"There was high drama last night because Donald Trump was on the ropes. The vulgar tape and the wall-to-wall reporting of it had the Republican candidate in a very bad place. But Trump somehow, against all odds, won the debate. He won because Secretary Clinton could not knock him out and Trump went on offense, regaining at least some momentum. After about 30 minutes of personal attacks, Trump was still standing, which was a win for him. Then came more personal attacks, when Trump said this: 'If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation, because there has never been so many lies, so much deception.' Hillary Clinton replied, 'It's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country,' leading to Trump's retort, 'Because you'd be in jail.' That quip angered some on the left and a CNN reporter compared it to something Hitler and Stalin might say, a bit hysterical to say the least. After one hour it is was obvious that Donald Trump had done enough to survive to fight another day. It's not that Hillary Clinton did anything poorly but she has a tough road with the chaos overseas, the impending collapse of Obamacare, the email fiasco and her attachment to Barack Obama's policies. With about two-thirds of Americans believing the country is going in the wrong direction, Secretary Clinton is a soft target on policy. As the debate drew to a close, two things were apparent to fair-minded people. Hillary Clinton did not hurt herself and will remain the front-runner. But Donald Trump, in a very difficult spot, was able to stand his ground, defend himself, and make some policy points that resonated. He's still in it, and that in itself is a major victory for him."

The Factor asked Charles Krauthammer to analyze Donald Trump's debate performance. "The high point for Donald Trump was his reference to Abe Lincoln," Krauthammer said, "which was extremely effective and seemed spontaneous. But his low point came when he looked at his opponent and threatened to put her in jail. That's way over the line, it's banana republic, and it's another example of Trump lowering our level of discourse. We've had 250 years of miraculous transfer of power done peacefully and consensually, we don't put people in jail." The Factor disputed that analysis: "I wasn't offended by what Trump said in that I knew it was a quip off the top of his head. He has to play to a certain voter who believes that Mrs. Clinton got away with a national security violation that no one else would get away with. There was a lot of evidence that the investigation of Hillary Clinton was a fraud."

After Donald Trump talked about imprisoning Hillary Clinton, CNN's Dana Bash accused him of acting like Hitler, Stalin, and other totalitarians. Katie Pavlich and Mary Anne Marsh opined on the controversy. "We have to make a very important distinction here," Pavlich said. "Donald Trump was not talking about throwing Hillary Clinton in jail simply because she is a political opponent, he was referring to appointing a special prosecutor. He was simply talking about the fact that most Americans feel Hillary Clinton should have been indicted." Marsh, however, agreed with Charles Krauthammer that Trump was way out of line. "What Donald Trump said in the debate is said by petty dictators in third world countries and people like Vladimir Putin. Trump is an admirer of Putin, he's constantly defending him."

How did Anderson Cooper and Martha Raddatz handle their debate moderator chores? Media analyst Bernie Goldberg gave them decidedly mixed reviews. "Martha Raddatz sounded not like a moderator at one point," he said, "but more like a debater who was challenging Donald Trump. It's not up to the moderator to challenge Trump's opinion, she shouldn't be channeling the Obama administration. On the other hand, she asked some tough questions to Hillary Clinton. But one question that was never asked was about Hillary Clinton's 'dream of open borders' in the Western Hemisphere. That was in the news and it should have come out." Goldberg, a frequent critic of Donald Trump, concurred with Trump's decision to talk about the women who were allegedly abused by Bill Clinton and intimidated by Hillary Clinton.

Pollster and political analyst Frank Luntz assembled his usual group of undecided voters to watch Sunday's debate. He joined The Factor and reported that Hillary Clinton's best-received moment came when she forcefully denounced income inequality. "She sounded like Bernie Sanders," Luntz said, "and it worked because people felt like she was fighting for them, siding with hard-working families." Trump's high point, according to Luntz, was when he scolded Hillary Clinton for her handling of classified emails. "He was holding her accountable in a way that the media has not. As angry as people are with Donald Trump and his tax returns, they are much more upset with Hillary Clinton and her emails."

Jesse Watters went out to ask a few people what they know about Columbus Day and the man it honors. Here's what some of the folks told him: "Abraham Lincoln discovered America" ... "The Cherokees discovered America" ... "The Vikings got here first" ... "Columbus got here on one of those raft things" ... "He landed on Manhattan Island and founded a colony" ... "He arrived in California and put down a flag." But at least one well-informed young man affirmed that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

JayDee Bekwadi, Montreal, Canada: "Trump was too intimidating last night, invading Hillary Clinton's personal space."

John Lane, Colorado Springs, CO: "My wife and I are conservative Christians. Up until a few days ago, we were going to vote for Trump. That is no longer the case."

Carol Smallwood, Fairbanks, AK: "We are a conservative family, and our friends agree - we don't care about what Trump has said. We care about what Hillary has done."

S.T. Sutton, Newton, NJ: "Mr. O'Reilly, you have no idea what will happen if Trump does this or that. Stick to facts, not your personal opinion."

If you have a question or comment about the debate, the campaign, or The Factor's coverage, send a pithy email to OReilly@FoxNews.com.