Eventually, the Doctrine waned. It was reintroduced in 1987, but President Reagan vetoed it, and again, the Fairness Doctrine went dormant.

Now with the Democrats controlling Congress, the issue is back. Stripping away all the bull, some liberal politicians hate conservative talk radio and want to lessen its impact. And even though President-elect Obama says he is not interested in imposing a Fairness Doctrine, Senators Bingaman, Feinstein, Kerry and Durbin are trying hard to get it back, as is Speaker Pelosi. So we sent producer Griff Jenkins to Capitol Hill to sample opinion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFF JENKINS, FOX NEWS PRODUCER: Madam Speaker, do you still support reinstating the Fairness Doctrine?

HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: I always have.

JENKINS: The implication was that it would impose or infringe on the free speech rights of broadcasters. Do you not see that the Fairness Doctrine would do that?

SEN. JEFF BINGAMAN, D-N.M.: No, I don't. I think the airwaves are owned by the public, and the public has a right to insist that all points of view be expressed.

JENKINS: Good morning. Griff Jenkins.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER, D-N.Y.: What do you want to ask me about?

JENKINS: A quick question about your position on the Fairness Doctrine. A clarification. Sir?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, I talked with Senator Schumer after that. He says he doesn't care about the issue, nor should he.

This is a complete ruse. A good case can be made there are more liberal voices in the media than conservative voices. The newspaper industry is certainly left. So is the Internet. NBC News almost completely liberal. So is PBS. So is NPR.

But Speaker Pelosi and others want total control. So they push this Fairness Doctrine nonsense hoping to inhibit right-wing radio.

"Talking Points" points to the bankrupt Air America Network. Al Franken and his merry band of haters had their shot. Nobody listened because they were awful. If Mrs. Pelosi wants to bankroll a liberal talk radio network, she should do that. I'm sure her presentation would be fair and balanced.

Now, the good news is the Fairness Doctrine will never happen. The powerful media companies in the USA and even most liberal media people realize the whole thing's a charade. If Congress really wants to help the folks, it will pass the "Honesty Doctrine."

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Even though the most intense battles to retain America's Christmas traditions have been won, there are still a few skirmishes to be fought against folks who want the word Christmas banned. Watching the landscape this season is the Focus on the Family group.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now a special message for retailers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're going to be making money off our holiday, we'd seriously love it if you'd just celebrate it with us. And if you can't do that, at least show a little respect. Call it what it is.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Christmas!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

And a merry one. For providing oversight, the Focus folks are patriots.

On the pinhead front, you're going to have to make the call on this one. Writing on her Web site, Pamela Anderson says: "I think we should legalize marijuana. This would make our borders less corrupt, and then I think eventually this will be a more secure option and save children in the long run."

Now, Ms. Anderson does not explain the saving the children part, and we are perplexed.

Then she goes on to write: "Government must castrate every child molester or potential molester — error (sic) on the safe side."

Wow. Pinhead? You make the call.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

Wednesday, leaders of the American car companies and the auto union tried once again to convince Congress to lend the industry billions of dollars. Many of these guys flew to Washington aboard private jets. GM has eight jets in its fleet. "Talking Points" is not sure that is the correct way to ask for taxpayer money.

Now, there is no question the auto company bankruptcies would directly harm millions of Americans, but billions of taxpayer dollars are not going to solve the problem. That's because the U.S. carmakers pay higher salaries and benefits than the foreign car companies do. So the American car people can't compete in the global economy. It's as simple as that.

The auto union continues to say no givebacks. So the situation will stay dire, loans or no loans.

"Talking Points" wants what's best for the country. So I listened with great interest to Mitt Romney against the bailout and Barney Frank for the loans. First, Governor Romney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS.: Bankruptcy doesn't mean letting the companies disappear and liquidating them. It means restructuring them, getting out of the costs that you can't handle, and so you're allowed to rewrite contracts, for instance, with the labor unions, making sure that you're competitive with the foreign makers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well, it makes sense to me. Here's Congressman Frank.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BARNEY FRANK, D-MASS.: There was also an assumption that if you did bankruptcy, you can undo labor contracts. Now the unions, to their credit, have negotiated some concessions, but you know, we already have too much union busting and too much income inequality for the average worker in this country for us to now say by the way if you're a company and you haven't been able to totally get rid of the unions, then go bankrupt and rewrite and write down the contracts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now the key words there are income inequality. Once again, Frank says the feds should guarantee wages and benefits. That's not capitalism, congressman. Take a course.

Now, I say if the unions won't bend, we won't lend. Get it, congressman? Your vision of a socialist paradise is wreaking havoc with the American economy. It started with Barney Frank and his gang demanding government mortgage loans for people who can't pay them. Now it's income inequality again.

For me, I'd rather have Barney Fife chairing the House Financial Services Committee than Barney Frank. So I'm going with Romney and no loans, unless the unions stop strangling the auto companies.

Look, "The Radio Factor" does business with General Motors. It has great technology in the pipeline. It has a great future. I drive a GM car. It's topnotch. But no corporation can compete with the overhead the American car companies have.

So a government loan deal is a finger in the dike and not a permanent solution. And it is far too risky for we, the people; we, the taxpayers.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

In a tough economy, Wal-Mart is attracting a lot of business because it has low prices. But Wal-Mart is giving back as well.

CEO Lee Scott says the company will donate 90 million pounds of fresh food to the Feeding America charity. That is the equivalent of 70 million meals.

Mr. Scott and the board of Wal-Mart are patriots, and we hope other corporations will follow their lead.

On the pinhead front, 15-year-old Miley Cyrus appeared with Ellen DeGeneres.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELLEN DEGENERES, TALK SHOW HOST: Let's talk about your boyfriend. Now there's all kinds of he's your boyfriend, he's not your boyfriend. It seems like he's your boyfriend.

MILEY CYRUS, SINGER/ACTRESS: I can see where you could see that. I could see that.

DEGENERES: Yes. We could all see that.

CYRUS: Yes.

DEGENERES: And his name is Justin?

CYRUS: Yes.

DEGENERES: Right. And he seems very sweet. So he's your boyfriend?

CYRUS: No. I giggle about everyone.

DEGENERES: And how long have you been dating?

CYRUS: We've been friends for, like, a couple months.

DEGENERES: A couple months?

CYRUS: Yes.

DEGENERES: OK. But how long have you been dating?

CYRUS: I don't know.

DEGENERES: All right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Hey, Ellen, the girl's 15, all right? We don't need to know about her private life. Come on. Don't be a pinhead.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

On Long Island, New York, seven high school students are charged in the murder of a 37-year-old Ecuadorian man, who was here legally in this country, in a crime that was born out of hatred, pure and simple. According to authorities, these boys were looking for a Hispanic to terrorize, and they found Marcelo Lucero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His dream has never been realized because that's not the way he was supposed to, you know, go back to his country. Now he's in a casket.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Also in caskets, two New York City women. Bessy Velasquez and Panayiota Demetriou were killed by an illegal alien who was allegedly driving drunk.

The man, 24-year old Daryush Omar, an Afghan citizen, apparently came to the USA illegally when he was just 6 years old. Federal authorities have been trying to deport him for 14 years, but because of the immigration chaos he is still here, despite a number of criminal beefs.

So three human beings are dead because of irresponsible conduct and a failed government.

The New York Times and Newsday, two liberal papers, have covered the Lucero murder extensively, as they should. It is a horrible crime, and seven young men may pay a steep price for being violently stupid. But The Times and Newsday have pretty much ignored the deaths of the two women.

