"The Clinton campaign has already become fodder for pundits and comedians. The scene in Iowa of nutty media people chasing her van got worldwide attention. And it seems everything Mrs. Clinton does gets attention, mostly negative. Unlike the Republican candidates, Hillary Clinton has not subjected herself to press interviews and that has brought her criticism. But look at it from her point of view: She has little to gain and a lot to lose by sitting down with skeptical media folks. However, if a strong Republican challenger emerges, Hillary Clinton will have to do some interviews. But believe me, there will be few and they will be well chosen to put her in a favorable light. You may remember I interviewed Mrs. Clinton back in 2008 when she was running against Barack Obama. I hope we can duplicate that but I'm not running after her van. The Scooby-Doo vehicle will just have to roll without me. Americans expect Republicans to hammer Hillary Clinton, what else is new? Well here's what else - some liberals have doubts. There is deep skepticism on the far left about Hillary Clinton. She is certainly not as liberal as Barack Obama, especially on foreign policy, and she does not connect with regular folks the way Mr. Obama has. And then there is the honesty factor, especially regarding Benghazi and her emails. Summing up, Hillary Clinton's first week on the campaign trail was kind of bizarre and Talking Points believes that condition may continue right up to Election Day 2016."

The Factor welcomed Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the few Democrats willing to challenge Hillary Clinton for the nomination. "She is way too conservative," he declared. "Given the problems this country faces, with massive wealth and income inequality and a collapsing middle class, the question is what a candidate can deliver for the working people. How many candidates have the guts to say we have to break up these huge Wall Street firms?" Sanders also endorsed the framework Iran deal worked out by the Obama administration. "I don't trust Iran, but this agreement isn't being built on trust, it's being built on verification. We will inspect whether they have the capability of moving toward a nuclear weapon."

Remember the White House ceremony at which President Obama triumphantly announced the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. It now turns out that the administration may have known for years that Bergdahl was a deserter. The Factor welcomed Fox News correspondent Catherine Herridge and Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, who have been following this situation closely. "We've been talking with four of Bergdahl's former platoon mates," Herridge reported, "and they confirmed that they had an informal meeting with Admiral Mike Mullen six months after Bergdahl walked away in 2009. This takes knowledge of the case to the most senior levels of the administration." Shaffer expressed disgust at the entire spectacle. "This is politics at its un-finest and Mike Mullen was clearly in the tank for the president throughout this process. The question is whether the buck stopped with Mullen, did he not tell the president?" The Factor theorized that President Obama had to know: "Mullen could not have failed to tell President Obama, we have to assume that the commander-in-chief knew that Bergdahl could be charged with desertion. Yet he went ahead and tried to sell the deal to the American people."

Fox News White House correspondent Ed Henry analyzed Hillary Clinton's reluctance to sit down for serious interviews. "Marco Rubio got into the race a day after she did," Henry said, "and he talked to Fox, ABC, NPR, and CNN. He's putting himself out there and facing tough questions. But the media at large doesn't seem up in arms about the fact that Hillary Clinton was on the road with us for two-and-a-half days in Iowa and didn't take a single question." The Factor told Henry he'll probably be shut out for a while: "There's nothing to be gained from talking to Ed Henry, who will ask her hard questions that she doesn't want to answer."

The Factor has been profiling Fox News reporters and anchors who have notable back stories. Thursday night the focus turned to Lauren Green, a concert pianist and former beauty queen. "I started playing the piano when I was six," she recalled, "and I loved it. My mother had to get me off the piano to do my homework." Green revealed that one of her classmates, the artist later known as Prince, had a major crush on her. "He called me on the phone and said, 'I like you,' and I hung up on him. When I was in the 6th grade I was not into boys and I spurned him. " Green was later crowned Miss Minnesota, was third runner-up in the Miss America pageant, then turned to journalism. "I wanted to get into TV production, so I got a master's in journalism. I started working in Minneapolis, then moved to Chicago and to Fox." The Factor summed up Green's most interesting journey: "You are a Fox News correspondent, you're a concert pianist, and you are an ex-flame of Prince. There's nothing more to say!"

Dana Perino, naming the most significant stories of the week gone by, singled out a speech given by her former boss, George W. Bush. "He was talking about his brother Jeb," Perino said, "who is considering a run for the presidency. He said, 'Jeb definitely has a problem, and the problem is me.' He said he will not be on the campaign trail but he'll be there to support and advise his brother." Looking overseas, Perino's top story was the continuing surge of ISIS in Iraq. "The administration has been trying to suggest that ISIS has been pushed back, but ISIS has an offensive right now. The administration has reluctantly and timidly gone into an air campaign. The bigger problem is that we do not have a comprehensive plan to deal with Syria and Iran."

How will the media treat Hillary Clinton during the upcoming campaign? The Factor invited Bernie Goldberg to opine. "It doesn't matter whether the press likes Hillary Clinton," he stated, "what is important is that they like her a lot more than any of the Republicans. When she has a real opponent, the press will revert to form and cover her like they covered the last historic candidate. There won't be quite as much slobbering because race trumps gender." The Factor's crystal ball presented a similar view: "They won't cover Hillary Clinton in the same affirmative way that they covered Barack Obama, but they'll come after the Republican harder."

Denise Pringle, New City, NY: "The debate with Tavis Smiley was terrific. You won, Bill, by reinforcing that drug trafficking is a violent crime and that drug use plays a big part in the collapse families."

Frieda Hendricks, TN: "Tavis is correct. Families are harmed by incarceration."

Paul Wagner, San Diego, CA: "Kudos to Tavis for being a standup guy and giving an honest perspective."

Because some best-seller lists don't tabulate conservative books accurately, the Conservative Book Club puts out its own list of best sellers. "Legends & Lies" is at the top of this week's list, and the top five also includes "Killing Patton" and "Killing Jesus."