"If you saw the President's press conference today there was no doubt that Mr. Bush fervently believes he is doing the right thing in Iraq and effectively fighting terrorism. The President was engaged and challenging, especially to critics who have questioned his motives, like White House reporter Helen Thomas. At this point in his administration ... the President would be wise to do more of that, to directly confront critics he believes are full of hot air. A President cannot become obsessed with that, as Richard Nixon did, but he can show the public that he feels these people are flat-out wrong. There is no question that the media in America is heavily liberal and with the rise of the internet, the far-left now dominates the liberal agenda. To these kool-aid drinkers no personal attack is out-of-bounds, no distortion too dishonest to use, they are all about the end justifying the means, destroy your political enemy if you can. Talking points believes Americans find that behavior disgusting and even those who are disenchanted with President Bush want him to answer his critics in an authoritative way. He did that today, and it worked.

Fox News analyst Newt Gingrich analyzed the president's press conference. "I think sometimes people in Washington get too cynical, too professional, too aloof. It's good for a president when it's life and death, war and peace -- it's good for a president to show the passion and the depth of his own feelings and his own emotions so the country knows that this guy is real and not just posturing. I thought it was an effective presentation." The Factor said that an aggressive Washington press corps was necessary, but that they were often trying to hurt President Bush. "You have got to be aggressive, you have got to be respectful, but now we're in a situation in America where I believe that a good part of the American media wants to undermine the Bush administration. They're not reporters anymore, they're not analysts anymore. They're looking to undermine the president because they think he's a dummy or they don't like him for whatever reason."

During his press conference today the president defending Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and said he should not resign. The Factor put the question to Newt Gingrich, who also defended Rumsfeld. "First of all, the biggest mistakes made in Iraq were not made by Secretary Rumsfeld. We had a decision to go with an American centered occupation led by Ambassador Bremer. It was a terrible mistake. It cost us probably two years out of the three-year process. Second, the bureaucracy just simply doesn't work. The military works extraordinarily well, but if you took the $18 Billion the Congress thought was going to be spent in Iraq to help the Iraqi people, it would make you want to cry to realize how much of it was wasted. But these are not Rumsfeld problems." The Factor countered with an op/ed written by a general back from Iraq. "You got one of the commanding generals, last Sunday in the "New York Times" saying look, I was there. We told Rumsfeld and Tommy Franks that you can't let the Fedayeen melt away, they're going to come and get you. We told them that they had to have security in and around Baghdad so they couldn't loot all the weapons caches and they did. Now, you're telling me that the defense secretary didn't have anything to say about Fedayeen and security and weaponry?" Gingrich replied: "No. I'm saying that we went in there, and I don't know who made the final decisions, but I think they were above Secretary Rumsfeld pay grade." The Factor then wanted to know whose fault it was. Gingrich's answer? "The president of the United States as commander in chief."

Florida prosecutors have dropped sexual battery charges against 25-year-old Tampa teacher Debra LaFave accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Apparently the boy's mother did not want him to testify, and the judge rejected a plea deal. At a news conference today, LaFave says she has bipolar disorder. The Factor explained why the judge dropped the charges. "The judge wouldn't accept the plea because the prosecutor, our old pal, Brad King, wasn't asking for jail time. [The judge] said I'm not going to accept that, she deserved to go to jail and I'm not going to do it and so King dropped the charges." Jeffrey Hermann, a child abuse attorney, said the judge was correct. "I think the judge was right, he's trying to do the right thing and treat cases like this like they should be treated and he felt there should be jail time associated with the abuse of a child. And, you know, here's a guy who's trying to do the right thing and then the prosecutor, in my opinion, drops the ball and sends the wrong message." The Factor condemned the idea of letting people off for molesting children because they say they have a disease. "This is what we're seeing now. Anybody who molests a child has a disease. I mean, this is what's going on because of the judges in Vermont and Ohio. I think the woman should have spent some time in jail."

The Factor has been after Judge John Connor in Ohio, who wouldn't put 46-year-old Andrew Selva in prison after he abused two young boys over a three-year period. The Factor spoke with one of Selva's victims, an 11-year old named "Dave," and asked him how he felt about Connor's sentence. "I'm actually really, really disappointed. I was on his case for about -- it's been about three years now. And it's just hard for me. Just taking time out of my life doing this case. And every time this case comes up, it always gets moved. Finally knowing the fact that it's finally over, but it's not over, because nothing happened. There was -- there was 10 years on the table, but there was nothing." The Factor then asked, "If the judge is watching right now, what would you say to Judge Connor right now and the newspapers that have supported Judge Connor?" Dave said: "I would just say that your decision was really, really disappointing to me, but not only to me, but to everyone else that this could happen to."

Conservative commentator Laura Ingraham got up early this morning and appeared on "The Today Show," chastising NBC for it's negative Iraq coverage. She defended her comments on the Factor. "The American people, I don't blame them, really, for being as dispirited as they are, given what we have seen day in and day out. And the Bush administration has made its share of mistakes. We all know that. Those are very clear now. But if people saw a broader picture of the stores that are opening in the north, the fact that these military men are signing up in such numbers that they can't even be processed, don't you think that would affect public opinion more than some of these other things?" The Factor thought the media deliberately focused on the negative stories to hurt the Bush administration. "I think it's an American-centric story. I think that people respond to the violence they see vis-a-vis how many Americans are getting hurt and killed. And I think that's natural. But here's my problem. I believe that there is a segment of the media trying to undermine the policy in Iraq for their own ideological purposes. It's no longer dissent; it's no longer skepticism. It's we want to undermine it, and that disturbs me."

Last season, Toronto Blue Jays player Carlos Delgado refused to stand for the playing of "God Bless America", saying he was against the Iraq war. Over the winter, he was traded to the New York Mets, home of pitcher Chris Benson and his outspoken wife, Anna, who had criticized Delgado. Soon after, Chris Benson was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. The Factor asked Anna Benson if the two were related. "Ms. Benson, the newspapers here in New York, you know how brutal they are, and they basically said you got your husband traded because of the Delgado thing. Are you buying that?" Benson said, "I don't buy into that. You know, it wasn't about Delgado. This is about our country and our flag and respect for America. I don't respect any decision from any American to put down our country or our commander in chief or not stand for the national anthem. I'm definitely not in agreement." The Factor asked Benson about her reputation for being outspoken. "You are the most outspoken sports wife in the country, in addition to being a very high-profile model. And you know, a lot of people are going what is she going to say next? Why did you choose to be so outspoken?" Benson said, "I think every woman has a right to speak her opinion. And I don't think that it matters that my husband is an athlete. I think that if he was in any other profession, then I should be able to speak my mind."