"Once again Muslim terrorists have slaughtered innocent people in pursuit of creating global chaos. This time 172 human beings were killed in Mumbai for no reason whatsoever. This is vivid warning that if the Muslim killers could, they would slaughter every single American citizen. Since 9/11, the U.S. government has kept the terrorists out of here by using a variety of tough techniques, most of which are opposed by the far left. Trust me when I tell you that the one captured terrorist is undergoing rigorous interrogation, the kind Barack Obama has promised to outlaw, the kind the ACLU and the New York Times say belittles the United States. Talking Points opposes torture, but not coercive interrogation. I believe the president should have the power to order tough interrogation methods when lives are on the line, but far left fanatics are making it very tough for us to protect ourselves."

The Factor was joined by political strategist Karl Rove, who predicted that Barack Obama will be surprisingly tough on terrorism. "There were things Obama said during the campaign," Rove admitted, "that could give you pause. But there is a clarifying moment when you are the Commander-In-Chief and you receive briefings and you come to understand what we face. My strong feeling is that whatever changes there will be in the war on terror will be small." The Factor was not as sanguine about the incoming administration. "I'm a little worried about the transition from a tough Bush administration to a much more liberal point of view. We're in a transitional period and I think we're in danger."

News Link: Obama faces foreign policy challenges

The Factor welcomed novelist Vince Flynn, whose political thrillers deal with terrorism and the fight against it. Flynn lamented the current state of American interrogation. "We have allowed the far left to define torture down to include everything," Flynn asserted. "So if you don't let someone sleep for 24 hours, that's considered torture. Some people in the intelligence community fear that they're going to be prosecuted by the Justice Department, and these guys have no support on Capitol Hill." The Factor added that many skilled interrogators are leaving the military and the CIA. "There's a fear in our military community that puts us on the defensive, not the offensive. And I'm hearing that a lot of pros are going to quit."

News Link: Interrogation critics could hamstring CIA

Featured Book: Extreme Measures (Mitch Rapp Series #9) by Vince Flynn

President-elect Obama has introduced his national security team, which includes Hillary Clinton at State, Eric Holder at Justice and Robert Gates at Defense. The Factor analyzed the nominees with FNC's Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham. "These are people who say they're going to go and get Osama bin Laden," Williams declared. "A lot of these people tend to be aggressive, and I don't see any evidence that Eric Holder won't be aggressive in going after terrorists." Ham added that Obama's picks are reassuring to conservatives. "A lot of people on the right are encouraged by the fact that Obama picked a fairly hawkish national security team. Eric Holder has endorsed the idea that we should be able to interrogate people aggressively." But The Factor expressed doubts about the prospective AG. "Eric Holder is a guy who would prosecute interrogators if they go over the line. If I'm a CIA interrogator and Mr. Holder is the Attorney General, I'd be worried about having the handcuffs put on me."

News Link: Obama names security team

Country singer and songwriter Trace Adkins entered the No Spin Zone and tried to explain why country stars seem to be more conservative than other entertainers. "There is a split," Adkins conceded, "but I also know a lot of guys in the rock and pop world that are conservative. They just can't be out front with it because their fan base won't appreciate it. And while there are more conservatives in country music, the country singers who are liberal aren't vocal about it." Adkins also criticized singers who preach to the audience. "I don't use the stage as a political platform. I just want to hear the tunes, I don't want you to puke up your liberal stuff."

The Factor asked Culture Warriors Margaret Hoover and Monica Crowley about the Walmart worker on Long Island who was trampled to death by out-of-control bargain hunters. "What this says," Hoover opined, "is that this is an extremely wealthy country. This happens in other countries because people are stampeding to get food or water or medicine. Here they stampede to get a 50" plasma TV." Crowley complained about the lack of good Samaritans. "This is a mob mentality about consumerism, and nobody stopped to help this guy. It boggles my mind that no one would help this guy up, there's a coarsening of the culture." The Factor laid part of the blame on popular entertainment. "We are desensitized because of the Internet and video games, where we see violence all the time. It's the job of parents and grandparents to sit the kids down and tell them that these things have consequences."

News Link: Walmart worker trampled to death

News Link: Survey: Students lie, cheat and steal

The New York Times carried a front-page article putting retail sales figures in the worst possible light. The Factor's Reality Check: "The liberal media is trying to give President-elect Obama as much cushion as possible. By portraying the economy as an unmitigated disaster, you buy more time for Obama to turn it around." Meanwhile, Hendrik Hertzberg, writing about gay marriage in The New Yorker, claimed that Newt Gingrich spoke of "gay and secular fascism" during an appearance on The O'Reilly Factor. The Factor's check: "That conversation was about gay violence against a Christian missionary in San Francisco. It had nothing to do with the gay marriage vote, only militant reaction to it. Hertzberg owes Newt Gingrich a written apology." With Al Franken apparently about to lose his bid for the U.S. Senate, The Factor put forth this check: "We expect Franken to sue, but there's no way he can spin this: Minnesota voters gave Barack Obama about 1.5 million votes, but gave Franken 362,000 votes less. That says a lot about our pal Al." Finally, Rosie O'Donnell's variety program on NBC was an absolute bomb. The Factor's check: "NBC's prime time lineup may be the lowest in its history. That's the responsibility of Jeff Zucker, who has run the network into the ground. But he's protected by Jeffrey Immelt, who has run GE into the ground."

News Link: Franken not fairing well in recount

News Link: Rosie variety show canceled

Monday's Patriot: Country singer Aaron Tippin, who celebrated Thanksgiving in Iraq with the troops. And the Pinhead: New York Giants football star Plaxico Burress, who faces jail time after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh with a handgun he was not licensed to carry.

News Link: Soldiers in Iraq get special Thanksgiving visit

News Link: NY Giants star surrenders on gun charges

Tina Maurici, Adelaide, Australia: "Bill, I had never watched the Factor until the election. You have a great variety of topics and get straight to the point. I wish we had a program like yours here."

Ryan Mattson, University Park, PA: "Mr. O, I downloaded the Factor word list from BillOReilly.com to avoid codswallop and to become more sagacious."

Nathan Nickerson, Eastham, MA: "I don't ever remember laughing as hard as I did when reading 'Bold Fresh.'"