Guests: Kirsten Powers and Kristen Soltis

"In order to turn the country around good leadership will have to step up. That means politicians who put you ahead of their own welfare, elected officials who are honest, intelligent, and daring. The American media discourages bold leadership because it attacks politicians based on ideology. Many strong leaders don't even bother running, not wanting to punish themselves and their families. When thinking about leadership it's instructive to look at Time magazine's nominees for 'person of the year.' The nominees include Sandra Fluke, rapper Jay-Z, and Jon Stewart. You can see that we are living in a very shallow time in America; the truth is that we have very few dynamic leaders. Where's Abe Lincoln when we need him? Just like 1860, America is a divided nation - there is a culture war raging and we need someone to bring us together to solve complicated problems and stop all the nonsense. Lincoln could have done it!"

The Factor asked Republican Kristen Soltis and Democrat Kirsten Powers to pick their own "person of the year." "Using Time magazine's criteria," Power said, "I think Mohammed Morsi had real impact. He is the first democratically elected President of Egypt and it was a very important moment in the Middle East." Soltis' choice betrayed her Republican leanings. "I think Paul Ryan would be a good choice. He's the one guy in the United States who is really trying to solve these long-term fiscal problems that countries around the world are facing." The Factor promptly threw cold water on both those nominations: "Morsi is a minor figure right now, but he may emerge as a major figure in a good or a bad way. If he's the 'person of the year' on this planet we're in bad shape. Paul Ryan hasn't accomplished the things he wants to accomplish, and he couldn't even carry his home state."

Guests: Marc Lamont Hill

Some left-wingers are urging governments to raise money by enacting a tax on an individual's wealth. The Factor debated that proposal with professor and self-described progressive Marc Lamont Hill. "I think it's exciting and innovative," Hill said, "and if it's done properly it could actually make this country even more democratic and fair. Right now the wrong people are paying taxes, so a wealth tax would target people who may not have a ton of income but have substantial wealth. One number that's been tossed around by experts is one percent of wealth and that would probably make the tax burden of most Americans lower." The Factor ridiculed the idea, saying, "This is way beyond anything George Orwell ever imagined, this is into 'Brave New World' stuff and it's a seizure of private property."

Guests: Jesse Watters

Jesse Watters paid a friendly visit to Rhode Island, where Governor Lincoln Chafee has reportedly given consideration to ending the state's annual Christmas tree lighting. After talking with a sampling of residents, Watters reported that another Christmas controversy is the last thing Rhode Islanders want. "The state's economy is third-worst in the country," he said, "and Governor Chafee just unveiled a proposal to give drivers licenses to illegal aliens. So this guy is inundated and now he declares this 'war on Christmas.' He's in a lot of trouble and people here think Chafee has kind of lost it." Watters added that while most Rhode Islanders favor the traditional "Christmas tree," there is one enclave dominated by secular progressives. "Everyone I spoke to at Brown University was pro-'holiday tree,' I couldn't believe it." The Factor revealed that Governor Chafee will enter the No Spin Zone for an interview on Thursday's program.

Guests: David Silverman

Always eager to explore other opinions, The Factor welcomed David Silverman, who heads an organization devoted to promoting atheism. "We're stopping the government from preferring one religion over another," Silverman stated. "You can celebrate Christmas but our government can not take sides and say this is a good religion and this is a bad religion. It's not cool for you to try and cloud this issue, this is about religious neutrality from the government. The government has to be fair, we demand equality from the government!" The Factor disputed Silverman's basic premise: "If you want to be an atheist, that's why we have America, but why are you messing around with my tradition? Just leave it alone. You and your merry band of fascists should try to get Christmas revoked!"

Guests: Dennis Miller

With the 'war on Christmas' dominating the program, Dennis Miller eagerly joined the fray. "The guy you just talked to is the face of modern progressivism," Miller declared, "and I'm the American primitive. So I'm just going to say I don't think there's a war on anything except women, and I prefer to think of this as a seasonal contretemps brought on by a small man named Lincoln Chafee. If he were any more idiotic, he would be the ass outside the nativity scene under the Christmas tree. What has happened to this country!? When I sing 'White Christmas' now, I'll no doubt be deemed to be a racist. We've lost our minds, the inmates are subletting the asylum, and the only reason they don't go after Santa is because they think he might be a mullah and they don't want to be anti-Islamic!" Miller also opined on the stark differences between our two most populous states. "I'd rather live in California topographically and Texas ideologically. The 'Big D' in Texas means Dallas, but out here it means disability. Half of the public sector union guys are stepping down at age 50 with a twitchy lumbar and riding that ticket off into the sunset. But Barack Obama would pick the California model over the Texas model, and that's which way the country has gone."

Guests: Juliet Huddy

Angus Jones, who plays the "half" on CBS's "Two and a Half Men," trashed the hit show as "filth," then recanted and apologized. Fox News correspondent Juliet Huddy reacted to the incident. "He makes about $8 million a year," she reported, "and he's been on the program for ten years. He's a Seventh-day Adventist church member, but everybody on the set says they never heard him talk about religion before this video popped up. 'Two and a Half Men' is an edgy show, it's funny, but it's not loved by the parental commissions." The Factor advised Jones to follow his principles: "The kid's 19 and we have to cut him some slack, but he has to decide whether he continues to take this check. If he's being paid to do this role and he thinks it's garbage, he should get out of there."

Michael Sullivan, Pittsburgh, PA: "I don't believe Jesus is God but if people want to celebrate him that's fine with me."

Mark Shear, Buffalo Grove, IL: "Bill, you are my guy. I watch The Factor every night. But please spare us this annual 'War on Christmas' stuff. It's bogus."

Emmanuel Sammon, Dublin, Ireland: "I am sending Governor Chafee a Christmas card."

Myron Hecker, New City, NY: "Bill, like your no spin style. But if your current job doesn't work out, you might consider being a history teacher again."

Some viewers wrote in to describe the greatest presents they've ever received. Among them - a towel warmer and a photo album documenting a person's life.