This is a pattern in America. People killed by illegal aliens can expect little coverage from a media that wants amnesty for foreign nationals here illegally.

But in the end, it is the federal government that is truly responsible for the deaths and for the entire illegal alien problem.

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that ICE has lost control of violent aliens in Harris County, and the result has been a frightening crime wave.

Again, the federal government is primarily in place to protect Americans, and every time we turn around we see failure in that role.

President-elect Obama has not been an immigration warrior. The issue has been dwarfed by the economic mess. But it is up to him, Barack Obama, to provide leadership on the issue, or many more people will wind up dead.

Zero tolerance for criminal illegal aliens. Zero tolerance for Americans whose hatred leads to violence. Period.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

The ordeal of Heather Pick is a heroic American story. The 38-year-old Columbus, Ohio, anchorwoman, seen here in her last TV appearance, valiantly fought breast cancer before succumbing to the disease on November 7. She's wearing a wig here because of chemo. She leaves a husband and two young daughters. Ms. Pick was a very brave person.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEATHER PICK, FORMER ANCHORWOMAN: I've been battling this disease for quite a while, and it's getting a little tougher and tougher. So I decided it's more important to take some time and try and re-energize myself at home and enjoy my family as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The late Heather Pick is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, I hope this is the last time I have to talk about William Ayers, but the hits just keep on coming. Apparently, he dedicated something to the assassin of Robert Kennedy, Sirhan Sirhan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM AYERS, FORMER WEATHER UNDERGROUND MEMBER: I think it was a stupid thing to single him out, but I also think that we have created a monster in the prisons. We ought to abolish prisons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

We ought to abolish prisons, of course. Pinhead doesn't even begin to cover that guy.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

There wasn't much policy discussed, but in two places "Talking Points" got a little confused.

It's worth repeating here that "The Factor's" primary job now is to provide fair oversight to the Obama administration. No cheap shots, no free passes. We'll analyze what the new president says and does in a methodical, clear, and non-biased way. In that way, we'll separate ourselves from most of the other media that are either deeply in the tank for Obama or hate him.

Now back to Sunday night. Here's what Mr. Obama stated about Guantanamo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA: I have said repeatedly that I intend to close Guantanamo, and I will follow through on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

But what exactly happens to the 250 alleged terrorists at Gitmo? If they're moved to the USA, the ACLU will immediately file a bunch of lawsuits on their behalf and chaos will ensue. If these men are ever tried in civilian courts, national security intelligence gathering will be incredibly damaged. That, of course, is what the ACLU and other far-left loons want: a dismantling of secret intelligence agencies.

Is that what Barack Obama wants? I can't imagine he'd want to put the nation at risk. So where will he put the Gitmo guys?

Then there is the interrogation of captured terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I have said repeatedly that America doesn't torture, and I'm going to make sure that we don't torture. Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well that's nice in theory, but what exactly is torture? Keeping a suspect awake? Loud music? Bad food? Will President Obama eliminate all stressful interrogation methods? If so, that will end most of the information flow from captured terrorists. Most of these guys are hard cases. They don't give up information easily.

So who is cheering the closure of Guantanamo and the torture debate? Certainly the committed-left American press is. Monday an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle calls for a criminal investigation of Guantanamo.

Also, "Talking Points" believes there are people hiding in remote mountain areas that may be smiling today. But, of course, I could be wrong.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Apparently singer John Mayer is a big Megyn Kelly fan.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MAYER, MUSICIAN: Hi, I'm John Mayer, and I'm the world's biggest Megyn Kelly fan. With her tasseled curls and incredible legal knowledge, I have no objection — play on words — to her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I thought about making Mr. Mayer a patriot for liking Kelly, but the bad pun destroyed that idea. So Megyn is the patriot by default.

On the pinhead front, the PETA animal rights people are still terrorizing folks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lindsay, hi. Welcome to Paris.

LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: Oh, my God!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did you do that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a fur hag! She wears fur!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

She wears fur. Oh, those PETA people. Pinheads, at the very least.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

So why should you care?

Well, "Talking Points" believes Obama wants to be seen as a moderate and picking establishment people reinforces that. Senator Clinton is a tough lady and she carries authority abroad. So the pick has credibility from the jump. It also gets the Clintons on Obama's side, at least while she's in the administration. All presidents have to watch their backs.

In addition, we have seen some nasty culture war battles erupt over the past few days. That's not what a new president needs. Barack Obama has nothing to do with gay marriage, and the sight of protesters attacking churches and assaulting elderly ladies carrying crosses cannot make him happy. Many Americans feared the far left would rampage if Obama were elected, and that seems to be happening with frightening speed.

Again on Friday, The New York Times blamed a Long Island politician, Steve Levy, for the brutal murder of a man from Ecuador. And The Los Angeles Times is calling for Obama to shut down ICE raids on businesses that hire illegals.

The gay marriage movement and the amnesty movement have both kicked into high gear just days after the election. Again, stuff like that does not help President-elect Obama, as most Americans oppose gay marriage and blanket amnesty for illegal aliens.

So just 10 days after his big victory, Barack Obama is already in damage control. He must divert attention away from the intensifying culture war, and a high-profile cabinet member like Hillary Clinton provides some cover.

Now it's important to remember that all of this is not Barack Obama's fault. He can't control who supports him. But there's no question the far left in America feels emboldened after eight years of the Bush administration.

We are living in a hyper-age where cable news and talk radio drive issues with frenetic speed. President-elect Obama faces a dangerous economy and angry citizens from all ideological persuasions. Hillary Clinton may be thinking that even with the War on Terror, things are a lot easier abroad than they are right here.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

No "Pinheads & Patriots" tonight because we have a very special segment for you. In support of my book, "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity," I revisited my pal Jon Stewart Thursday night.

Click here to watch O'Reilly's appearance on "The Daily Show."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": I'm worried about you.

O'REILLY: Yes.

STEWART: This election thing — and I showed some clips from FOX. I want to show a couple here more from — this is you, Bill, on FOX.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: I'm, along with a lot of other Americans, very uneasy about his governance, what he's going to do.

A lot of people are fearful. They don't know. Uncertainty breeds fear.

They're fearful about how Barack Obama is going to govern, and I'm not sure how he's going to govern either.

Let's be honest. The guy is still a mystery.

Hey, I'm afraid I'm not going to have any money or a job.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH, D-OHIO: Bill, you shouldn't be fearful.

O'REILLY: I am. I'm scared to death that I'm going to be living...

KUCINICH: The Bill O'Reilly that I know is not fearful.

O'REILLY: ...in San Francisco on Long Island.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: This is Mr. Snuggles. I don't want you — I don't want you to be scared. This is hot cocoa.

O'REILLY: I love this.

STEWART: Let me give you some marshmallows. OK, you're in — you're in a safe place. Cocoa. There you go. All right. You've got a no spin zone. I've got a safe zone.

Bill, I want you to talk to me. Tonight is about getting over your fears.

O'REILLY: Fear of governance.

STEWART: What are you afraid of with Barack Obama? You can talk to us.

O'REILLY: I'm afraid of all of them. I mean, it hasn't been so great the last four years, has it, Stewart? I think you've made that a theme.

STEWART: Eight years. I'm going to go eight years.

O'REILLY: Well, you're going eight years?

STEWART: I'm going eight.

O'REILLY: The first four were OK with me because we didn't get attacked again, all right. So they were all right with me. The last four are kind of shaky. So I don't trust any of these guys.

STEWART: So this is not Obama. You've been fearful the whole time.

O'REILLY: The whole federal government frightens me. There isn't anything about it I like.

