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, July 16, 2007
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
Impact Segment
Unresolved Problems Segment
Factor Follow Up Segment
Mondays with Michelle & Kirsten Segment
Back of Book Segment
Factor Mail
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Comments
JetBlue and the radical left
"What do you think of someone who says the following: 'The world would be better off without him.' That came after Tony Snow announced his cancer had returned. Or this: 'The Pope is a primate' ... 'evangelicals are nut cases' ... and some attacks against coalition forces in Iraq are legitimate. All of those thoughts were posted on a vicious far-left web site called the DailyKos, one of the worst examples of hatred America has to offer. That web site is having a convention in Chicago, and only one major company has stepped up as a sponsor - JetBlue, the airline that melted down this winter. We contacted JetBlue to ask why it would sponsor a hateful web site. There was no answer, so we sent producer Jesse Watters to see JetBlue CEO David Barger, who said there is 'no alignment' between the business and politics, and JetBlue customers will 'draw their own conclusion.' It is beyond belief that a company like JetBlue would sponsor hate mongers like the DailyKos. There comes a time when American consumers have to take a stand and this is one of those times. This isn't an ideological issue - if a company was sponsoring a David Duke convention we'd do the same story. Hate is hate, no matter where it comes from."

The Factor was joined by Business Week's Diane Brady, who speculated about JetBlue's motivation. "The main reason they did this," Brady said, "was eyeballs. DailyKos is a very popular web site that gets 500,000 hits a day. JetBlue sees itself as an edgy, young airline. They're an upstart and they want to be seen as being a 21st century airline, and one thing they like to do is sponsor web sites like this." The Factor pointed out that JetBlue's Barger had to be aware of the DailyKos content. "We didn't ambush this guy. We told them what is on the DailyKos, we gave them a week, and they don't care. JetBlue doesn't care that DailyKos said all that stuff. This is hate of the worst order - it's like the Ku Klux Klan, it's like the Nazi party."

News Link: JetBlue sponsors Yearlykos
The GOP, Fred Thompson & Newt Gingrich
The Factor next welcomed former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who spoke about his just-concluded meeting with top military officers. "I met with 45 general officers today," Gingrich revealed. "Every single person who recently served in Iraq reported that they had better cooperation, more local people helping them, and people who are actively risking their lives helping Americans. There was a very positive feeling that if Washington politicians don't make it impossible, they'll get the job done." Turning to presidential politics, Gingrich spoke about the prospective candidacy of Fred Thompson. "He'll be a very strong competitor, and I think this race will rapidly shape into Governor Romney, Mayor Giuliani, and Fred Thompson. Senator McCain is rapidly fading - his campaign had too many consultants, cost too much money, and didn't have a message. The immigration bill was the last blow."

News Link: Conservatives hold their fire on Thompson
Reporter fired after visiting Stebic home
Chicago television reporter Amy Jacobson was spotted in a swim suit at the home of Craig Stebic, whose wife has been missing for more than two months. During a radio interview, Jacobson admitted "what I did was wrong," but added that "I had great intentions to work a story." Lawyer Steve Greenberg defended Jacobson's aggressive pursuit of the truth. "I don't actually see anything wrong with the fact that she went there swimming. If she'd have gotten the story, everyone would have said 'great job.' She's gotten a lot of stories by pushing the envelope, and no one has ever complained." But The Factor accused Amy Jacobson of breaking every rule in the journalistic book. "In 30 years of journalism I've never seen anything like this. Here's a suspect and she goes to his home in a swimsuit. It's inconceivable that you would put yourself in a position like that. She deserved to be fired."

News Link: Video: NBC "swimsuit reporter"
Doctor investigated for Anna Nicole death
Journalist Pat LaLama, who has been investigating the doctors who supplied Anna Nicole Smith with the prescription drugs that contributed to her death, reported that psychiatrist Khristine Eroshevich is facing the greatest jeopardy. "She prescribed truckloads of medication," LaLama declared, "and they will have to prove that she prescribed things that were not medically necessary. She could lose her license, but she could possibly go to federal prison. The DEA takes this very seriously." The Factor denounced any physician who would so blatantly disregard the Hippocratic Oath. "The drug overdose that killed Ms. Smith was massive, and there is a list of eleven different drugs that were prescribed. How can any M.D. not think this was a dangerous situation?"

News Link: Smith drug doc under fire
Michael Moore/CNN controversy rages on
The Factor welcomed FNC analysts Michelle Malkin and Kirsten Powers, who began with Michael Moore's on-air clash with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Malkin accused Moore of over-reacting to criticism of his film. "Whatever legitimate grievances he had about factual errors CNN may have made, that was completely undermined by his over-the-top hysteria and bullying of CNN." The Factor contended that Moore's anger was well-calculated. "There's no doubt in my mind that this is a publicity stunt by Moore. He was genuinely aggrieved that CNN poked some holes in his movie, but now he's using it for publicity because not a lot of people are going to the film." Powers, who has advised Democratic politicians, disagreed with Moore's prescription for what ails American health care. "I don't think the government is the most efficient organization to run health care, but you can have some government subsidies. I would not support the government running the show, it should come in as a safety net."

News Link: Michael Moore vs. CNN
The Great American Culture Quiz
Steve Doocy and Martha MacCallum renewed their rivalry in the Great American Culture Quiz. The Factor gave five questions, including these: "At Wellesley College, Hillary Clinton wrote her senior paper on what individual?" ... "What Nazi war criminal committed suicide at the Nuremberg trial?" Leading by one with time running out, Doocy choked on the final question, while MacCallum answered correctly to salvage a tie.
Viewers sound off
Factor Words of the Day
Many of you wrote about The Factor's interview with White House spokesman Tony Snow. Some excerpts:

Dr. Howard Beggs, Lindale, TX: "O'Reilly, you let Snow spin so much his appearance was useless."

Frank Caponi, Fort Lauderdale, FL: "Mr. O'Reilly, I rarely agree with you on anything, but your interview with Tony Snow was aggressive. You treated him no differently than your other guests."

Steve Owen, San Diego, CA: "I'm a Democrat but realize that if we abandon the people of Iraq, disaster will follow."

Arlene Cadish, Agoura Hills, CA: "Bernie Goldberg said that many talk show hosts are rude and unfair. Was he talking about you, Bill?"