The polls continue to show that most Americans don't want Obama-care, but Mr. Obama believes that once health care costs begin to decline, he will be a hero. This health care deal has galvanized the country and is forcing people to take sides - do you want big government to impose social justice, or do you want a smaller Washington presence that regulates, but does not mandate, fair play in corporate America? It is incredibly close, but the odds are that Obama-care will pass."

The Factor asked Fox News political correspondents Carl Cameron and Major Garrett about the prospects for the bill's passage. "Democrats are enthusiastic," Cameron reported, "and they're trying to get a bandwagon effect going so they can get some of those wavering Democrats to jump on. But while the leadership is talking about how fantastic this is, a lot of the rank-and-file takes a completely different view. They're fighting over a package that a lot of Democrats don't like for different reasons." Garrett analyzed the effect of the Congressional Budget Office's cost estimate. "The feeling here at the White House is that the CBO did no harm, and presidential power is being used as the final lever for him to get the votes he needs. The President is sending a headline across the globe that his entire presidency is being put on hold." The Factor agreed that President Obama is the single most powerful influence on wavering Democrats: "The message to Democrats is that you have three more years of President Obama, and if you go against him he's going to hate you. I think that might be enough."

Two of the nation's preeminent radio talk show hosts - conservative Laura Ingraham and liberal Leslie Marshall - took their turns analyzing Obama-care and its prospects. "Barack Obama postponed his trip to Indonesia for a reason," Ingraham declared. "They don't have the votes. Maybe they'll get the votes by Sunday, maybe they won't. But I spoke with [Democratic Congressman] Bart Stupak at length, and he told me that for every person they pull away from our position on this bill, we peel one or two back. Is it enough to stop this? I don't know, but it's interesting." Marshall predicted the bill will pass, but complained that it does not go far enough. "I want a public option. When Haiti had an earthquake, we whipped out our checkbooks. We can't whip out our checkbooks for health care for our own people in America?"

Fox News anchor Bret Baier has come under fire from the left for his sometimes contentious interview with President Obama. The Factor asked FNC media analyst Bernie Goldberg to evaluate Baier's grilling of the President. "Unlike so many other reporters," Goldberg said, "Bret Baier asked good, hard, tough questions, and he did it in a civil and respectful way. But as a viewer, I was uneasy with the constant interruptions. Let's imagine it was Brian Williams interrupting George W. Bush - you know what your audience would be saying." But The Factor stuck up for his FNC colleague: "Bret Baier only had fifteen minutes with the President, who can suck the air right out of that interview with long-winded answers. So Baier had to intrude when the President began to wander."

A religious group has accused Planned Parenthood of distributing sexually explicit material to Girl Scouts at a conference in New York City. Culture Warriors Gretchen Carlson and Margaret Hoover elaborated on the controversy. "I talked with the Girl Scouts today," Hoover reported, "and they categorically deny that this happened. There were 35 girls and seven adults in this room, and no one in the room even saw the material, so I do not believe this story." Carlson wasn't quite as definitive, predicting that "one of these girls is going to speak out if this actually happened." The Warriors turned their attention to pop star Lady Gaga, whose latest video is extremely explicit. "I watched the video with my father," Carlson complained, "and I was embarrassed by the vulgarity, the woman-on-woman kissing, the porn, the brutal fight scenes, and people dying. She's a great singer and dancer, so why can't she just stick to that?" Hoover, taking a more libertine view, advised parents to explain to their children that Lady Gaga's performance "is art."

The Factor asked Glenn Beck how he'll cope if the health care bill is signed into law. "I'm thinking about moving to Canada," Beck joked. "They haven't just given the republic a tumor here - they've injected poison into the bloodstream. This is health care and education together, you've lost all access to private dollars to get you into universities. So this is D-Day, but it's not the whole war, and I'm just going to continue to fight." The Factor warned Beck that "when they ration care, you'll be at the end of the line." Beck also explained his opposition to churches that preach "social justice" "If your pastor or your priest is telling you that Jesus commands you to be charitable, he's absolutely right. But if your church is saying that God is telling you that a giant government is charity, that is 'social justice' and it's a perversion."

Quiz Kids Steve Doocy and Martha MacCallum again stared one another down in the Great American News Quiz. Among the questions: "Representative Louise Slaughter made a bizarre comment saying some of her constituents have to share what?" ... "Which celebrity has called for Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize to be taken away?" ... "How many Masters titles has Tiger Woods won?" Doocy, not for the first time, nailed the final question to eke out a one point victory over his disheartened rival.

Thursday's Patriot: Baltimore Sun media critic David Zurawik, who praised Bret Baier for being "thoroughly prepared" to challenge President Obama. And the Pinhead: Vice President Joe Biden, who took a humorous shot at Fox News during Wednesday night's Washington dinner for broadcast journalists.

June Koenig, Olympia, WA: "O'Reilly, how about explaining why Bret interrupted our President in such a rude way?"

Cindy Murphy, Norton, MA: "I thank Bret for breaking the filibuster."

Gary Faucett, Lake Stevens, WA: "Bret was rude. No wonder the President doesn't like Fox News."

Wayne Millsap, North Las Vegas, NV: "Bill, you intimidated Secretary Napolitano. I saw fear in her eyes."

Scott Kautzmann, Succasunna, NJ: "Mr. O, you were too easy on her."