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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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Guests: Marc Thiessen and Sabrina Schaeffer
"Sarah Palin has become a very controversial figure, but four years ago few knew her. Then John McCain chose her as his running mate and, in hindsight, former Vice President Dick Cheney now says that was 'a mistake.' Talking Points believes Sarah Palin did help the McCain campaign and that the Republicans would not have defeated Barack Obama no matter who had been chosen. Going forward, Mitt Romney has a very important choice to make; his running mate must win him some votes. Right now the names at the top of the list are Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Bob McDonnell, and Rob Portman. Senator Rubio is very popular among conservative Americans and would get Romney votes in the vital state of Florida; the downside is that he is inexperienced and has had some financial problems. Congressman Ryan has credibility on the economy and may help deliver Wisconsin. Virginia Governor McDonnell has done well turning the economy around in his state, and Ohio Senator Portman has national experience in a variety of jobs. Talking Points believes Senator Rubio would help Mitt Romney the most, but he would face massive media attacks. Is he ready to handle that? It's a tough question."
The Factor asked two prominent Republicans to opine on Dick Cheney's critique of Sarah Palin. "I don't think he was trying to denigrate her," said Marc Thiessen, "and he's had a lot of nice things to say about her. He was trying to make a point about the kind of VP that Romney should pick, and I think he was trying to say Romney needs to pick a man like Dick Cheney, someone who has instant credibility with conservatives and enough gravitas to be ready to take over the presidency right away. The most likely pick is Paul Ryan." Sabrina Schaeffer expressed her support for Senator Rubio. "He is the darling of the Tea Party and he gives some conviction and backbone to Romney, who at times has been doubted for his limited government bona fides. Rubio is more politically savvy than Sarah Palin was and he may have a marginal impact with Hispanic voters." |
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Guests: Brit Hume
FNC analyst Brit Hume weighed the relative strengths of VP prospects Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio. "I don't think either of them makes much difference," Hume said, "because the history of these things, with the possible exception of 1960, is that the vice presidential nominee doesn't matter much in terms of the number of votes you get." The Factor agreed that 1960 was an election in which John Kennedy's vice presidential pick was crucial: "Lyndon Johnson was put on the ticket solely to get Texas, which they did. And now Mitt Romney needs Florida and Ohio." Hume also reacted to the news that Bill Clinton will have a prominent speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention. "You can describe Bill Clinton's role at the convention in three letters: SOS! Barack Obama's relation with Bill Clinton has been tenuous and distant, but Barack Obama is in very, very serious reelection trouble and Bill Clinton has credibility with the swing voters that Barack Obama is losing." |
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Guests: Mary Katharine Ham and Juan Williams
During his visit to Israel last weekend, Mitt Romney promised his hosts that a Romney administration would use "any and all measures" to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The Factor invited Fox News analysts Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham to opine. "Nobody has any doubt," Williams said, "that if Israel went after Iran, the U.S. would of course back Israel. While the Obama administration has focused on sanctions, nobody has taken military action off the table. This is an attempt by Mitt Romney to make it seem like Obama hates Israel, which is just crazy!" Ham contended that in fact Mitt Romney is more supportive of Israel than the Obama administration. "There is a reason that Obama's numbers in the Jewish community have dipped by double digits. Romney was trying to make a contrast without criticizing the President, and taking some Jewish voters away from Barack Obama can make a large difference in Florida." |
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| This week The Factor will replay some of the more memorable interviews from the show's 16-year history. The retrospective began with Michael Moore's visit to the No Spin Zone during the Iraq war in 2004. "There are over thirty other brutal dictators in the world," Moore said. "Would you sacrifice your child to remove one of the other dictators on this planet?" The Factor's response: "I'm not talking for any children, but I would sacrifice myself to remove the Taliban. Would you?" Then there was former talk show host Phil Donahue, who also denounced the war. "This was monumental blunder by a president who swaggered us into it," Donahue stated. "You wouldn't send your children into this war, Bill." The Factor angrily fired back: "My nephew just enlisted in the Army, you don't know what the hell you're talking about. He's a patriot and don't denigrate his service or I'll boot you off the set!" |
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Guests: Bernie Goldberg
Just before airing a segment about Sarah Palin, CNN's producers apparently thought it would be cute to play the song "Stupid Girls." Fox News media analyst Bernie Goldberg mocked CNN's excuse that the song "was not intended to be linked to any news story." "The most offensive part of this," he said, "is this statement by a news organization whose mission is to tell the truth. They say this was 'unintentional.' Really? They have millions of songs in their database to choose from, but they picked 'Stupid Girls.' And they have the nerve to tell us it was 'unintentional.' CNN and other news organizations expect politicians and business people and athletes to tell the truth, and they issue a statement like this!" |
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| New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, affirming that he'll sign a version of Jessica's Law if it reaches his desk, added this: "Bill O'Reilly is crazy. If they send it, I will sign it. O'Reilly needs to open his ears and listen." The Factor's Check: "We've been asking you to appear for years, Governor, but you will not. We'd like to listen, we'd like you to sit right here." Talk show host Conan O'Brien got some laughs by creating faux campaign slogans for President Obama and Vice President Biden. The Factor's Check: "President Obama is getting some jazz these days from the late night guys. And by the way, we've never had Vice President Biden on the Factor, so I am officially inviting him once again. You'll have fun, Mr. Vice President!" |
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Josh Bishop, Walnut, CA: "Bill, the outrage from the gay community is not because the Chick-fil-A CEO is against gay marriage, it's because his company donates money to organizations opposing marriage equality."
Will Murray, Spokane, WA: "Hey, Bill, I am astonished at your goofy tip to stop eating wheat and gluten. Clearly the health food nut jobs have gotten to you." |
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| Monday's Tip: In the Pacific Time Zone, Monterey, California is a great vacation destination; in the Mountain Time Zone, consider visiting Jackson, Wyoming; in the Central Time Zone, head to Rainy Lake, Minnesota; and if you're in the East and still making vacation plans, Newport, Rhode Island has much to offer, even if you're not a "one-percenter." |
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