STEWART: Really?

O'REILLY: I'm an anarchist. Power to the people.

STEWART: Aren't you surprised at the level of fear that this gentleman, who has not done anything yet, has inspired?

O'REILLY: Well, that's because he hasn't done anything yet.

STEWART: That's why people are...

O'REILLY: He didn't do anything in the Senate. He didn't do anything in Illinois.

STEWART: But look at the actual data.

O'REILLY: Look, I want everybody to — you gerrymander these clips like crazy. You just clip, clip, clip, clip, clip.

STEWART: Gerrymander?

O'REILLY: You like that word?

STEWART: Are you saying I have redistricted my clips?

O'REILLY: You certainly have.

STEWART: All right.

O'REILLY: The master of propaganda. I like Barack Obama.

STEWART: That is a high compliment from you.

O'REILLY: From me? I like Barack Obama.

STEWART: Yes?

O'REILLY: I think he's a brilliant guy and ran the best campaign I've ever seen anyone run, OK? And I made that quite clear.

STEWART: You're not an ideologue. I will say that.

O'REILLY: No. And I haven't cheap-shotted the man ever.

STEWART: I have.

O'REILLY: But I don't know what he's going to do. Well, that's what you get paid to do.

STEWART: I get paid to cheap-shot people.

O'REILLY: Isn't that a great job?

STEWART: It's not a bad job. It's a good living.

We are a moderate country.

O'REILLY: I would say that, yes.

STEWART: But the right in this country has got this mythology pinned down that we are all — that being religious means you're good. It doesn't mean you're good. It just means you go to church. That...

O'REILLY: Wait, wait. I don't know who you're talking — you're kind of wandering here. You're wandering around. Americans, by their polling, say I am a moderate conservative. That's what most of the people say they are. There's a foundation to the country, and secular progressives want drastic change.

STEWART: No, they don't.

O'REILLY: Oh, come on. Stop it. You ever read the Daily Kos?

STEWART: They want the tax rate to go from 36 percent to 39 percent. In what 3 percent does that turn it socialist?

O'REILLY: OK, look. You want to...

STEWART: I always enjoy talking to you, and I do enjoy watching your program.

O'REILLY: I appreciate that.

STEWART: And you're not an ideologue. You just — I'm not sure what you are.

O'REILLY: "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity," ladies and gentlemen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

I like Stewart. He's not mean-spirited like some of his cohorts.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

Wednesday night we showed you a confrontation in Palm Springs, California, where a senior citizen had a cross smashed out of her hands by a pro-gay marriage activist.

Well that's just the beginning. In Michigan, a church was invaded. And near Denver, authorities are investigating a possible hate crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KDVR REPORTER: This LDS church, the target of a possible hate crime.

TOM PRIDAY, CHURCH LEADER: It was a very disappointing feeling.

KDVR REPORTER: This church leader says a Book of Mormon was set on fire and left burning at a chapel entrance, shocking some church members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Mormons actively opposed gay marriage in California, which is why they have become targets.

In New York City Wednesday night, about 1,000 people marched on a Mormon church. Thankfully the protest was peaceful.

But now individuals are being targeted. In Sacramento, Scott Eckern, the artistic director of a musical theater company, was forced to resign after he gave a contribution supporting the ban on gay marriage. So he's out of a job.

In addition, some activists are calling for boycotts of businesses which support keeping marriage between a man and a woman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KTTV REPORTER: There are boycotts starting to organize at the venerable El Coyote restaurant, where one employee donated money to Prop 8, and at some El Pollo Locos. One franchise owner reportedly a contributor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

So you can see the debate over gay marriage is now a full-fledged national battle.

As "Talking Points" said Wednesday night, the election of Barack Obama has emboldened secular progressives who feel it is their time. Gay marriage is just the beginning.

Other culture war issues will also be on display very shortly. These include limiting gun possession, legalizing narcotics, unrestricted abortion, and the revocation of the Patriot Act.

But it is the gay marriage issue that has ignited much anger and fear, including some racial tension. African-American voters turned down gay marriage 70-30 in California. That prompted gay activist Wayne Besen to write an article criticizing the black community:

"There is something particularly galling and repugnant about people who have felt the sting of discrimination, turn around and step on another minority. What happened at the ballot box feels like a personal betrayal and the hijacking of history."

Obviously, many people do not agree with Mr. Besen's opinion. They do not equate gay marriage with civil rights, and that is the crux of this matter.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

The actress and singer Beyonce always seems to conduct herself very well in public. She recently said that she refused to sell pictures of her wedding to Jay-Z because she simply wants to keep things private.

We think that is an excellent point of view and that Beyonce is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, high drama in Oregon. A 3-year old girl slipped through a fence on the Oregon coast.

Click here to watch the terrifying fall.

The little girl is OK. Obviously the guy who saved her is a patriot. The pinheads are the local authorities who have such a shoddy fence near a dangerous cliff.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

Wednesday, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd ran yet another analysis of Governor Palin. But why? She lost. She's not going to be vice president.

In her column just out, she wrote: "After her brutal transformation by the McCain campaign into a shopaholic, whack-job diva, Palin is now trying to unmake that makeover and morph from uptown cloistered girl back to down-home accessible girl."

Ms. Dowd goes on to cite reporting by The Washington Post that the governor spent even more money, this time on silk boxer shorts for her husband and spray tanners, above and beyond the original $150,000 already reported.

Now, my question is: Who cares? I believe Palin when she says the RNC bought the clothes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SARAH PALIN: The criticism that, you know, I took time out to run into Neiman Marcus or Sax, I don't think I've ever set foot in either one of those stores and, of course, didn't know the New York stylist whom they had hired or anything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well, "Talking Points" is simply amazed the press is still talking about this in the face of a dangerous economy and the anticipation of a relatively inexperienced new president.

But there are some lessons here, and the first one is about loyalty. After Sarah Palin was hammered by some McCain staffers, it took the senator six days before he publicly stood up for her. That happened on the Leno program last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm just very proud to have had Sarah Palin and her family, a wonderful family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OK, but let me ask you something. If you knew a friend was being humiliated, would it take you six days to defend her? If so, you're not much of a friend.

On "The Radio Factor" Wednesday, Juan Williams said he thinks McCain just doesn't care about the issue, and that rings true. But McCain should have stood up sooner, no question.

As for Governor Palin, the liberal press wants to destroy her mainly because of her pro-life belief. And some Republicans believe she's not smart enough to run the country. So she continues to get it from both sides.

But the very fact that we are still talking about Sarah Palin proves the woman remains a force in America. It will be fascinating to see what happens to her.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Our pal Donald Trump often does some nice things with his assets, and here's another one. He's been housing actress Jennifer Hudson and her family after the brutal murders of her mother, brother and young nephew. Mr. Trump's putting them up for free at one of his hotels, and for that, he's a patriot.

On the pinhead front, actor Brad Garrett, who gained a measure of fame in "Everybody Loves Raymond," is being investigated by the police after this confrontation:

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a big star, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, leave him alone.

BRAD GARRETT, ACTOR: That's enough. That's enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't touch you.

GARRETT: Oh, you would love that, right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You did.

GARRETT: Oh, did I really? Go get a real job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, we sympathize with all famous people because the paparazzi are ruthless. But Mr. Garrett needs to calm down and stop being a pinhead.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

Monday, the ACLU demanded Guantanamo Bay be shut down. Last week, it was MoveOn urging Obama to quickly move left. Tuesday, it was The New York Times on illegal immigration, an issue that has lost some steam in the face of the financial panic.

