"As the front-runner, Newt Gingrich was under attack last night in the Iowa debate. Mr. Gingrich offered a robust defense on most issues, but one of his explanations may have landed him in big trouble. The issue is how Gingrich would deal with federal judges. He said, 'I would be prepared to take on the judiciary if in fact it did not restrict itself in what it was doing.' That is a direct threat on the Supreme Court of the United States. Some Americans, including this one, are rightly concerned that judicial activism is dictating how we all must live. But who would decide if the federal courts overreach? The President? Do you want Barack Obama to have that kind of power? Do you want Newt Gingrich to have that kind of power? Do you want Congress to be firing judges with whom they disagree? The system's not perfect, but you can't give judicial power to a politician, and that is what Newt Gingrich seems to want. Gingrich is correct when he says that federal judges must be held accountable, but it can't be legislated. The court of public opinion, intelligent legal challenges to rulings, and expertly written laws can all blunt judicial craziness."

The Factor solicited input from conservative author and attorney Ann Coulter. "Newt Gingrich makes these wild overstatements," Coulter said, "but he doesn't make the right points, he is bombastic, he opens conservatives to ridicule, and then nothing gets done. This is a perfect example. The Constitution does say that judges can be impeached, but subpoenaing them is a crazy idea. Most importantly, what you need to do is elect the right presidents who will appoint the right judges and justices." Coulter concluded that Newt Gingrich "makes overstatements on behalf of good causes and then he doesn't follow through."

Washington Post editor Sally Quinn also weighed in on Newt Gingrich's vow to harness the federal judiciary. "One of the things that's fascinating about Gingrich," Quinn observed, "is that he is so glib and so facile with his words that when he says things, at first you think they sound reasonable. But later you're thinking, did he actually say what I though he said, that there's going to be an uprising and he's going to 'rebalance' the judiciary?' Do conservatives really want Barack Obama to do away with a number of courts and have all that power? I don't think the conservative audience last night thought about that."

During Thursday night's debate Michele Bachmann implied that Newt Gingrich, as Speaker of the House, was not forceful enough on abortion. The Factor dissected that charge with radio talk show hosts Janine Turner and Leslie Marshall. "Michele Bachmann is doing herself and the Republican Party a disservice," Turner said, "by misrepresenting Speaker Gingrich's belief system and accomplishments. The fact is that under his leadership Congress twice passed a partial birth abortion ban." Marshall agreed that Gingrich's pro-life credentials are unassailable. "I can't believe I'm sitting here defending Newt Gingrich, but the bottom line is that he did what he did because he didn't want the GOP to lose control of Congress. He has said that he personally opposes partial birth abortion." The Factor concluded that Michele Bachmann did what she felt was necessary to revive her flagging candidacy: "This was a smart play by Bachmann because her only chance is to get into the fabric of the very conservative Iowa caucus voters."

A poll taken by Harvard University indicates that 36% of young Americans believe President Obama will not be reelected. Pollster John Della Volpe, who supervised the survey, provided analysis. "I'm not saying young people are bailing on the President," he said, "but they're at least taking a time out. They're very concerned about the state of the economy - 75% of young people believe the economy and jobs are the number one issue and only 12% say things are headed in the right direction. This is not good news for the President." Della Volpe also reported that a plurality of young Americans oppose the Occupy Wall Street movement. "Young people believe in some of the issues, but they're not necessarily on track with where the movement is at this point. It's not an issue that is being talked about on college campuses." The Factor concluded that "young people in America are not as crazy left as people think they are, most young people are moderates."

The U.S. Navy has agreed to buy 450,000 gallons of biofuel from a company called Solazyme at the astronomical cost of $15 a gallon. Fox Business host Lou Dobbs entered the No Spin Zone with more details on the company, which is advised by a major Obama fund-raiser. "This is better than crony capitalism," Dobbs said, "it's comprehensive crony capitalism. The government funded the creation of the refinery to produce the biofuel, then they provided the customer, the U.S. Navy. The rationale is that Solazyme can use an algae process to make the fuel. You don't have to be reasonable, you don't have to be rational, this is about pursuing the holy grail, the environment." The Factor depicted the deal as still another "green" boondoggle: "This is why we owe $15 trillion, because we're doing all this environmental experimentation on the taxpayer's dime."

What week would be complete without Arthel Neville and Greg Gutfeld citing the stupidest people and events? Neville chose the professor who claims that Rudolph, the famous red-nosed reindeer, sets an ominous example. "This professor at Long Island University," Neville reported, "is trying to make Rudolph about bullying. Rudolph is supposedly being bullied because of his red nose. This is political correctness run amok." Gutfeld picked an especially inventive Pennsylvania factory worker named Scott Bennett. "He wanted to get off work but still get paid," Gutfeld said, "so he created a fake obituary for his mother, who is still alive. He lost his job and he got charged with disorderly conduct, but I have to say he gets points for incredible ingenuity. The man has gumption!" The Factor cited Ron Paul, who continually downplays the danger of a nuclear Iran.

Jason Forehand, Tallahassee, FL: "Glenn Beck calls Newt Gingrich's record 'crazy,' but have you heard Beck's radio show lately? Right term, wrong man."

Murrell Kinkade, Louisville, KY: "Bill, Beck has a better handle on Gingrich than you do. Newt is a cockalorum."

Chet Tyson, St. Cloud, FL: "Bill, I could have sworn that Mayor Bloomberg insinuated that immigrants are the key to renewing the entrepreneurial spirit in America and you agreed with him."

Lynn Van Pelt, Table Grove, IL: "Doesn't Bloomberg realize that American citizens would love to start businesses but the banks and government regulations are preventing that?"

Friday's Patriot: The View's Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who argued persuasively that U.S. troops in Iraq performed their mission with nobility.