Guest: Brit Hume

"Talking Points congratulates Newt Gingrich for his victory in South Carolina and we suggest that he send candy and flowers to ABC News and CNN. They tried to use the Speaker's former wife against him and, in a brilliant political move, Mr. Gingrich turned what could have been an embarrassing situation into a major victory. Many conservative Americans believe the news media demeans them, which is why Fox News is now the dominant prime time news agency in America. We don't demean traditional Americans; we respect them. So when Gingrich went out at John King of CNN for opening last week's debate with a tabloid question, voters in South Carolina cheered. Now Mr. Gingrich sees another ripe issue, what he calls 'the anti-religious bigotry of our elites.' The Speaker's line of attack presents a huge problem for Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney - they are much more contained, and conservative disenchantment with President Obama is so high that many voters are looking for an avenger who will take the fight to the President. If Newt Gingrich wins big in Florida, Mitt Romney will be in dire trouble."

The Factor welcomed FNC analyst Brit Hume, who assessed Mitt Romney's defeat. "There's a lot right with the Romney campaign," Hume began, "but are a couple of things wrong. One is that the candidate himself has failed to respond vigorously to challenges. Number two is that the Romney campaign thought they left Gingrich dead in New Hampshire and didn't come after him until he began to rise in South Carolina." Hume suggested that Gingrich's surge may soon fizzle. "Newt Gingrich has the highest negatives by far of any candidate in the field, and my sense is that he can not make it all the way to the Republican nomination based on a campaign against the news media." The Factor contended that Gingrich won the South Carolina vote the moment he confronted CNN's John King: "Once Gingrich tapped into that deep well of resentment that many conservatives have against the media, nothing Romney could have done would have stopped that surge."

Guests: Juan Williams & Mary Katharine Ham

Even though Newt Gingrich's former wife Marianne portrayed her husband in the worst light, he won a plurality of votes from married women in South Carolina. The Factor asked Mary Katharine Ham and Juan Williams to explain. "These are not soccer moms or mortgage moms or younger women," Williams said, "these are largely women over 50 and their big issues are paying for prescription drugs and Medicare. They're really upset over the President's health care plan." Ham laid out another possible rationale. "Many conservative women, especially after the beating Sarah Palin took in the media, are very attuned to media attacks. They may feel this Marianne Gingrich interview was suspiciously timed to do the most damage to Newt. I think many very conservative women reacted strongly to that."

Guest: Ann Coulter

Conservative author and provocateur Ann Coulter, a staunch supporter of Mitt Romney, entered the No Spin Zone and opened fire on Newt Gingrich. "He says whatever the audience wants him to say," Coulter declared, "and these attacks on the media have been depleting the well of sentiment against the liberal media. He keeps going back to that issue to protect himself from his infidelities; it's like Jesse Jackson going around accusing people of racism when his mistresses come out. Newt Gingrich doesn't want to answer a question, he wants to cover his infidelities." Coulter also restated her strong support for Mitt Romney. "I think Romney is the most conservative candidate of the four who remain, and the big question is how do we get the most votes? Just close your eyes, look at Newt and Callista, and ask yourself whether these people will be President and First Lady? The answer is no! And if we don't defeat Barack Obama in 2012, Obama-care is here to stay and we will go the way of Western Europe."

Former Penn State Joe Paterno died Sunday at age 85 and The Factor put forth this exposition: "Coach Paterno was perhaps the most successful college football coach ever and had a sterling reputation until recently. In November he was fired because he did not take enough action when he heard about a former assistant coach molesting a 10-year-old boy on university property. Paterno was afraid, he didn't want to get involved because he understood the implications for the university. That's exactly what happened in the Catholic Church - when a number of bishops found out about child molestation by priests, they covered it up because they didn't want to involve themselves and the Church. There is no question that abusing a child is a heinous crime and there is no excuse for any American not to stop the abuse immediately. I feel badly for Joe Paterno and his family; I'm sure the scandal hastened his demise. By all accounts he was a good man, but he was weak when it mattered in the face of a heinous act. All of us are compelled by decency to protect the kids. And if we don't, God help us."

Guest: Bernie Goldberg

Newt Gingrich has surged by continually attacking the liberal media, but will that strategy have legs? Bernie Goldberg expressed his doubts. "If you're going to bash the media," Goldberg said, "your most receptive audience is going to be conservative Republicans. This strategy can continue for a while, but it's going to get old at some point, it's going to lose impact. I'm not sure Republican voters want Newt Gingrich; I think they'd love to have Mitt Romney with his looks and physical demeanor, but with Gingrich's passion and enthusiasm." The Factor concluded, "It has been brutally effective for Newt Gingrich to portray himself as an 'avenger,' because that is what a lot of conservative Republicans want against President Obama."

NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell has claimed that Mitt Romney's grandfather entered the United States from Mexico illegally. The Factor's Check: "One problem with Ms. Mitchell's assessment is that it's false. When the Mexican revolution broke out in 1912, the Governor's grandfather returned to the USA. He and his family were American citizens and entitled to do so." Also, a new Harris Poll ranking America's favorite TV stars has Mark Harmon on top, followed by Ellen DeGeneres, Jon Stewart, and a certain Bill O'Reilly. The Factor's Check: "There's something very wrong with that survey, Stewart can not possibly be more popular than me. I sense something amiss and I demand a recount!"

Benjamin Jude, Salzburg, Austria: "Was I the only one put off by Gingrich's reaction to John King's question? The speaker should have answered it."

Danielle Houghton, Ocean, NJ: "How is it newsworthy that Newt Gingrich deflects questions he doesn't like into attacks on the media?"

Jeff Allen, Richmond, VA: "Bill, how's it going with you and your friends promoting Romney as the only 'electable' candidate?"

Lia Nielsen, Payson, UT: "O'Reilly, you reported that Fox News has been more negative than positive towards Romney. It is clear FNC is endorsing Newt."

Monday's Patriot: Actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth, who gave a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at Sunday's NFL game in San Francisco. And the Pinheads: The raucous fans who marred her performance by booing every time a New York Giant player appeared on the big stadium screen.