"The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Pentagon, asking for information about the military abusing prisoners, and obtained reports of ten separate incidents. The ACLU then released the reports to the press, characterizing it as widespread abuse. The incidents involved 24 Marines who allegedly brutalized captured Iraqis; 11 Marines have already been court-martialed and convicted. So what the ACLU uncovered was already being dealt with by the government. There is no doubt in the mind of Talking Points that the ACLU's primary intent was not information flow, but to smear the military and the Bush administration. And guess who is the ACLU's new best friend? Radical billionaire George Soros has recently given the organization nearly $4 million. The executive director of the ACLU is Anthony Romero, who is afraid to answer questions about how radical his organization has become. It is long past time for Americans to know just what Romero, Soros and their acolytes are up to. Attacking Christianity, embarrassing the military, accusing the government of abuse, and promoting a radical agenda are not hallmarks of a benign operation. I'm on record as saying the ACLU is the most dangerous organization in the country, and I stand behind that analysis."

Guest: Fox News military analyst Lt. Col. Bill Cowan (Ret.)

Does the US military routinely abuse enemy prisoners? Fox News analyst Lt. Col. Bill Cowan claimed the most recent allegations are relatively minor. "These are all pretty small incidents," Cowan told The Factor. "This is almost a good news story. Consider that 80,000 Marines have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and only 24 have been charged with what are pretty insignificant acts. If this is the best the ACLU can come up, they're clearly out there on an agenda." The Factor agreed, but suggested the military should be more forthcoming whenever there are allegations of abuse: "They've got to put out a press release on everything so all the folks know what's going on. Don't give the ACLU this kind of ammunition, because they blow it out of proportion."

Guest: Fox News analyst Dick Morris

Bernard Kerik's nomination to be Secretary of Homeland Security was embarrassing for the Bush administration. Fox News analyst Dick Morris tried to explain how the White House could have missed all the allegations of moral and ethical troubles. "I'm sure they said how could he have been Corrections Commissioner and Police Commissioner of New York City without having been fully vetted. The guy who really fell down on this is former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He's supposed to know all about his Police Commissioner." Morris predicted Giuliani could pay a political price for his enthusiastic support of Kerik's nomination. "I think it's going to hurt Giuliani because Giuliani and Kerik are business partners."

Guests: Sondra Snowdon, plaintiff & Ed White, attorney

One woman has fought back against the continuing assault on Christmas and its symbols. The Florida town of Bay Harbor Islands allowed a menorah on public property, but refused to permit a nativity scene until resident Sondra Snowdon sued the town and won. Attorney Ed White of the Thomas More Law Center represented Snowdon. "The town said it didn't want the nativity scene," White said, "because it violated the establishment clause of the Constitution. But the judge ruled that since a synagogue was allowed to put up a menorah, Sondra had to be allowed to put up her nativity scene." Snowdon claimed, "I have walked down the street and been spat on. I've had threatening phone calls, but I'm standing up for Jesus. I had to put Christ back into Christmas."

Guest: Journalist Ashleigh Banfield

Connie Chung has referred to network news executives as "cavemen" who would never consider a female replacement for retiring anchor Dan Rather. Journalist Ashleigh Banfield contended that news decisions are driven by profits, not gender. "Ratings are obviously what television is based on. But I do think network executives are averse to risk. They haven't groomed women, trained them to be in the spotlight." Banfield added that the speculation about Rather's successor is much ado about very little. "Why do we care anyway? Aren't these three network news programs a dying breed?"

Guests: Wayne Rogers, Investment Strategy Firm & Jay Nordinger, The National Review

Wal-Mart has been accused of exploiting its workers, and some communities have fought to keep the chain out of their towns. But Jay Nordlinger of The National Review described the company as "overwhelmingly a force for good. A lot of people depend on that store for very low prices. It's a miracle of the free market economy and a Godsend for people of middle income." Investor Wayne Rogers disagreed, saying, "Wal-Mart is a wonderful economic model of unbridled capitalism. But Wal-Mart destroys small town America when they move in. They destroy competition, and that destroys that community and its culture. They are anti-American in that sense."

Guest: Fox News analyst Juan Williams

Fox News analyst Juan Williams has written a book called "I'll Find A Way Or Make One," a salute to America's historically black colleges. "These schools really cater to black kids," Williams told The Factor. "If the kids need remediation coming out of troubled big city high schools, if they need someone who is truly going to invest in them and believe in them, they're in an environment where people are looking out for them and believe they can be the best. About 80 percent of America's black doctors and dentists and veterinarians come out of those historically black colleges and universities."