Now last weekend, a Long Island man, Marcello Lucero from Ecuador, was beaten to death, allegedly by seven high school students on Long Island. Authorities are calling it a hate crime.

Immediately, The Times used that murder to demonize Suffolk County executive Steve Levy, who has led a crackdown on illegal immigration in his jurisdiction. But The Times failed to mention that on Levy's watch, hate crimes against Hispanics have dropped from 16 to one because Levy has been proactive in diffusing problems caused by criminal illegal aliens and exploitative businesses.

What The New York Times wants Barack Obama to do is grant every illegal alien in this country amnesty and to accommodate pretty much any person that wants to come to America. Time after time, The Times editorialized against a border fence or any other barrier to illegal immigration. Instead, The Times labels people like me and Steve Levy, who want a sane, secure immigration policy for both Americans and foreign nationals, unfair zealots.

Now that is blatantly dishonest, and I can prove it. Here's what I've said over and over:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: I've always said if I were a poor Mexican, I would try to cross the border and earn money here and send it back to my family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

O'REILLY: I don't blame the illegal aliens. I blame the federal governments of both Mexico and the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

That was three years ago. Once again, there is a solution to illegal immigration, and Barack Obama should embrace it.

First, stop illegal crossings at the borders. Second, mandate that all illegals register with the federal government. Third, heavily fine companies that hire people with bogus or nonexistent Social Security numbers. And finally, evaluate aliens on a case by case basis for green cards.

"Talking Points" believes most reasonable people would accept that. We hope President-elect Obama will do the right thing.

Finally, we send our condolences to the family of Marcello Lucero, who is in this country legally. But we must note that thousands of American citizens have been killed by illegal aliens, and we cannot find one New York Times editorial condemning that. Not one.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

As you may know, Congressman Rahm Emanuel is the new White House chief of staff, and a few years ago his now boss, President-elect Obama, roasted him.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA: It hasn't been easy for Rahmbo. As a young man he had a serious accident. I think many of you are aware of this. He was working at a deli, an accident with a meat slicing machine. He lost part of his middle finger. As a result of this, this rendered him practically moot.

Think about it. Can you imagine somebody with a weird name like Rahm Emanuel getting elected to Congress from Illinois? It's astonishing.

Rahm's brother, Ari, is the model for the lead character on the big hit on HBO, "Entourage." What you may not know is that Rahm himself is an inspiration for that other HBO character, Tony Soprano.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

A sense of humor is always patriotic.

On the pinhead front, according to London's Daily Mail newspaper, the increasingly bizarre Madonna has issued these instructions for her estranged husband when their kids visit him: The only water the kids can drink has to be blessed by Kabbalah priests. No TV. They can only wear clothing that Madonna picks out. And any toys the kids play with have to be spiritually and ethically sound.

Sounds like my old Levittown neighborhood. Madonna is a pinhead.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

That ad comes on the heels of a press release last week by the radical-left MoveOn organization that reminded Obama he owes MoveOn big for all the financial support during the campaign.

So it is quite clear that the far left expects the Obama administration to do its bidding.

But "Talking Points" believes most Americans oppose that. Making it easier for terrorists to operate puts all of us in danger. And exit polling clearly shows that Obama was not elected to be a liberal ideologue. He was elected to fix the economy, which should be his primary concern.

However, the left-wing zealots don't really care much about the economy. They'd prefer to have the federal government run it and set up a quasi-socialistic system, but social issues are what the loons really care about.

Barack Obama well understands the pressure that he faces. The left wants radical change, but the folks want economic stability, and the folks far outnumber the zealots.

Based on watching him campaign, "Talking Points" believes President-elect Obama will throw the red-meat left a few bones, most likely closing Guantanamo and issuing some new interrogation guidelines. Obama will try to buy some time doing that while he concentrates on the economy, which will eventually define his first term. If things don't get better in a year, Barack Obama will have major trouble.

That being said, the media must get under control. The USA is in a recession, but non-stop comments on how bad things are will only make the pain worse. We have to report the grim news, but we don't have to hype it. This is not 1929.

When folks are frightened they get angry and act irrationally. Certainly, we should all be cautious and save as much money as we can. We should also continue to cut down on our fuel consumption, which has helped bring down oil prices.

But come on, we have to live our lives. We are not in Doomville here. Commerce is happening. Things will get better.

President-elect Obama would be smart to ignore the nutty ideologues and lay out a rational plan for a big economic comeback — and that should include no more bailouts. Spending discipline and holding corrupt financial people accountable will restore confidence in the U.S. economy. That is usually not a liberal tactic, but Obama would be wise to employ it.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Our pals the Beach Boys were down in Galveston, Texas, last week doing a benefit for those hurt by Hurricane Ike.

Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, and the guys raised more than $40,000 for the United Way down there.

The Beach Boys are American icons and patriots to boot.

On the pinhead front, a group of monks — religious people — may have committed a few sins at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Apparently a disagreement between Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks resulted in a brawl very close to the tomb of Jesus.

Bill Maher might find this funny, but it certainly is not a great moment in Christianity, and these guys are pinheads. Unbelievable.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

I told Carl I thought some of the stuff was trivial, and I never respect people who bad-mouth others while refusing to give their names.

Now some "Factor" viewers did not like the report. Lesly Brown in Knoxville, Tennessee, reflects that view: "Many of us are not interested in hearing Governor Palin ridiculed. I was so disappointed to hear the report on 'The Factor.' Shame on you for airing that."

Nobody likes to hear bad things about people they like, so Ms. Brown's letter is understandable. But this is a news program, and McCain people dumping on the vice-presidential candidate is big news. Everyone should understand that.

Thursday there were Palin reports everywhere. If "The Factor" were to ignore news like that, we could not portray ourselves as a news-based opinion program. We would be an entertainment show, just selecting subjects that our viewers wanted to hear.

Obviously, that's not what the FOX News Channel is all about. That's what NBC News does — cherry-picks reports to promote their ideological agenda.

I am skeptical of the McCain people because dealing with them during the campaign was chaotic to say the least. The Obama people crushed them as far as organization was concerned.

I have offered Sarah Palin 30 minutes on "The Factor" on Monday evening to say whatever she wants to say. I hope the governor will accept that offer. We will be fair to her.

Consistently during the campaign I have defended Mrs. Palin against unfair attacks. I even did that on David Letterman. But it is not my job to suppress the news. The attacks on Palin are real, and they are coming from inside the McCain operation.

Again, "The Factor" is an honest broadcast, and that is why we have dominated in the ratings for eight straight years. Even though NBC News opened an Obama for president headquarters on their cable operation, we still crush them every night, even during the Democratic Convention.

But once any news operation decides to suppress stories for ideological reasons, it is done. I hope Ms. Brown understands that because we value her opinion.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Very quietly, the star of "CSI: NY," Gary Sinise, continues to do very good things. He is working with OperationIraqiChildren.org to provide toys and clothing to kids in Iraq and Afghanistan through the U.S. armed forces.

That kind of outreach, of course, helps America's image abroad, so please check out the charity. And if you see Gary Sinise, tell him he's a patriot.

On the pinhead front, say it ain't so, Barney the dog. President Bush's Scottish terrier apparently bit a reporter Thursday.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over here, Barney.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my gosh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not happy today. Barney is not happy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You all right? What's wrong with Barney today?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Barney's victim was Jon Decker who works for Reuters TV. Decker is OK. He just lost three fingers. No, just kidding.

When asked for comment, Barney snarled and said Dick Cheney made him do it. I just made that up, so I might be the pinhead this evening.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

But what now?

