The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
Factor Follow Up Segment
Impact Segment
Unresolved Problems Segment
Personal Story Segment
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More dissent from San Francisco
Guests: Debra Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle & Karen Hanretty, Republican strategist

"Far left Bay Area Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey gave anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan her ticket to the State of the Union address. But Ms. Sheehan never got to hear the president's address because she was arrested - she was wearing a t-shirt that protested the war. Talking Points deplores the actions of Congresswomen Woolsey and Barbara Lee, who were both in on the episode. These lawmakers should be investigated by the House and reprimanded if the evidence dictates. Sheehan is, of course, a militant bent on embarrassing the president. If she had not been confronted, anything could have happened during the speech. Lee and Woolsey represent the San Francisco area, which has become increasingly radicalized and is now actively undermining the war on terror. There is a good chance that Woolsey and Lee intentionally tried to sabotage the address in order to embarrass the country. That kind of destructive action may be acceptable in San Francisco, but it shouldn't be in the rest of the country."

Fox News Video: FoxNews.com

GOP strategist Karen Hanretty, one of the Bay Area's rare Republicans, denounced Cindy Sheehan and her enablers in Congress. "Representatives Woolsey and Lee tried to make a political statement. Minority leader Nancy Pelosi owes an explanation to the people of America - what does this say about the Democratic party as a whole?" Conservative columnist Debra Saunders contended that Sheehan's protest may have harmed Democrats. "What you really have are two far left members of Congress going off in a way that embarrasses the centrists. This was a set up, and Cindy Sheehan set herself up to be taken out. It feeds this delusion that the anti-war left has that they are being censored. The Factor stressed that Congresswomen Woolsey and Lee should be investigated. "They wanted something to happen, wanted to embarrass President Bush. If Cindy Sheehan had stood up and started screaming, the whole world would have seen that. And I don't put that past her."

Highs & lows of the State of the Union
Guests: Fox News analysts Juan Williams & Kelly Anne Conway

Fox News analysts Kelly Anne Conway and Juan Williams joined The Factor with their evaluations of President Bush's big speech. Conway, a Republican strategist, was asked to identify President Bush's weakest points. "The president still has a tin ear on the matter of immigration. He doesn't want to hear that many people in this country are concerned about the level of immigration. There are many people who are facing unemployment in blue collar towns." The Factor also turned the tables on Fox News analyst and Democrat Juan Williams, asking him to cite the president's strongest points. "The lame duck really had some quack when it came to energy policy," Williams answered. "Saying that we have to end our 'addiction to oil' will be a memorable phrase. The second thing he was strong on was health care - we have a system that is really broken." The Factor declared that all other issues take a back seat to the war. "The big albatross around his neck is Iraq, and that's how his presidency will be defined. I still didn't hear the rallying cry that is going to change minds."

Update on the Entwistle murders
Guest: Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald

27-year old Rachel Entwistle and her 9-month old daughter, both murdered near Boston more than a week ago, were buried Wednesday. Rachel's husband Neil Entwistle remained in England, where he has been since before the bodies were discovered. Boston newspaperman Joe Dwinell reported the latest on the case. "A lot of people in England are beginning to talk, and they are saying that Entwistle is a great guy. This investigation is mid-stream and we're trying to find out if Neil Entwistle had access to a gun." The Factor contended that determining the exact time of death will help solve this mystery. "That is the key piece to the puzzle. If they were killed after the man left for England, he's innocent. If they were killed before he left, he becomes the prime suspect."

Andrea Yates OK to leave prison?
Guest: Fox News chief judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano & Nicole Deborde, attorney

A Texas judge has ruled that Andrea Yates, who admitted to murdering her five children, can be free on $200,000 bond while awaiting a new trial. Attorney Nicole Deborde called it a wise decision. "She's entitled to reasonable bail so she can go to a state mental hospital for treatment while the case is pending. The hospital can provide medical treatment she can't get in prison." Fox News analyst Andrew Napolitano countered that Yates' bail is far too low. "The bail should be astronomically higher. She is deeply disturbed and should be confined against her will." The Factor questioned why Andrea Yates should not remain in prison. "She was found competent to stand trial, so why give her this opportunity to get out? A mental hospital doesn't have the same security as a prison does."

Press coverage of Woodruff & Vote
Guests: Fox News analyst Col. David Hunt & author Capt. Lory Manning

Some American troops are upset at the amount of attention paid to ABC anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt, both injured in an Iraqi car bombing. But retired Navy Captain Lory Manning said this will actually benefit ordinary soldiers. "Anything that helps the public focus on how grievously injured some of our soldiers are will help people remember. We have to support these injured soldiers physically, mentally, emotionally, and morally." On the other side, Fox News analyst Col. David Hunt took issue with the media coverage. "Woodruff is a star, but soldiers are heroes and we don't see enough of them. The media is over-covering this partly because of their anti-war feeling." The Factor rationalized the saturation coverage. "An anchor at ABC getting hurt is new, whereas soldiers getting hurt is not new. And by its very nature, the media responds to what is new. That's what's going on here."

Talking with Con Coughlin
Guest: Author Con Coughlin

Few people know more about the war in Iraq than British journalist Con Coughlin, author of a book about Tony Blair. Coughlin told the The Factor that Blair is wrongly portrayed as President Bush's puppet. "Tony Blair is his own man. He went to war in Iraq because he believed in it, not because he wanted to help George Bush. British intelligence felt Saddam Hussein had an active nuclear program and stockpiles." Couglin added that Saddam's trial is going badly for the prosecutors. "They haven't presented a viable case, and he was so effective that almost all the witnesses are dead and all the documentation was destroyed." The Factor still predicted that Saddam will be convicted and executed. "Everybody knows there are hundreds of thousands of corpses. Ultimately they're going to hang him or shoot him."

Viewers sound off
Factor Words of the Day
Your e-mails covered a wide variety of topics and past segments. Some excerpts:

William Butler, Myrtle Beach, FL: "The Jesus freaks and Bush, along with you, Bill, should be happy with Alito. Now we can start burning witches in America again."

Amila Sajith, Toronto, Canada: "Hey, Bill, I'm so happy you are talking about media bias. If you'd like more material, I'd be glad to tape Fox News for a day and send it to you."

Meri Vang, Hawthorne, NJ: "Bill, I am a liberal but I, too, think it's a disgrace to criticize the military. Please continue to tell people it is the far-left that is ruining the Democrat party."

Deryck Roberts, Los Angeles, CA: "Bill, it is alarming to hear how you guys think. You often pass off anyone who is anti-war as unpatriotic."

Yancy Flora, Dayton, OH: "Bill, kudos to you for your stand on conservation. However, I want to consume energy. I work hard and enjoy my toys."

Book Mentions
Check out the books mentioned during this show.
American Ally: Tony Blair and the War on Terror
by Con Coughlin

Read more...