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| All content taken from The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening's show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.
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"Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska will give the most important speech of her life, and perhaps of John McCain's life. If Governor Palin impresses America, the McCain campaign catches fire; if she does not, things could go south very fast. Leading up to the speech there has been a tremendous amount of derision directed at Sarah Palin. Basically the conservative theory is this - if Governor Palin is successful, she will bring back traditional principles and reignite the social causes conservatives believe in. That angers the left, which fears a resurgence of what Governor Palin could represent. So the attacks on Governor Palin are unprecedented, especially in the entertainment industry. The big advantage Governor Palin has is you - millions of Americans will be watching her tonight and she has a tremendous opportunity. Americans need to know as much about Mrs. Palin as possible and she should concentrate on that. Governor Palin is in a pressure situation, and it will be fascinating to see if she can emerge victorious."
The Factor asked political analyst Dick Morris about the perils and opportunities facing Sarah Palin. "As soon as McCain nominated Palin," Morris said, "the Democrats attacked with smears and vicious personal attacks, stuff that had nothing to do with Palin. If she goes out there and gives one hell of a speech, which I think she will, she can develop tremendous popularity, and then the backlash comes against the people who attacked her." Morris added that the GOP's ultimate objective is to make voters comfortable with the McCain-Palin ticket. "The goal of this convention is to narrow the synapse between McCain and Obama - then, through negatives on Obama, you can get people to jump over the narrow synapse to McCain. And Palin can be a crucial element in narrowing that." |
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| criticized the nomination of Sarah Palin. "There are two issues here," Quinn explained. "One is whether she is the single most qualified person John McCain could have chosen, given that it's not unlikely that she could take over the presidency. I feel it was an irresponsible decision that McCain made at the last minute. Also, she has five children, and one of them is a newborn with Down syndrome that she is nursing. There's a moment when you say, thanks but no thanks." The Factor suggested that Quinn and other critics were being less than fair. "What would be wrong with saying she 'might not' be qualified, but let's give her a chance? You're not giving her any benefit of the doubt, and a lot of politicians have had a bunch of kids. This seems unfair and almost mean-spirited." |
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| Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, herself the mother of five, entered the No Spin Zone and defended the Palin nomination. "Of course you can be vice president and have children at the same time," Bachmann declared. "I was trying cases in federal tax court when the children were young - I had a very supportive husband, which Sarah Palin seems to have as well. If you're a disciplined individual you can do it, and our kids are doing great." Bachmann also tried to explain the left-wing vitriol directed at Palin. "What I'm seeing is liberal double-speak, far left Democrats suddenly embracing 'family values' because she is such a threat to them. She's committed to life, committed to her daughter, and she is their worst nightmare. I met Sarah Palin last month in Alaska and she's a lovely woman." |
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| Senator Barack Obama has finally agreed to enter the No Spin Zone - he will sit down for an extended interview on Thursday. The Factor spoke with columnist Amanda Carpenter, who gauged Internet reaction to the interview. "The conservative blogosphere has been mostly positive," Carpenter reported. "The reaction on the liberal blogosphere is mostly negative, but there were bloggers on the Huffington Post who said you were fair to Hillary Clinton. So most people are looking forward to the interview, although some on the left see this as validating Fox News, and they feel like they're not winning as much any more." The Factor applauded Obama for agreeing to be questioned. "The Obama camp chose to do the interview to take a little of the steam out of John McCain's Thursday night speech. But we'll still have plenty of time tomorrow to cover the campaign. I think Barack Obama is smart to do the interview." |
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| Dennis Miller began his observations with the vicious attacks on Sarah Palin. "She unnerves people," Miller suggested, "who define their lives by their need to be precious. I look at these bloggers and they need to be special, while she is so normal and happy being normal. Sarah Palin seems like she couldn't care less about being a rock star. I love this pick and I think it's a pick that is going produce a victory. If it doesn't, I'm willing to go down swinging with a dame like that." Miller admitted to looking forward to The Factor's interview with Barack Obama. "I'd lean on him about the surge. This guy's smoke and mirrors, he has to be put on the record about certain things and no one is doing it. You're a pretty square shooter and he's not going to face another square shooter except John McCain." |
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| Finally, The Factor aired a montage of video from inside and outside the Republican National Convention. There were protesters claiming that Republicans have "blood on their hands," others calling Fox News "hateful" and a "Republican propaganda arm," and a few self-proclaimed "anarchists" smashing windows in St. Paul. And, of course, the star of the show was Governor Sarah Palin, who spent a week as the most revered and reviled woman in America. |
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| Wednesday's Patriot: Swimmer Michael Phelps, who is donating $1 million to promote water safety and swimming. And the Pinhead: ABC reporter Terry Moran, who referred to Barack Obama as "the son of a black man from Kenya and a white man from Kansas." Nominate a Pinhead or a Patriot by sending an email to pnp@billoreilly.com. |
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