Exit polling shows most Obama voters supported him because they are worried and angry about the economy. That fear overrode ideology, Obama's dubious associations, and his very liberal voting record. So there is no question Americans want Barack Obama to concentrate on improving the economy first and foremost.

With a very unpopular Bush administration and disaster for Americans who honestly invested in stocks and bonds, McCain had only one chance to win: become a crusader for the folks, promise to punish those who have perpetuated this massive financial fraud. But Senator McCain would not take that position. So he lost to a man who simply ran on one word: change. Yes, but what kind of change?

There's an old country expression: you dance with the one who brung you. Barack Obama defeated the Clinton machine and the Republican Party largely because the hard-left supported him with money and workers on the ground. Now the far left is going to want payback.

That puts President-elect Obama in a very difficult position. If he further escalates the enormous federal deficit by massive funding of entitlement programs, which he promised to do, "Talking Points" believes the U.S. dollar and the economy will completely collapse. But if Obama does not try to institute an entitlement culture, the far left will scream very loudly.

Also, there is a question of San Francisco values. The far left wants a European-style culture, but as California has demonstrated Tuesday night, that's not what the folks want. Looks like the gay marriage deal was voted down in the Golden State, which is somewhat stunning. I think some of the vote was against judges who want to impose ideology on America. But no matter, some traditional values are still strong, even in a liberal state like California.

If Obama begins to work against traditional values, he'll lose support fast. "Talking Points" believes America is still a center right country, even though the folks voted left last night.

As for "The Factor," we will now ramp up our watchdog role. I've stated that I did not watch the economy under President Bush closely enough. My fault. I should have been on that mortgage con. I should have been on that, and that mistake will not happen again.

Our focus now is to report exactly what President-elect Obama is doing and what it means to you. Let's be honest. The guy is still a mystery, so our oversight will be intense. However, we're not going to nit-pick Barack Obama, and we will not demonize him because that's not fair. We'll report on him in a clear voice with a clear head.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

As you may know, "The Factor" is no fan of San Francisco values, but Tuesday night some sanity prevailed. Voters said no to Proposition K, legalizing prostitution in San Francisco, which would have given the pimps free reign. They said no to naming a sewage plant after President Bush. How insulting. And most importantly, they said no to banning ROTC recruiting in public schools. So for all the voters who did the right thing in San Francisco, you're patriots.

On the pinhead front, it looks like Senator Norm Coleman has defeated Al Franken for the Senate in Minnesota. There will be a recount. Official word won't come until December. How any American can vote for a bad guy like Franken is inconceivable. Pinhead doesn't even begin to cover it.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

Whatever happens Tuesday, both John McCain and Barack Obama will emerge with their dignity intact. Neither candidate did anything untoward, despite a bitter partisan media egging them on.

The campaign has been a long and winding road, with the economic chaos providing a steep advantage to the Democrats. That is something few predicted, and the fact that Senator McCain has competed so energetically is to his great credit.

On the downside, McCain's campaign is pretty mysterious. Some viewers have written asking why McCain and Sarah Palin have not been on "The Factor" since the convention. Well we tried hard to make that happen, but we had just one opportunity.

Last Tuesday night the campaign said the senator and the governor would talk to me the next morning in Hershey, Pennsylvania. That was very late notice, but we scrambled. However, the next morning there was a monsoon here in New York with three-hour delays at the airport. We could not be assured we could get back to do the program, so that blew up. We tried to reschedule but failed.

It was clear to us that Senator McCain did not see "The Factor" as a priority. I don't take it personally. He's been on before. But last week "The Factor" was rated No. 2 among all cable shows, not just news programs. And we have a huge following among independents, the exact voters McCain needs. Why the McCain campaign avoided us is simply incomprehensible.

I did talk to Governor Palin on the phone. She said she wanted to do an interview. We believe the McCain people killed that, but I could be wrong.

On the Obama side, he did the major interview with me. But there was no way Joe Biden was going to come anywhere near "The Factor." They are hiding Biden, no question.

To me, the most incredible thing in the campaign is that neither Obama nor McCain tapped into the great anger Americans have about the corruption that caused the stock market to tank. I am still very surprised McCain does not understand that if he had used Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney as go-to guys to punish the people who have caused so many Americans so much financial pain, he would have won.

In fact, I put that to Giuliani a couple of weeks ago on "The Radio Factor":

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: I would have said I'm going to make Rudy Giuliani attorney general if he'll accept and Mitt Romney secretary of the Treasury to turn the economy around and have Giuliani investigate all of the CEOs and all of the government people who allowed this thing to happen.

RUDY GIULIANI: Personally, I've never thought you can name your cabinet before…

O'REILLY: But this is…

GIULIANI: …you get elected because then they became — Giuliani and Romney would get added to McCain and Palin. Personalities aside, your idea is a very good idea, and that is to have a real investigation of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Summing up, both candidates missed opportunities. But Obama has more money and the media in his pocket, so McCain has a lot to overcome.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Because we live in a country where the press is now corrupt, you probably do not know that the Iraq situation is now at the victory level. I think it's safe to say now that the U.S. military has been victorious in that brutal country, and, again, very few press people will acknowledge it.

But here's something everyone should acknowledge: American forces in Iraq have been brave and patriotic from day one.

On the pinhead front, KGO Radio in San Francisco has a major problem. One of its far-left talk show guys was caught on mike commenting on an ABC News Radio report:

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With only a few days to go before the election, John McCain tells ABC News Radio there's still a lot of work to do.

JOHN MCCAIN: We're going to campaign hard. We're going to campaign on the differences between myself and Senator Obama. Joe the plumber made it very clear...

CHARLES KAREL BOULEY, KGO RADIO: God (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

MCCAIN: ...for the people of this country that he wants...

BOULEY: Joe the plumber.

MCCAIN: ...to help spread the wealth around.

BOULEY: I want (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Joe the plumber dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The guy's name is Charles Karel Bouley. Obviously he's a pinhead, and the people who run KGO Radio are pinheads, too, for allowing this to happen.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

McCain was on "Larry King" -- maybe 3 million people saw that. McCain could have been on "The Factor" and 7 million people would have seen him. Also, millions more would have heard him on "The Radio Factor," but the senator passed and we don't exactly know why.

Now the Rasmussen and Gallup tracking polls today have Obama leading McCain by about 5 points. A brand new FOX News poll has the race a bit tighter: Obama leading McCain by 3 among likely voters. But there's no question time is running out for John McCain.

In addition to the money, it's now certain that the American media has given Barack Obama an enormous advantage. According to a study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, John McCain's getting hosed big time. In all of the media studied, 57 percent of the stories on McCain were negative, 29 percent negative for Obama. Newspapers are very unfair: 69 percent of the reporting on McCain negative, as opposed to 28 percent negative for Obama.

NBC News is the most biased news agency by far -- I don't think anybody's surprised by that. On the broadcast side -- that's primarily Brian Williams and "The Today Show" -- 54 percent of the stories about McCain were negative, 21 percent of Obama stories were negative.

On MSNBC, it's an absolute scandal: 73 percent of the stories on McCain negative, 14 percent negative toward Obama. MSNBC, the Obama network.

Thus a huge American corporation, General Electric, which owns NBC, is using its money and power to benefit a presidential candidate. That is a gross violation of the spirit of the constitutional powers given to a free press.

The three men behind this corruption are GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt, NBC News boss Jeff Zucker and NBC News chief Steve Capus. These three calculated that by openly supporting Obama, turning a network into his campaign headquarters, they could lure millions of Obama supporters and make money.

