Friday, March 2, 2007
On The O'Reilly Factor...
Segment Summaries
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.
Talking Points Memo
Rooting against the USA?
"We have been over this turf before, but it's worth updating you on the fact that some Americans are hoping bad things happen to this country. A couple of years ago I let New York Times columnist Paul Krugman have it for distorting economic information to make the Bush administration look bad. On Friday he described the latest stock market swoon as the 'financial wreckage of a global recession.' Wow! Maybe this time Krugman will be right, but it's worth noting that he has been predicting doom ever since President Bush took office. My conclusion is that Paul Krugman wants the economy to tank because he wants a liberal in the White House who will champion big government entitlements. Likewise with the Houston Chronicle, which tells its readers that the 'surge' is not going well in Iraq. But murders and violent encounters have dropped dramatically since American forces began patrolling Baghdad. I could be wrong, but I don't believe the Houston Chronicle would ever acknowledge improvement in Iraq because that would strengthen the Republican party. Like Paul Krugman, the Chronicle hopes Iraq will not work out. It is important for Americans to understand that ideologues on both sides will never be able to handle, much less report, the truth. They will always bend the facts to fit their preconceived belief systems, even if it means rooting against their own country."

News Link: Chronicle editorial: surge shows few signs of success
Top Story
Violent storms leave at least 20 dead
Guest: Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera

Geraldo Rivera joined The Factor from Enterprise, Alabama, where tornadoes killed more than twenty people. "In a small town like this," Rivera reported, "everyone knows someone who was killed or injured. They're very devout people, they hold our leaders in great esteem, and the appearance of the president will be a tremendous tonic. An army of professional and volunteer aid workers has descended on Enterprise and the cleanup has begun. "

News Link: Alabama school slammed by tornado
Impact Segment
Funeral of Anna Nicole Smith today
Guest: Fox News correspondent Steve Harrigan

After weeks of legal wrangling over her body, Anna Nicole Smith was finally laid to rest in the Bahamas. According to one report, Smith's boyfriend Howard K. Stern sold exclusive access to "Entertainment Tonight" for $3 million. Reporting from the Bahamas, Fox News correspondent Steve Harrigan described the atmosphere as far from funereal. "There was a sense that this was a movie premiere. There were fans who got there early with their cameras and were calling out to the stars." The Factor lamented the fact that some people saw this as one final chance to cash in. "Money was spread around and all the press was turned away from any vantage point that might be advantageous. To the end this woman was exploited for money."

News Link: Anna Nicole Smith funeral chaos
Personal Story Segment
Middle schoolers charged w/felonies for behind swats
Guests: Cory Mashburn, mother Tracie Mashburn & attorney Mark Lawrence

Two 7th grade boys in Oregon were charged with sexual abuse after they swatted their female classmates on the rear. One of the boys, Cory Mashburn, gave The Factor his version of events. "The girls are my friends, and they'd often come up to me and swat me on my behind. We thought it was just fun and games." Cory's mom Tracie said the school overreacted. "Cory has never been in trouble in any way. Had the school contacted us, we would have tried to resolve this matter between friends and families. We don't feel there should be sex abuse charges." And finally, the Mashburns' attorney Mark Lawrence cast doubt on the case. "We're going to demonstrate that these boys did not touch the girls in any kind of sexual way. Two of the girls testified under oath at a hearing that there was nothing sexual about what happened." The Factor advised Cory to behave himself, and raised the possibility of a civil suit. "If there's no complaining witness, you have a pretty big lawsuit against the school. We're going to follow the case, and we're sorry everyone has to go through this."

News Link: Students in legal trouble for spanking
Unresolved Problems Segment
Getting Iraq under control
Guest: ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz

The Factor welcomed ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz, whose new book focuses on soldiers in Iraq. "This is not a policy book," Raddatz explained. "This is about the people on the ground and the families who support them back home. I wanted to tell the story of the troops in a way that it hasn't been told before. They're making the sacrifice, we're not." The Factor pointed out that one of the soldiers profiled in Raddatz' book is the heroic Casey Sheehan, whose mother became a vociferous anti-war activist. "Cindy Sheehan got very bitter about her son's death. But a guy was just killed from my town, and his family was very proud of him and the country. So these people who generalize about how the soldiers or their families are reacting, that's bull. Our military is proud to be in Iraq. They don't think they're doing anything wrong or deceitful, they're proud, and that's a very important message."
Campaign '08 Segment
Obama & Giuliani gaining in polls
Guest: Political analyst Dick Morris

Barack Obama has been picking up support among Democrats, Rudy Giuliani is ascendant on the GOP side, and political analyst Dick Morris explained why. "Obama had a problem," Morris asserted, "which was he didn't know how to get black votes. Hillary solved his problem when she attacked him. When Hillary attacked Obama, blacks rallied around him. It was one of their own under fire." As for the Republicans, Morris criticized John McCain's performance. "McCain is falling apart because he's not the McCain of 2000. He is not the maverick, he's now the party regular, and he comes across as dull and weak and timid." Morris added that The Factor will play a major role in deciding a nominee. "Your audience includes maybe 60% of the electorate who will vote in the primary. You are essentially the battleground of this election."

News Link: Newsweek Poll results
Back of Book Segment
Scandal and Barba's success?
Guest: Jill Dobson, Star Magazine

After nude photos of American Idol contestant Antonella Barba surfaced on the Internet, she has continued to advance on the program. Entertainment reporter Jill Dobson suggested that the scandal may have actually helped Barba. "She's not one of the most talented, but she now has more name recognition than anyone else. It could be that a bunch of men are saying 'she's the hot chick, we're going to vote for her.'" The Factor offered a more uplifting reason for Barba's success. "My contention is that people are fed up with these betrayals on the Internet, they're saying this woman may have made a mistake, and we're going to give her a break."

News Link: "Idol" contestant in sex scandal makes the cut
Factor Mail
Viewers sound off
Many of you sent e-mails about Al Gore and his energy-consuming lifestyle. Some excerpts:

Tracey Mellody, Valrico, FL: "The story isn't Al Gore being a hypocrite. The story is the elites trying to tell us how to live."

Priscilla Day, Ft. Lauderdale, FL: "Mr. O, are you aligning with Al Gore? His lifestyle as far as global warming is concerned suggests 'do as I say, not as I do.'"

Chris Johnson, Janesville, MN: "Mr. O'Reilly, you drive me nuts when you say we have to take the 'guck' out of the air. Carbon dioxide isn't guck."

Other viewers wrote about the Florida legislator who wants to ban the term "illegal alien."

Jesus Perez, Atlanta, GA: "Hey, Bill, maybe you can refer to illegal aliens as 'invaders' like your right-wing buddies do if the term 'illegal alien' is banned in Florida."

Robert Clark, Portsmouth, NH: "Bill, please tell Florida that I'll stop using the term 'illegal alien' when no more illegal aliens are in the USA."