Guest: Trevor Hewick

"Last night I was walking to the White House for the annual media party. All of a sudden some guy runs up behind me screaming; I was with my assistant from Fox News and we were startled. I told the guy to get lost but he came closer and closer, armed with a cell phone camera. When he was about a foot away, I turned to shield myself and my assistant with an umbrella. The Secret Service stopped the man and we found out that he's an Occupy protester. I asked the Secret Service to call the DC police because I thought the guy was out of control. The police arrived and discussions took place, but there's no criminal statute in Washington unless a person actually touches you. This guy could have had a knife - I didn't know what he was going to do, but in the District of Columbia I couldn't stop him. Ironically, a few nights ago I told you bad things would happen because these Occupy protesters are becoming increasingly aggressive. But I never thought it was going to happen to me. I was lucky last night; I held my temper and I'm sure the guy wanted me to hit him. If the Occupy guy had identified himself, I would have talked to him. But running at someone in the dark screaming is a threatening situation. There ought to be a law!"

The Factor was joined by former D.C. police detective Trevor Hewick, who assessed the close encounter outside the White House. "You did the right thing," Hewick stated, "but the police misinterpreted the law. You don't have to have physical contact or an injury to arrest someone for simple assault. There's an aspect of a 'threatening act,' which could mean frightening an individual, and I would have arrested the man for a simple assault because I see this as a threatening act. You were trying to avoid the individual, he didn't identify himself by name, and he was yelling out questions. You're allowed to use force in instances like this to defuse the situation - you were under control because I would have decked him."

Guest: Laura Ingraham

Only two Republican candidates - Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum - have agreed to appear in an upcoming debate hosted by Donald Trump. During an interview on Laura Ingraham's radio talk show, Trump lashed out at Republicans who have denounced the debate. "He said he's angry because the country is going to hell," Ingraham told The Factor, "and we don't seem to want to have a serious debate about some of the big issues. He thinks it's important to have a debate about what happened preceding this Obama administration." The Factor criticized the no-shows for passing up an opportunity: "If I were running for president on the Republican side, I would want Trump asking these questions. The contenders should be able to handle Donald Trump."

Guests: Ford O'Connell & Laura Crawford

Texas Governor Rick Perry, trying to regain his flagging candidacy, has created an ad in which he promises to end President Obama's "war on religion." Republican strategist Laura Crawford was not impressed with the spot. "If you believe in local control of schools," she said, "what are you going to do as president about school prayer? Some people will respond to this, but in this day and age you can not micro-target a group anymore." Political consultant Ford O'Connell contended that Perry is, pardon the pun, throwing a Hail Mary. "Given how down he is in the polls, I think it's a very smart ad. Remember that a significant majority of Iowa caucus-goers are evangelicals and he's basically saying he's going to stand up for Christmas and school prayer." The Factor agreed with O'Connell's analysis, saying, "Rick Perry has to get attention fast and people will talk about this ad."

Guests: Gretchen Carlson & Margaret Hoover

Former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson recently appeared in a TV skit in which she played a profanity-spewing Virgin Mary. Culture Warriors Gretchen Carlson and Margaret Hoover evaluated the raunchy performance. "I actually thought this was funny," Hoover said. "This was meant to be irreverent and we all get the joke - Pamela Anderson is no 'Virgin Mary' and that's the joke. C'mon, take a joke!" Carlson put forth a vastly different review. "This was over-the-top stupidity and the only reason people were laughing is because there was a laugh track. This was the stupidest thing I've ever seen. I'm not offended from the religious aspect because the idea that Pamela Anderson is a virgin is joke enough." Playing the role of Solomon, The Factor split the proverbial baby in half: "This certainly pushes the good taste realm. It's sophomoric but I'm not offended by it. I think it's just dopey."

Guests: Kimberly Guilfoyle & Lis Wiehl

Fox News legal analysts Lis Wiehl and Kimberly Guilfoyle reviewed the testimony of Attorney General Eric Holder, who was grilled by a Senate panel Thursday about the "Fast and Furious" gun-running debacle. "What Holder admitted today," Wiehl said, "is that the department used 'inappropriate' tactics. And he admitted to Congress that he had not released all of the documents they had asked for. I think he got closer to obstruction of justice when he admitted that he hasn't handed over all the documents." Guilfoyle turned to former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, who also testified Thursday about the financial firm MF Global, which went bankrupt under his watch. "Potentially he exposed himself to legal liability," Guilfoyle said, "but the statements were made with the help of an attorney. He said quite simply that he doesn't know where the money went."

Guests: Martha MacCallum & Steve Doocy

Martha MacCallum and Steve Doocy ventured into the No Spin Zone to test their knowledge of the White House. Among the questions: "Three different executive mansions were used during George Washington's presidency. Where was the first one located?" ... "What environmentally-friendly amenity did President Reagan have removed from the White House?" ... "What did Gerald Ford add to the White House grounds?" MacCallum won by a point, thus extending her impressive winning streak to three consecutive matches.

Derek Sanders, Ontario, Canada: "Although I am a supporter of gay marriage, I think it's wrong that the gay mother used her child to ask Michele Bachmann a loaded question. It was exploitative."

Tony McGuinness, Belfast, Ireland: "Hey, Bill, you were spot on about that woman using her child as a political tool. I'm sure 99 percent of your audience agrees with you."

Rose Marie Anderson, Auckland, New Zealand: "Sally Kohn is way off base with her assessment that an 8-year-old boy should be involved in gay rights."

Dean Kimmich, Perryville, MO: "Bill, you are wrong to say Jon Stewart is funny. He simply ridicules people and that is not humorous."

Thursday's Patriot: Actress Hilary Swank, who apologized for accepting money to appear at an event celebrating the brutal Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.