Now, much of the other media covers for NBC, unfortunately. The Associated Press article about the press study had this headline: "NBC News doesn't follow MSNBC's left drift." But that's a bit misleading. The article written by committed leftist David Bauder says that the study found no hint that NBC's coverage was worse than the media as a whole. But, as we mentioned, the media as a whole is far more negative toward McCain than Obama. A nice sleight of hand for the dishonest Bauder, who has written 52 negative stories about the FOX News Channel. I feel like John McCain.

As for FNC, the study found that 40 percent of our reporting was negative to McCain and 40 percent was negative about Obama. Whoa, sounds fair and balanced to me.

Summing up: With a 2-to-1 advantage in money and the American press openly favoring him, Barack Obama is certainly looking forward to Election Day.

And that's the Memo.

Pinheads & Patriots

As you may know, the Navy SEALs are doing much of the behind-the-lines terrorism-fighting around the world. And Wednesday night FOX News boss Roger Ailes was honored by the Navy SEAL Warrior Fund, which provides support for wounded SEALs and their families -- also for the loved ones of SEALs killed in action.

Now, Roger has been a quiet, long-time supporter of this very fine charity and for that, he is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, congratulations to the Phillies for winning the World Series. But boo to some of their fans. Seventy-six pinheads were arrested for running amuck after the game. They caused major damage around the city, and 15 people arrived at various hospitals because of the rowdyism. No excuse for this. Not acceptable.

Most Philly fans are patriots, but obviously, not all.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

I think we've covered it all — and fairly — and you know what we know about both candidates. However, if we missed something, again, please let us know.

Now, there is something new today. The Obama campaign has thrown the New York Post, The Washington Times and The Dallas Morning News right off the campaign plane. Is it a coincidence that those three papers have endorsed John McCain?

Well, I talked with Obama spokesman Bill Burton on Friday. He says it's just because Michelle Obama and her entourage and some additional Chicago press are covering the last few days of the campaign. However, the Obama campaign has made room for Essence and Jet magazines onboard the plane, which is unusual to say the least.

Any way you slice it, it looks like the Obama campaign is giving some payback here. The New York Post and The Dallas Morning News are major media outlets, and The Washington Times spends a lot of time covering government. So you can decide if there is revenge in the air. Again, the Obama campaign denies any ill motive.

Other than that, it's politics as usual right now. And at this point, we've pretty much heard it all. I'm glad the vote is almost upon us.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

In an effort to get some stray cats adopted, the Columbus, Ohio, Humane Society is having a kitty caucus. The deal is that the cats go to certain litter boxes to cast their ballot, so to speak. So far in the vote, it is neck and neck.

While this may be questionable to some, the intent of getting homes for homeless cats is patriotic.

On the pinhead front, I am not, I repeat, I am not calling Cher a pinhead. I am simply leaving it up to you. The woman is an American. She's entitled to her opinion, and her opinion is this:

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHER, SINGER: And the country is so divided, and it's still going to be divided. But I honestly think that there are some people that are healing people, and there are some people, like this president we have right now, that are just — you know, he says he's the big decider, but I think he's the big divider.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Again, you can decide on Cher's pinhead or patriot status. And for the record, I am a healing person.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

Both the Rasmussen and Gallup daily tracking polls have the race getting tighter and, in a remarkable turnabout, Rasmussen will release a poll Thursday that says Americans now trust McCain more on the economy than Obama. So NBC News will have to tone down the victory dance.

A series of Obama issues regarding spreading the wealth around have hurt him. "Joe the Plumber" and other expositions have caused some fear among the undecided voters, that an Obama administration will harm the economy more than help it.

The USA remains a capitalistic country, much to the chagrin of the far left. Any deviation from capitalism will not play well, especially among older voters, and it is here where the swings are taking place, especially in places like Florida and Ohio.

McCain lost ground in those states because many seniors lost faith in the federal government to protect them against corrupt Wall Street gangsters. That fear was well-founded. Both parties in Washington failed to protect the folks, and allowed the economy to get out of control.

Even now, the feds can't control hedge funds and speculators, which is why you see the wild gyrations in the stock market and in oil prices.

The fear that our money is not safe has propelled Barack Obama, but now some voters are re-evaluating, and older voters are leading the way.

Is that fair to Obama? "Talking Points" can't say with any certainty. I simply don't know if Obama understands how fragile the economy is. I don't know because the senator is still pretty much a mystery to me, and I'm not the only journalist who feels that way.

Writing in the very liberal Los Angeles Times, Obama beat reporter Peter Nicholas says:

"...Those of us who were sent out to take (Obama's) measure in person can't offer much help in answering who he is, or if he is ready. The barriers set in place between us and him were just too great."

Those barriers are that the media has limited access to Senator Obama and he's very cautious in his casual comments, which, by the way, is smart.

But there is no question that uncertainty leads to fear, and now some voters are growing more uncertain about Obama and more fearful of voting for him. That's why the race is not over. The fear that has dramatically hurt John McCain is now turning to his advantage.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Actress Hilary Swank has cut her hair to help cancer victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILARY SWANK, ACTRESS: Sixty percent of the women who are undergoing chemotherapy, their most feared side effect is losing their hair, and they will actually forego potentially life-saving treatment in order to not lose their hair, so I thought, "I'm cutting my hair off."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

And that hair is donated to the American Cancer Society, so Ms. Swank and others like her are patriots.

On the pinhead front, there are some things that are simply very strange, like former basketball player Charles Barkley commenting on the presidential election. Why? Apparently, old Charles believes the Republicans are playing the race card.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES BARKLEY, FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER: And they use code words, like welfare and things like that. And they just use code words. They're using the terrorist thing now. You know, they're trying to use the Muslim thing. Those are racial innuendoes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well, Charles, here's a word not in code: "pinhead."

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

But the pro-Obama media bias should come as no surprise. A new Pew Research study shows about 70 percent of Americans feel the press favors Obama.

But here at FOX News some commentators remain skeptical of Senator Obama's ability to solve difficult problems. His left-wing history disturbs many conservatives, just as John McCain's history on immigration and campaign finance disturbs the right.

But being skeptical of Obama has brought wrath from some journalists like David Bauder, the TV writer for the Associated Press. Bauder is a committed leftist who has written 52 negative articles about FOX News. Yet the AP allows him to keep on truckin'.

If you believe what Bauder and others write, "The Factor" and most other FOX News programs simply present pro-McCain material. That, of course, is a lie. On this program we have just as many liberal voices as conservative.

Even Alessandra Stanley, the TV writer for The New York Times, understands that spirited debate is what we do at FNC. In a column Tuesday she pointed to this discussion:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST, "HANNITY & COLMES": To sit in the church of a guy that says after 9/11 — you lost friends, I lost friends on 9/11 — to say America's chickens have come home to roost…

GERALDO RIVERA, HOST, "GERALDO AT LARGE": He's not running.

HANNITY: But wait a minute. It's…

RIVERA: Bill Ayers, what the hell, I used to be friends with Yasser Arafat.

HANNITY: You were friends with him?

RIVERA: Friendly, I was friendly.

HANNITY: You were friendly with him?

RIVERA: Does that make me a terrorist?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The truth is that FOX News remains the highest-rated cable news network because both sides are presented. The ratings for October are in, and once again FOX News dominated. As usual, "The Factor" was No. 1, beating both CNN and MSNBC combined at 8 p.m., and winning every key demographic category by a wide margin.

Obama-mania has certainly helped the left-wing programs, but not nearly enough to compete with us. That makes many FOX-haters angry, so you see guys like Bauder lashing out. Even CNN's Campbell Brown, usually a sane person, portrayed me as a far-right guy Monday night on Jon Stewart.

