Guests: James Rosen & Carl Cameron

"Since nobody knows what happened in the 1990's regarding Herman Cain and accusations of inappropriate behavior, it is very difficult to analyze the situation with any clarity. Today Mr. Cain denied doing anything wrong, saying 'I have never acted inappropriately with anyone.' The question remains whether the Cain campaign can survive all of this? There's no question that his supporters are standing by him - he's raised millions of dollars in the past week and his poll numbers continue to hold among likely Republican voters. Talking Points believes it is far too early to reach any conclusions about the whole mess. But there is no question that on the Republican side the political dynamic in this presidential election is changing."

The Factor pursued the Cain story with Fox News correspondents James Rosen and Carl Cameron. "Republicans and Cain's supporters are circling the wagons and trying to defend him," Cameron said, "but now there are four or five accusers. He's tried to battle back by saying there is no substantiating evidence, but another woman came out publicly today and she's calling on some of her fellow accusers to hold a joint news conference. That is the kind of thing that really disturbs establishment Republicans and it potentially does political damage to Mr. Cain." Rosen provided a specific example to of that political damage. "I know of a very talented GOP political operative," Rosen reported, "who was asked to join the Cain campaign in a very senior role since this scandal broke. After thinking about it, this individual said no, which is an example of talent fleeing the campaign." The Factor suggested that Cain could actually benefit because "there is an anger growing in this country about the industry that is set up to smear politicians on both sides."

Guests: Monica Crowley & Alan Colmes

Monica Crowley and Alan Colmes entered the No Spin Zone to speculate on which Republican candidates could benefit from Herman Cain's difficulties. "It may help Newt Gingrich," Colmes stated. "There seems to be a 'Newt boom' - a lot of people who haven't looked at him in a while may be reconsidering because they want a conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. But Michele Bachmann has kind of rendered herself almost irrelevant." Crowley theorized that Texas Governor Rick Perry may pick up some defecting Cain voters. "Alan is right, Newt Gingrich has started something of a mini-surge. And Rick Perry, who receded when Herman Cain started rising, has a strong conservative record with a great economic story to tell. In the final analysis, primary voters are going to pull the lever not based on emotion. Their calculation will be based on which candidate can stand up to Barack Obama in a debate and in the election."

Guest: Megyn Kelly

Attorney General Eric Holder has come under withering criticism for the botched 'Fast and Furious' gun-running sting. The Factor asked Fox News anchor and attorney Megyn Kelly whether Holder will hang on to his job. "He can survive," Kelly concluded, "because there are 34 House Republicans calling on him to resign but no Democrats and no Senators. There is no direct proof showing that he knew about this operation." Kelly also opined on the guilty verdict in the case of Dr. Conrad Murray for his role in Michael Jackson's death. "He could get probation or house arrest," Kelly said. "California's prisons are so messed up and overcrowded that people don't have to serve any of their sentences. But the bigger penalty to him is the loss of his medical license, and I think that's why he's on suicide watch right now. His career is gone." The Factor declared that Murray "should lose his license, what kind of doctor is this?"

Guest: John Stossel

There are reports of widespread abuse of prescription drugs like OxyContin among high school students. In light of that and Michael Jackson's death, The Factor asked libertarian Fox Business host John Stossel whether he has second thoughts about drug legalization. "It's already illegal for kids to buy this stuff," Stossel said, "but they buy it anyway. Did alcohol prohibition work? All it does is create crime, and banning drugs doesn't make them go away. Prosecute anyone who sells a prescription drug to kids, but do you want to ban OcyContin? It's a great pain reliever." The Factor urged legislators to institute mandatory minimum sentences for anyone selling drugs to a minor: "I want to put punitive measures on people who sell it, including doctors, for frivolous reasons. Let's get tough on this!"

Guests: Lis Wiehl & Kimberly Guilfoyle

Jerry Sandusky, a longtime assistant football coach under Joe Paterno at Penn State, has been charged with sexually abusing young boys. Legal analysts Lis Wiehl and Kimberly Guilfoyle elaborated on the squalid story. "The athletic director and a university vice president have been arrested," Wiehl reported, "and charged with perjury. They're charged with hearing about some of the incidents, which involved many boys, and allegedly lying about it in front of a grand jury. There's going to be civil liability for the university because this went on for fifteen years with multiple boys." Guilfoyle said this episode will leave an indelible stain on football's winningest coach. "I grew up admiring Joe Paterno, who has the most wins in the history of college football, but forget about that. This man knew and he looked the other way. It's incumbent upon you to report this and it's astounding that this happened." The Factor called for Joe Paterno's immediate dismissal: "An eyewitness who saw Sandusky molest a boy told Paterno, who didn't go to the cops but went to university officials who did nothing. Paterno has to go!"

Guest: Charles Krauthammer

The Factor asked Fox News analyst Charles Krauthammer whether Herman Cain can survive accusations of past improper behavior. "I think he can," Krauthammer said, "but it won't be easy. It's going to require repeated exertions like the one today when Cain had his press conference. It's a high wire act and today he crossed the wire just about intact, but he made one mistake, which was to blindly blame it on what he called the 'Democratic machine.' You can't go around making charges if you don't know that they're true. But on the substance I thought he defended himself in a way that was rather effective. He should stop throwing out accusations and simply talk about the substance." The Factor denounced "all of these people who came out 15 years after the fact want to destroy Herman Cain and his family."