"The vile rapper Ludacris has released a song extremely disrespectful to Hillary Clinton, John McCain and President Bush, while touting Barack Obama for president. No one cares what a person like Ludacris does - his audience is small, his mind smaller. So why did the Obama campaign issue a statement calling the song 'outrageously offensive?' The reason is that there has been a slight association between the candidate and the rapper. In 2006 the two met privately in Chicago, apparently to discuss AIDS awareness. And last month Obama praised Ludacris as a 'great businessman,' but said he wouldn't let his daughters listen to his raps. All this would be trivial if not for Reverend Wright and the Chicago radicals who also have associations with Senator Obama. Add Ludacris to the mix and some voters will say 'enough is enough.' Ludacris had to know that his hateful song will hurt Obama, just as Reverend Wright knew his hateful sermons would damage the senator. So the lesson for Barack Obama is be careful who your friends are. Having a thug like Ludacris anywhere near your campaign is not a good thing, and Obama knows it."

The Factor asked Fox News media analysts Bernie Goldberg and Jane Hall to opine on the Ludicras/Obama story. "Even though you can't blame Obama" Goldberg said, "what Ludacris managed to do is introduce race into this. He said he wants the White House painted black after Obama is elected, and white blue-collar guys are not going to like this. In a close race it can matter a lot." Hall questioned whether Obama is the victim of a double standard. "Obama's critics will link Ludacris and Reverend Wright and the Weather Underground people and say you should be afraid of this man. Guilt by association could have some impact, but I do think black politicians are called on to disavow people more than white politicians are." The Factor theorized just how Ludacris can be used against Obama. "If I were John McCain's campaign chairman and I'm down ten points in September, I'd take the theme from 'Friends' and show images of Reverend Wright, Father Pfleger, the Weather Underground nuts, and Ludacris. That may not be fair, but that's politics."

News Link: Ludacris lands Obama in hot water

The Factor was joined by FNC host Laura Ingraham, who criticized Barack Obama's response to the Ludacris "song." "He doesn't want his daughter to hear these songs," Ingraham said, "but he also says Ludacris is talented. He's trying to pander instead of just saying there is no place for this kind of 'music.' They know exactly what they're doing by getting support from filth like Ludacris." Ingraham then directed her wrath toward China and its government. "The International Olympic Committee is acceding to the fact that China is going to limit Internet access. China say certain sites that have to do with Tibet and repression of human rights will be inaccessible. This is a communist dictatorship that represses its own people." The Factor concurred with half of Ingrahams opinions. "I agree with you on China, and if I see anyone glorifying China they're going to get it between the eyes. But we researched Obama's comments on the rap industry and they are consistent. He objects to this kind of garbage."

News Link: Internet controversy rocks Olympics

It has been revealed that Casey Anthony, whose 2-year-old daughter Caylee has been missing since June, was out partying after the little girl vanished. Geraldo Rivera, who has been looking into the case, joined The Factor with his findings. "That mother is a self-centered spoiled brat," Rivera declared, "and something important happened yesterday. Casey Anthony's parents met with the FBI, which takes this to a different level. You can lie to a cop, but you can't lie to the FBI, and it is possible that they gave the FBI some information. I hope the federal government will ferret truth from reality. I believe the baby is dead, but I hope I'm wrong."

News Link: Party pics surface on Casey Anthony

The Factor was joined by Internet sensation Marina, a Russian-born woman who presents vocabulary lessons on her HotForWords web site. The Factor asked the philologist for the origin of a few words, including "loon." "Many people believe it came from the bird," Marina explained. "but it actually came from a Dutch word 'loen' that means 'homo stupidus.'" Marina also elaborated on the roots of "Democrat" and "Republican." "Democrat comes from the Greek word 'democraticus,' which means 'people rule.' And Republican has Latin roots where 'rep' means affairs and 'publicus' means people."

Even though two New York cops were caught on tape beating a man, FNC anchor Megyn Kelly advised against a rush to judgment. "The cops encountered a guy who they say was drunk and attacked them. Does the videotape look bad, of course it does. But these cops are under strict orders to protect their guns, so they can't take any chances when a guy is flailing around. You have to put yourself in the cops' shoes." Kelly also analyzed the New York policeman who knocked a bicyclist to the ground. "Sources tell me don't rush to condemn this cop. The video only shows one angle, but there may be another tape that shows what the cyclist was doing that led the cop to target him." Finally, Kelly reported on the ugly battle between Charlie Sheen and his ex-wife Denise Richards. "They have joint custody of two little girls, and she says she has reason to believe he molested the girls. The judge said this was simply not credible, but there is no one left to root for. Denise Richards makes these unsubstantiated charges, and on the other side Charlie Sheen wrote e-mails calling Denise a 'sad, jobless pig.' The Factor offered this pithy summary: "I think it's fair to say that neither of these people should be parents."

News Link: Video: NYPD beating caught on tape

News Link: Charlie Sheen to sue Denise Richards over child molestation allegations

As President Bush boasts about "reduced violence" in Iraq," The Factor offered this Reality Check: "There are also reports that the remaining Al-Qaeda leadership inside Iraq is relocating to Pakistan, which is giving terrorists safe harbor. I hope all of you are happy that America has turned things around in Iraq. You can make a legitimate argument that the campaign was not worth it, but good Americans understand that victory is far better than defeat." On the economic front, ExxonMobil posted a record $12 billion profit last quarter. The Factor: "That is $128 million a day while most Americans are getting hurt in this economy that is weakened by high oil prices. Something is very wrong and our politicians are too frightened of the oil companies to check it out." The Factor concluded with this reality check on July's ratings: "Fox News ranked # 6 in prime time among all cable channels, CNN was #22, and MSNBC was # 30, right behind the 'Tomato Channel.'"

News Link: Bush declares significant progress in Iraq

News Link: Exxon Mobile posts largest quarterly profits in US history

Thursday's Patriot: 'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling, who will donate all the proceeds from her next book to charity. And the Pinhead: The cat experts who went on 'Regis and Kelly' and inspected the private parts of the 44-pound cat "Prince Chunk," eventually determining that the colossal kitty is a male. Nominate a Pinhead or a Patriot by sending an email to pnp@billoreilly.com.

News Link: 'Harry Potter' author to donate new book proceeds to charity

News Link: Video: Fat cat debuts on 'Regis & Kelly'

A sampling of your recent e-mails:

Kristi Weber, Vancouver, WA: "It was Obama's campaign that condemned the rap song, not Obama himself."

R. Barker, Albuquerque, NM: "Ludacris is talented - at spewing filth."

Cara Osmin, Heppner, OR: "Mr. O, thanks for covering the race without bashing anyone."

Mike Stonnel, Concord, NC: "Bill, thank you and Mark Lunsford for getting Jessica's Law passed in this state."