But the most disturbing criticism is coming from the Obama campaign itself. They are furious that FNC reports on Ayers, ACORN and the new audiotape where Obama once again endorsed income redistribution as economic justice.

For the record, those are socialistic terms. There's no question about it. So my question to the Obama campaign is this: Are we not supposed to report that stuff? Come on.

"Talking Points" believes both Obama and McCain are patriots. We also believe they both have flaws. And finally, we believe our responsibility is to challenge both candidates. We do that, and some folks don't like it.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Monday night I visited David Letterman for the third time, promoting "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity." The last couple of times, Dave and I had some issues, as they say in California. This time you can decide who was the pinhead:

Click here to watch highlights of Bill on Letterman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": I love the title of the book, "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity," and I — the origin of it is why I love it. Tell folks what the origin of that is.

BILL O'REILLY: Well, when I was in third grade, I was misbehaving in the back of the room. And the nun ran down, Sister Mary Lurana, grabbed my hand: "William, you bold, fresh piece of humanity." Whacked me on the back of the hand, destroying my self-esteem. She's responsible for the way I am today.

LETTERMAN: No.

O'REILLY: Yes.

LETTERMAN: I saw the clip. We had it on the show, you screaming at...

O'REILLY: Barney Frank.

LETTERMAN: Barney Frank. What was that all about?

O'REILLY: You know, I probably was too tough on Barney.

LETTERMAN: But he was talking about people should put their money in the Freddie Mae and the Bernie Mac...

O'REILLY: Two months before it collapsed.

LETTERMAN: Yes.

O'REILLY: Two months before it collapsed, old Barn, the head of the House Finance Committee, was telling everybody, "Hey, there's no problem out there." So millions of Americans did invest in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

LETTERMAN: Right.

O'REILLY: And they lost everything they had.

LETTERMAN: By the way, are you all right? Are you?

O'REILLY: I'm all right.

LETTERMAN: Oh good.

O'REILLY: And if I have to, I'll go back to painting houses, Dave. You know what I mean?

LETTERMAN: You chatted with Barack Obama and had a different opinion of the guy, right?

O'REILLY: I thought he did very well with me. All we ask is they come in and answer the questions, and he did that. He's — I think McCain...

LETTERMAN: What if they don't answer the questions? You beat them up?

O'REILLY: Yes, I hit them.

LETTERMAN: From time to time we'll have candidates on the show.

O'REILLY: And sometimes they don't show up.

LETTERMAN: Yes. Exactly. Very true. And the hardest thing to do is to keep them from campaigning once they hit the chair.

O'REILLY: Yes, you just tell them knock it off. That's all. That's what I do. You know, Obama and McCain, I had them both on. Neither one of them gave me talking points, so they can give me — because they know I'm going to rudely interrupt them, and that's what I do.

LETTERMAN: Well, you're a hothead, right?

O'REILLY: I am. I should be in prison.

LETTERMAN: You should be in prison.

O'REILLY: When I go back to Levittown neighborhood, the neighbors say, "Why aren't you in prison?"

LETTERMAN: Should be in prison. How did you break your nose?

O'REILLY: Playing hockey.

LETTERMAN: Really?

O'REILLY: How about you?

LETTERMAN: I got punched.

O'REILLY: Yes.

LETTERMAN: Yes. That's why I'm a little sensitive on that topic.

O'REILLY: I'm not going to hit you in the nose. I'll hit you right there.

LETTERMAN: Right in the solar plexus? Well, you know, I've had that heart surgery, so be careful.

O'REILLY: Can't do that. I'm not going to hit you, Dave. You know, I feel sorry for you. I'm not going to hit you.

LETTERMAN: You feel sorry for me?

O'REILLY: It's a joke, Dave. It's a comedy show.

LETTERMAN: What about that Sarah Palin?

O'REILLY: I actually admire her.

LETTERMAN: For what reason?

O'REILLY: Because I think — I think that she's a self-made woman. I think she's a self-made woman, no rich uncle, didn't do anything that we can find that was bad to become the governor, reformed the state, went after her own party, put those people in jail, got the oil companies to give the folks some of these obscene profits they make. I actually admire her record in Alaska. I think the media is beating the hell out of the woman unfairly, and I don't like it. You don't like her, don't vote for her. But knock it off, or you'll have to deal with me.

LETTERMAN: Could I be on "The Factor"?

O'REILLY: I don't know. What do you think? Should we put Dave on "The Factor"? The people want it, man.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

I actually had a good time there last night.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

But if Americans simply vote on emotion, we are heading for disaster. Electing unqualified people simply because you are angry with the Bush administration will drastically weaken the country.

The best example of this is Al Franken, who is running for the Senate in Minnesota. A far-left extremist, Franken's tenure on the Air America Radio network was punctuated by one word: hate. The man is a smear merchant and a rank liar, unqualified for any elected office.

But since the economic collapse, Franken has been rising and might beat incumbent Norm Coleman. If Franken is elected to the Senate you can expect him to vote for every ACLU-driven impediment to fighting terrorism. He will approve more spending for entitlements, and he will promote San Francisco values any way he can. If you think the economy is bad now, wait until far-left loons like Franken get through with the federal budget.

Although Franken is the worst of them, there are far-left people running for Congress in most states, and many of them are ahead right now. If Americans vote these people into office, this country will change dramatically. We will be far more like France and Holland. This is not about moderate Democrats. This is about extremism and creating a massive federal government.

There is no question that the Republicans stood by and allowed corrupt corporate gangsters to loot the economy, but Democrats did the same thing. For the past two years, Barney Frank and Christopher Dodd held power in the financial arena in Congress and did nothing. Excuse me, Dodd did something. He took a sweetheart mortgage from a company on the verge of bankruptcy.

But few are holding the Democrats responsible for the mess we are in, even though it's partially their fault.

If John McCain had run like Teddy Roosevelt he'd be ahead right now. Roosevelt was born 150 years ago Monday, and he understood that the feds have to oversee capitalism or bandits will ruin it. Teddy would have brought some urgency to holding the bad guys accountable for wrecking the economy.

Instead, Senator McCain is running a traditional campaign up against the best campaigner I've ever seen, Barack Obama. Unless McCain does something bold, the heavy odds are he will lose.

But the folks still have a chance to deny power to people like Franken in their states. Don't vote emotion; vote for the good of the country.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Comedian George Lopez does a lot of good work for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charity that grants children with life-threatening medical conditions their fondest wish.

So Make-A-Wish has honored Lopez with its celebrity award, and for this, George Lopez is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, a disturbing Sarah Palin situation. In heavily liberal West Hollywood, California, a Halloween decoration shows the governor hanging by a noose.

You can imagine if that was done to Senator Obama, but apparently it's OK to do it to Sarah Palin because there has been no public outcry as far as we can tell.

The people who did this are obviously pinheads, but the whole situation is really beyond the pale.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

One caveat here: "The Factor" believes the economy and national security are the two most important issues in this campaign by far. We don't believe William Ayers rises anywhere near those things.

However, Ayers is interesting. Here's a guy who calls himself an anarchist, has admitted committing terrorist acts, even participated in bombing a police station here in New York City. And Barack Obama gave him a blurb for his book in the Chicago Tribune? That, ladies and gentlemen is no small thing.

Ayers has been hiding out. We watched him for a number of days before "Factor" producer Jesse Watters finally caught up with him.

Click here to watch "Talking Points."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE WATTERS, "FACTOR" PRODUCER: How do you feel being the centerpiece in this presidential election?

