"Because Barack Obama came out of nowhere and is now President of the United States, other people who may not have considered running a few years ago are now in the game. Let's look at three of them. Donald Trump, maverick businessman, is perhaps the most well-known financial personality in the world. Mr. Trump says he may run against Barack Obama and yesterday went after the President, demanding that he 'show his birth certificate.' Trump's central theme, that America is a diminishing nation, is shared by millions of Americans. Then there's Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who says she is likely to set up a presidential exploratory committee. The Congresswoman is the closest thing to a tea party candidate, but her appeal beyond committed conservatives is unknown. And finally, there's the maverick Sarah Palin. She has remained an outsider and the establishment Republican Party is not embracing her, primarily because she has very high negatives among independents. She is a feisty and controversial personality and Barack Obama does want to run against her. So there you have the three wild cards in the presidential race - if any or all get in, I will personally send them flowers because it will be great for The Factor."

The Factor invited Fox News analyst Sandy Rios and political analyst Larry Sabato to assess the three mavericks, beginning with Donald Trump. "I can't see it," Sabato declared. "He's got enough baggage for a 747 - he has switched parties three times, he has changed positions on abortion and lots of other issues, and he's just too controversial." Rios agreed that Trump is a long shot. "I love that he's in the race because he has no fear and we need his voice, but I don't think he can win." When Sabato asserted that Bachmann "doesn't have the breadth of experience," Rios quickly pounced. "She's a federal tax litigator. Michele Bachmann is an intellectual and she knows more about finance than just about anybody in the capital." As for Sarah Palin, Sabato predicted she won't run, while Rios said Palin will get in the race "if she feels she is needed." The Factor predicted that "Republican primaries will be a brawl because there are so many diverse groups under the Republican banner."

President Obama has vowed that U.S. ground troops will not set foot in Libya, but American personnel may already be in Libya to help engineer the bombing campaign. Col. David Hunt revealed that some U.S. specialists are working under cover. "We do not conduct large scale air operations like this without people on the ground," Hunt said. "We've got intelligence gathering and special operations guys on the ground." Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer concurred with Hunt's revelation. "I got a call from one of my key sources and that's exactly what's going on. And let's be clear - you've got to have these individuals there when the stated goal is humanitarian support. You don't want to have weapons hitting the wrong targets, so we have special operations guys sitting there with laser designators that identify targets." The Factor concluded that "it would be great if one of these laser guided missiles could go right on the forehead of Qaddafi."

After a substitute teacher in Arizona wrote a letter portraying Mexican American students as unpatriotic and future gang members, a Republican legislator read the letter on the floor of the state Senate. Culture Warriors Gretchen Carlson and Margaret Hoover analyzed the situation. "It was enormously irresponsible of this legislator to read the letter," Hoover stated, "without talking to the teacher. It has inflamed race relations in an area of the country where race relations are already inflamed. I utterly disagree with the language of the letter." Carlson turned to reports that CBS and Warner Brothers may re-hire Charlie Sheen, who was unceremoniously dumped earlier this month. "It sends the wrong message that you would fire him and then, when you see how popular he still is, you would re-hire him. This is enabling a train wreck."

Tonya Reiman scrutinized Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she denied being the driving force behind U.S. military action in Libya. "She was rambling and she became a little chaotic with her movements," Reiman observed, "and she lost her composure. You could see her head bob in different directions and dart her eyes from left to right. All this tells me there was a loss of composure." Reiman also watched White House spokesman Jay Carney trying to explain the administration's policy on Libya. "There was a lot of shifting and mouth movement, big signs that 'I have to keep this secretive.' In his position he should be aware of those signs, so it was very poor body language."

Called upon to rule on a dispute between two Muslims, Florida Judge Richard Nielsen said he would apply Islamic law to reach his decision. Former prosecutor Jeanine Pirro, sitting in for Megyn Kelly, elaborated on the case. "What this judge said," Pirro reported, "is that there was apparently an arbitration agreement between the parties and they had previously agreed to settle disputes under Sharia law. This is a reflection of what's going on throughout the nation, which is why states are saying they don't want Sharia law under any circumstances." On a related subject, Pirro turned to the Muslim school teacher who demanded time off for a pilgrimage to Mecca. The teacher was fired and Attorney General Eric Holder is actually litigating on her behalf. "What's outrageous about this," Pirro declared, "is that this is a political decision being made by the Justice Department. This woman wasn't on the job nine months - can you imagine going to your first boss and saying you need three weeks off for a Haj?" The Factor denounced Holder for siding with the teacher: "He is putting himself up for scorn by spending our tax money on this case. He is absolutely making himself look foolish."

Tanned and rested after a week off, Steve Doocy and Martha MacCallum resumed their rivalry in the Great American News Quiz. Among the questions: "On what television show did Tiger Woods make his national debut as a child?" ... "Whom did Elizabeth Taylor marry twice?" ... "Before he joined the Nation of Islam, what was Louis Farrakhan's profession?" Doocy apparently did more training during the break and ran away with an easy victory.

Brad Chisick, Anaheim, CA: "Bill, Morris is right about Libya, you are wrong. We may have stopped the slaughter for now but what happens if Qaddafi remains in power."

Susan McKelvey, Camden, AL: "Bill, I agree with you. We can't stand by and watch a tyrant murder thousands of people."

Mark Matthews, Mansfield, TX: "We sat by and watched thousands slaughtered in Rwanda."

Thursday's Patriot or Pinhead: Country star Garth Brooks, who praised President Obama for "trying his heart out," adding that "I love him to death. Was Brooks' foray into opinionating patriotic or a pinheaded? Cast your vote here on BillOReilly.com. Wednesday's P or P asked about actor and amateur pilot John Travolta, who appeared in a video to extol the safety of Qantas Airlines. 72% of you called his remarks patriotic.