The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Monday, January 31, 2005
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
Impact Segment
Factor Follow Up Segment
Unresolved Problems Segment
Personal Story Segment
Back of Book Segment
Book Mentions
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Iraq election reaction & dissent
Guests: Bob Mann, University of Texas & Tim Graham, Director of Media Analysis, Media Research Center

"Elements on the far right and the far left generally deplore the US action in Iraq, but the success of the election there has them on the defensive. Liberal editorial pages praise the election ? what else could they do? Only committed leftists like Bob Herbert of the New York Times dared to continue the anti-Bush rhetoric just a day after the President won a major victory. On the right, the Ayn Rand Institute called the election a travesty. But there is no question the election has shifted the momentum away from the dissenters. Iraq continues to be a very dangerous place where Americans are dying, but at least their sacrifice has now been defined. The USA has won a great victory against terrorism because of brave American and coalition forces. Freedom is the ultimate hammer against terror, and the ideologues have to realize that. The Iraqi election is a defining moment in our history, and thank God the good guys came out on top."

Transcript: FoxNews.com

Two media observers joined The Factor to discuss whether the successful election will alter the tone of media coverage. Tim Graham of the Media Research Center predicted reporters will continue to stress the bad news. "What has gone on the air in the past few years from Iraq is a lot of negativity," Graham said. "You're going to get two nice days of coverage after the elections, and they're going to go back to saying Iraq is a quagmire like Vietnam." Journalism professor Bob Mann insisted there is no such thing as media bias. "The press sometimes does have a hard time covering good news. But I disagree with this concept of a left-wing media. What I tell my students is that journalism is supposed to print the truth, print the news, and raise hell."
Ward Churchill at Hamilton College
Guest: Prof. Paul Campos, University of Colorado at Boulder

As The Factor reported Friday, Hamilton College in New York State has invited professor Ward Churchill to participate in an upcoming panel discussion. Churchill wrote an essay praising the 9/11 terrorists and suggesting that World Trade Center victims deserved to die. Professor and columnist Paul Campos expressed his loathing of Churchill's views. "I would encourage everybody who is interested to read Churchill's essay on the Internet (Google search). I was so appalled that someone could be spewing this kind of disgusting nonsense in a supposedly academic environment." The Factor again suggested that Hamilton College made a terrible mistake by inviting Churchill. "There are people at Hamilton who lost loved ones on 9/11. This is just cruel."

More coverage to come on tomorrow's O'Reilly Factor...
Villanova memorial update
Guest: Radio talk show host Michael Smerconish

Villanova University has now decided to remove a plaque that was put up in memory of a professor who killed her six-month old baby, then took her own life "Villanova didn't want to take the heat," said radio talk show host Michael Smerconish. "I think they were embarrassed when word about this came out, and they finally came to their senses. I'm just happy because it's the right conclusion."
State of the Union "pre-buttal"
Guest: Fox News analyst Juan Williams

From Social Security to Iraq, Democratic leaders have been speaking out against various administration policies. Fox News analyst Juan Williams described it as a "pre-buttal" to the President's upcoming State of the Union address. "What you see is Democrats asking the President to tell us exactly what his plans are ? how he plans to rebuild Iraq, how he plans to train the Iraqi troops." The Factor contended that it's a tactical error for Democrats to be so negative immediately after a major Bush accomplishment, but Williams disagreed. "There is substantial criticism of the Bush policy in Iraq," Williams asserted. "There are lots of people who have questions, even after we celebrate the embrace of democracy."
Liberals, conservatives, progressives and traditionalists
Guest: Sam Smith, author & editor, The Progressive Review

People describing themselves as "progressive" often want major changes in many areas of American life. Sam Smith of The Progressive Review elaborated on some policies he favors. "I would start with the public financing of political campaigns," Smith told The Factor. "Then I would have instant runoff voting where you get to vote for your first, second, and third choices for candidates. I would also get rid of the No Child Left Behind Act and return control of school systems back to the local school districts where it belongs." The Factor pointed out that some local districts, such as Washington, DC, have proved incapable of running efficient schools. "Washington is spending more than $10,000 per pupil and can't teach anything. And you want me to endorse that idea?"
Michael Jackson trial begins
Guests: Harvey Levin, Celebrity Justice & crime journalist Aphrodite Jones

Jury selection is underway in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. "Fans are here from around the world," journalist Aphrodite Jones told The Factor. "All of them are in support of Michael Jackson. And Jackson, for the first time in his life, has to put on a performance that he does not have control over." Harry Levin of Celebrity Justice explained what kind of jurors the defense team is seeking. "They'd love to get women about thirty years old, who don't remember much about the 1993 allegations against Jackson. An ideal male juror would be a man who has gone through a divorce where the ex-wife made false allegations. The defense thinks those men could relate to Jackson on that level." The Factor assured viewers that coverage of the Jackson trial won?t be a daily staple on the show. "We're not going to overwhelm you with this thing. When important stuff happens, we'll bring it to you. We won't have speculation or day-to-day bloviating."
Book Mentions
Check out the books mentioned during this show.
Sam Smith's Great American Political Repair Manual
by Sam Smith

Read more...