Guest: Congressman Marty Meehan

"In every war America has ever fought, brutal methods were employed. In each case a good argument can be made that the war tactics used were inhumane and against what America stands for. But in each case victory was achieved and millions of people were set free as a result. Now America is fighting a barbaric enemy whose entire strategy is to commit atrocities, and many misguided Americans believe we can not even interrogate these people harshly when lives are at stake. Right now in Guantanamo Bay, detainees are allowed eight hours of sleep, three meals a day, two hours of outdoor exercise daily, and a bevy of entertainment and religious options. For our trouble, the detainees throw bodily fluids at our guards and there have been 90 stabbings by the captives. Senator John McCain and others believe if we go further than intense conversation our soldiers will be in jeopardy if captured. Well, Senator McCain knows better than anyone else that they already are, as the senator was brutally tortured by the North Vietnamese, who had signed the Geneva Conventions. As Talking Points has stated, President Bush is correct in asking for legal authority to use coercive interrogation methods in selective cases. The most noble thing in the world is saving lives - sometimes harsh measures are needed to do that."

For an opposing point of view, The Factor was joined by Massachusetts Congressman Marty Meehan. "There is a new Army manual," Meehan declared, "that outlines 15 techniques that are okay to use. It's more likely that suspects will give false information under torture rather than accurate information. The military has analyzed what works and what doesn't, and isolation has proven to be one of the most effective." The Factor argued that tougher techniques are sometimes needed. "Anyone will tell you that harsh measures do work on some people. This debate is not about taking eyes out or taking fingers off - it's about coerced interrogation that the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, and very liberal members of Congress oppose."

Guest: Edina Lekovic, Muslim Public Affairs Council

Pope Benedict XVI recently criticized Islamists who use violence, and quoted a 14th century emperor who spoke about Islam being "spread by the sword." The Pontiff's comments ignited an uproar, and Muslim representative Edina Lekovic explained why. "The record that Pope John Paul II set forth was intent on promoting a dialogue of civilizations and mutual understanding, which makes this troubling for many Muslims. The notion that Islam was 'spread by the sword' is a canard that is frequently repeated, but is false." The Factor reminded Lekovic of modern reality. "There are Muslims who are using the religion to murder women, babies, and children. It is the obligation of the Pope and every Muslim citizen to condemn that. I would love to see Muslim nations come out condemning the murdering jihadists. Until it happens, the world will not respect these nations."

Guest: Attorney Gary Harris

John Mark Karr, who was brought back from Thailand when he falsely claimed involvement in the JonBenet Ramsey murder, faces five misdemeanor counts of possessing child pornography. Former Karr family attorney Gary Harris portrayed him as misunderstood and unfairly vilified. "You said he's a pedophile, but he's never been accused of being a pedophile, much less been convicted. Until he was 37 years old he had no record, he was known as a good father, and there is no record of him ever mistreating or molesting any child at any time. The Factor stood by his description of Karr. "He is accused of possessing vile material, he's on tape saying all kinds of inappropriate things. How can you sit there and tell me this man is not a pedophile? It's hard to arrive at another logical conclusion." The Factor also predicted that Karr will be convicted on child porn charges, and vowed to publicly apologize if he is not.

Guest: Author James Ellroy

A new movie called "Black Dahlia" is based on the book by James Ellroy, who elaborated on the 1947 killing. "It's America's most famous unsolved murder case," Ellroy declared. "Elizabeth Short was a young woman found murdered and hideously tortured in LA. She dressed exclusively in black and wore a white flower in her hair - newspapers got a hold of that and called her the 'Black Dahlia.' It should have been an obscure sex crime, but it jumped into the front pages and stayed there for months." Ellroy theorized why some modern crimes, such as the JonBenet Ramsey murder, have not been solved. "Americans have been inundated with fatuous TV shows like CSI, and they think everything can be proven down to the most minute detail. Juries are less reliant on their intellect, and prosecutors want things worked out to the nth degree. Authorities in Boulder may well know who did it, but they're just afraid to file the case."

Guest: Geraldo Rivera

The day after CNN Headline News host Nancy Grace aggressively interrogated 21-year old Melinda Duckett, mother of a missing 2-year old, Duckett turned a gun on herself and committed suicide. Geraldo Rivera refused to blame Grace's accusatory interview. "I don't like Nancy Grace," Rivera admitted. "She's bombastic and has been chastised for being fast and loose with her ethics. But in this case I think she was right - Melinda Duckett had a preposterous story of where she was when the child disappeared. Grace was right to try to pin her down." Geraldo also commented on the death of Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel, who died in a Bahamas hospital. "I believe her son overdosed on an antidepressant or heroin or cocaine. That was at 9:00 and she didn't call for help until 9:38. What happened in that 38 minutes? Anna Nicole Smith has some questions to answer." Referring to the Nancy Grace controversy, The Factor suggested that television interviewers need to occasionally exercise restraint. "You and I are powerful guys - if we get someone on television we can ruin their lives in a blink. So we have to be cognizant of who they are and what might happen to them."

Guest: Bob Barker

In the first of a series of Friday interviews with TV legends, "The Price Is Right" host Bob Barker entered the No Spin Zone. The Factor began with the obvious question: "Mr. Barker, you're 83 years old, why are you still going to work?" Barker's answer was equally obvious. "I thoroughly enjoy doing the show. I've enjoyed it from the beginning and still enjoy it." The TV icon attributed his longevity to diet and exercise. "I became a vegetarian out of concern for animals, then realized this is a good thing. I've had far more energy and would have retired years ago had I not been a vegetarian. And I was into karate, which is great exercise."

Many of you wrote about talk show host Nancy Grace, whose intense questioning may have contributed to the suicide of a young mother. Some excerpts:

Linda Rios, Staten Island, NY: "Cheers to Nancy for being aggressive questioning the mother of the missing 2-year-old. I am tired of seeing dead babies."

Linda Ritz, Wynantskill, NY: "No one makes anyone commit suicide. I saw the program and Nancy was right to be angry that the woman would not answer her questions."

Sharon Layman, Chester, MD: "I do believe Nancy Grace should be held responsible for the mother's suicide. For years, she has been horrible people."

Other viewers wrote about the continuing difficulties of the Air America radio network.

Jorge Sierra, The Bronx, NY: "Mr. O'Reilly, the segment on the demise of Air America was hilarious. But I thought you weren't going to gloat."

James Furr, Yucca Valley, CA: "Although I am sympathetic to liberal causes, I could not tolerate the condescending and venomous tone that pervades Air America."

Brian Chatel, Edinboro, PA: "Liberal radio fails because there is more than enough conservative bashing in the mainstream media."