This here experiment is, for better or worse, quickly nearing an end. I'm relieved, but hopeful that some small insight has been gained by others during my mental seclusion. I know I've learned alot about how my own father has been led over to the dark side.
Jumping in here, someone asked me whether Pat Robertson had been mentioned on Monday's Factor. He hadn't been, nor was he mentioned on Tuesday's show, which I'm about to present to you. OReilly actually spoke in depth about the danger of Bush's Presidency ending in failure (as if it hasn't started and remained there!). Some more on the Iraq War, Illegal Aliens, Natalee Holloway, Janet Arvizo, Michael Graham and, of course, a story on how Cindy Sheehan's crusade is now over.
Read some more, you KNOW you want to:
Talking Points "Presidency at a Crossroads": Bush could go down in history as a Reagan or a Harding. We'll know soon enough, according to OReilly. His approval ratings are in the low 40's, and any further slippage will severely limit his power to act.
"Three things are bedeviling the President: Chaos in Iraq, chaos on the southern border, and high gas prices."
Either he deals with these problems, or he will be labeled as a failure. (Pardon me for having ALREADY placed that label on Chimpy years ago.) Despite "Good Things" in Iraq - "booming construction, many children getting vaccinated" - the terrorists are sapping domestic support. OPEC spends $4 per barrel, then gouges us for $66. US Oil Companies are making near record profits, while working Americans are being abused.
"Bush has not been an outspoken conservation guy. (RNinNC Note: NO SHIT!) He's not been creative about rewarding those who develop and use alternative fuels. (See Above Note) He must find a way to get OPEC under control."
Bush has also been passive in the face of disaster along the southern border. Two states have declared States of Emergency, and AHnold is demanding Federal support in CA. Bush has added 1000 new border patrols, but millions of illegals still cross the border, along with illegal narcotics.
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Another quick look at how OReilly's words and his over-the-shoulder captions differ.
Caption: "The President has done many good things: his tax cuts, aggressive terror fighting, and support for Traditional America."
OReilly: "The President has done many good things. His tax cuts after 9/11 saved the economy. His aggressive terror fighting policies have badly damaged al Qaeda. And, his support for Traditional America has made it difficult for the Far Left to change this country through the Courts."
This one is almost to easy, so maybe I won't say much. His claim that Bush's tax cuts "SAVED" the economy are questionable - just how good is the economy for most Americans? His claims to have "BADLY DAMAGED" al Qaeda are completely unsupportable, but play into the beliefs of his viewers. The last bit is my favorite, tying the Far Left and the Courts (read "Activist Judges" and "Trial Lawyers") into a war against "American
Traditions." Beware sledgehammer framing! Obviously the caption is not NEARLY as explosive as OReilly's verbal rant.
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OReilly says that Bush has not done a bad job overall, and he still has time to turn the whole thing around. (RNinNC Note: Turn some more corners and what not!) 3 minutes.
Top Story "Increasing Illegal Alien Violence in US": There are 100,000 illegal aliens clogging up the US justice system. They are costing Americans more than $1B annually. 30% of violent offenders are not US citizens. Kris Kobach, former counsel to John Ashcroft, came on to repeatedly reinforce how awful these statistics are. Both he and OReilly want Bush to do more. 7 minutes.
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NEWS BRIEF: John Bolton is calling on other nations to resolve differences on UN reformation./ Iranian nuclear talks are cancelled because Tehran has restarted their uranium enrichment program./ Hope for peace in Israel after withdrawals lead to discussion of creating Palestinian Borders./ Dwight Gooden is on the run from police for drunk driving.
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Impact Segment: "Cindy Sheehan": The Cindy Sheehan episode may be dying down now that "everybody knows about her radical politics." Clearly Middle America is not going to endorse someone who thinks that the US is a bad country.
"Bush caught a break because some in the media were fair and balanced, like The Factor. We highlighted her right to protest, but defined her correctly."
The Factor Poll show "respect for what Cindy Sheehan is doing" as dropped 2 points since yesterday to stand at 19% respect, and 81% disrespect.
Dallas Morning News writer Rod Dreher comes on to sum things up with OReilly's help. He claims that Sheehan saying "America is a horrible country. It's always been a terrible country" takes her out of the category of legitimate dissenter of the Iraq War.
"SHE'S DONE!"
She has revealed herself to be a "radical kook." "People in TX are patriotic - they're Pro-Bush," Dreher reminds us. FLO's are furious at OReilly, their hatred directed at him for destroying their icon by using her own words. OReilly: "She's unpatriotic and a disgrace." But, he adds, she's free to be a radical. 5 minutes.
Factor Follow-Up "Janet Arvizo": The mother of the kid who Michael Jackson DIDN'T molest (wink, wink) is in trouble for Welfare Fraud. Harvey Levin, the Executive Producer of Celebrity Justice, goes on and on and on about this for 4 minutes.
Personal Story "Michael Graham": Graham is a conservative talk show host, or was until he was canned for saying "Islam is a terrorist organization" repeatedly on the air. He would not retract the statement in the 5 minutes OReilly gave him. OReilly genuinely seemed to disagree with the sentiment, but still thinks the guy shouldn't have been fired.
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NEWS BRIEF: Rumsfeld's expects that the Pentagon's plans to close military bases will not be rubber stamped./ Iraqi Justice Undersecretary escapes assassination attempt./ Peruvian plane crashes killing 41, including 1 American./ Duncan will face death penalty for murder and kidnapping.
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Unresolved Problem "Winning the Iraq War": OReilly brings back on the same two military guys from a couple of weeks ago - Col. David Hunt and Lt. Col. Bill Cowan. OReilly states (like last time) that the Iraq War is not going well and that the Pentagon is unhappy. Hunt says (like last time) that we need to fire people, increase Special Forces presence, and dissolve Iraqi militia.
Cowan says (like last time) that we need to clear the deck of failed military personnel and stay with Iraqi soldiers in an "advisor program" role. We need to re-establish contact with the Iraqi people and reach out to tribal leaders. We need to harness the expertise of exitting military intelligence personnel instead of letting them leave cold turkey after their Iraq rotation ends. This took 7 minutes.
Back of the Book "Natalee Holloway": Did the Arubans botch the investigation? Are three young women telling the truth when they claim Joran van der Sloot drugged them for sex? Well, no one knows. 5 minutes.
My Take OReilly was a bit harsh on poor Bush today, actually. Child molestation was hidden in his story about Arvizo. Overall, not the best of The Factor today. And I assume the Pat Robertson thing is too big for OReilly to spin just yet (assuming he didn't die, because OReilly would've covered that). Give him a day to figure out his approach, then we'll see how he contorts logic to support the man. I'm still waiting to see what happened.