BILL AYERS: All right.

WATTERS: What's your relationship with Barack Obama, Mr. Ayers? Did he write a blurb for your book and sit on a panel with you?

AYERS: This is my property. Would you please leave?

WATTERS: Mr. Ayers, do you want to take this opportunity to apologize for your terrorist acts? Mr. Ayers, don't you think it's time for some repentance? Do you still consider yourself an anarchist?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Did you notice the red star on his shirt there?

Now here's the irony. After Jesse's brief chat with Mr. Ayers, the guy calls the police, the same police he tried to kill back in the '60s. That is called irony.

Well, the police came and escorted Ayers back to his car. Don't you just love this? When a terrorist guy needs some help, who does he call? The cops, like everybody else.

Now some misguided souls feel sorry for Bill Ayers. I don't. He's had plenty of time to apologize for trying to hurt fellow Americans. He has never said he's sorry, most likely because he's not sorry.

I actually think Barack Obama should apologize for hanging with the guy. He should throw him under the bus just like he did Reverend Wright. Look, senator, everybody makes mistakes. You made one. This is a bad guy. Just say you made a mistake in judgment. Then it goes all away.

But Obama has not done that, so poor Jesse had to track Ayers down. That should be the end of the story but, of course, it won't be.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

There is no patriot tonight because the pinheads are dominating.

Thursday a reporter out of Pittsburgh said a McCain supporter was violently attacked by an Obama supporter and a knife was involved. We mentioned it briefly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGYN KELLY, "AMERICA'S NEWSROOM" CO-HOST: I don't know what the full story is.

O'REILLY: It could be — it could be bogus.

KELLY: All I'm telling you is that's what she alleges.

O'REILLY: Anybody arrested?

KELLY: No, I think they're looking for the guy, and I heard the McCain campaign called...

O'REILLY: Every ATM there's a camera, so...

KELLY: This was outside of the eye of the camera, they said.

O'REILLY: I'm a little skeptical about this, but our duty for Ms. Kelly is to report everything to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OK, I'm an oracle. The woman is now recanting, saying it was all a hoax. Police may charge her for more than just being a pinhead.

Pinhead No. 2 is John McCain's brother, Joe, who called 911 about this.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 911. State your emergency.

JOE MCCAIN, JOHN MCCAIN'S BROTHER: Well, it's not an emergency. But do you know why on one lane — on one side at the damn drawbridge on 95 traffic is stopped for 15 minutes and yet traffic's coming the other way across?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, are you calling 911 to complain about traffic?

JOE MCCAIN: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Nice. Joe McCain is a pinhead.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

But the rest of the polling still shows Barack Obama well ahead in both the popular vote and in most battleground states. Clearly, Senator McCain needs to take some bold action.

In fact, the most surprising bold move lately has been Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama, which may influence some independent voters. Powell, a Republican, cited the personal attacks on Obama and Sarah Palin's inexperience as factors in his decision.

Senator McCain responded to the Palin deal:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MCCAIN: I know that if General Powell had wanted to meet Governor Palin, we could have arranged that easily, No. 1. But No. 2 is, then obviously General Powell does not know Governor Palin's record.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now I could be wrong, but I don't think Powell cares about Governor Palin's record or anything about the woman. And he certainly can't be serious about the personal attack issue.

Democratic partisans have made a big deal out of some morons yelling dumb stuff at McCain rallies. Apparently the senator is now responsible for the thoughts of every American. Quite a burden.

That kind of nonsense is just a smoke screen. McCain has publicly repudiated personal attacks on Obama, and he won't even use the Reverend Wright issue, which he certainly could use.

So when General Powell bemoaned some guy calling Obama a Muslim, "Talking Points" is a bit perplexed. Senator Obama visited the Daily Kos convention last summer and mingled with character assassins there, people who allowed Internet posts calling for Dick Cheney to be murdered and applauding Tony Snow's demise. Recently, that Web site posted the preposterous allegation that Sarah Palin's daughter gave birth to the Down syndrome child, not the governor.

Now this is from me to you, General Powell. I respect you, but they don't come more hateful than the Daily Kos. And they support your guy, and your guy lent them his statue. The door swings both ways, general.

If you're truly upset about personal attacks, check out NBC News, the pro-Obama network. It doesn't get nastier than those people. So I'm not buying any of this.

General Powell, in my opinion, endorsed Obama because the senator has been respectful to him and sought his advice quietly, while some Republicans have not been respectful of General Powell. So it's payback time. That is what's really going on here. No spin.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Pop star Justin Timberlake also plays golf, and his pro-am for the Shriners' Children's Hospital has raised more than $1 million this year. Quite a coup. For this, Mr. Timberlake is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, actor Richard Dreyfuss plays Dick Cheney in the new "W" movie, and they say he's a dead ringer for the vice president. So we invited Dreyfuss on "The Factor." His manager sent back this statement: "Richard asks the following as a prerequisite to doing the show. Bill must put in writing that he will not interrupt Richard."

Well, I can't do that. But I can verbally say, "Hey, Richard, you're a pinhead." And I might be able to put that in writing as well.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

But far more troubling — far more troubling — was an interview Tuesday on CNN. Stay with me here because this is very important.

Writing in the National Review this week, Byron York said: "Watching press coverage of the Republican candidate for vice president, it's sometimes hard to decide whether Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, backward, or all of the above. Palin, the governor of Alaska, has faced more criticism than any vice presidential candidate since 1988."

Now Mr. York was clearly criticizing press bias in that paragraph, no question about that. Well, shortly after the article appeared, Sarah Palin was interviewed by CNN reporter Drew Griffin, and here's what happened:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Governor, you've been mocked in the press. The press has been pretty hard on you. The Democrats have been pretty hard on you. But also some conservatives have been pretty hard on you as well. The National Review had a story saying that, you know, I can't tell if Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, or all of the above.

SARAH PALIN: Who wrote that one?

GRIFFIN: That was in the National Review. I don't have the author.

PALIN: I'd like to talk to that person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

She doesn't have to talk to that person. Isn't that incredible?

Now Griffin, the guy, totally distorted what York wrote in the article, and then he ambushes Palin with the distortion. She has no idea what he's talking about.

Now I haven't been critical of CNN during the campaign. They've been pretty honest in their coverage, I believe. But that was off the chart dishonest.

So we called CNN for comment very early in the morning. We said look, you know, are you going to apologize? What are you going to do? They wouldn't comment. Apparently, there's no apology in the works, no retraction. It's unbelievable. It's hard to believe. In fact, the whole campaign has been hard to believe.

"Talking Points" is amazed at how dishonest the American press reportage has been. Yes, there's been nasty stuff from both sides, no doubt. But with the mainstream media solidly behind Barack Obama, I think that's worth about five percentage points for him in the popular vote. I could be wrong.

But CNN was definitely wrong in what they did to Sarah Palin. It's outrageous.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

As you may have heard, I signed up for another contract cycle here at FOX News. My boss, Roger Ailes, is a patriot for allowing me to continue. At least to me he is.

Now I gave two interviews Tuesday on the subject: one to Richard Huff at the New York Daily News and the other to our pal Howard Kurtz at The Washington Post.

Now, I'm like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football with Lucy holding it. I'm never going to learn.

Huff did a fair story, but he listed my salary, which he got drastically wrong. But it doesn't matter. All the Web sites picked it up and, once again, falsehood becomes fact.

Kurtz wrote mostly about some negative aspects of "The Factor," which is what The Post likes to do. Howard didn't do anything unprofessional. He simply gave his bosses what they want: negative stuff.

For example, Kurtz wrote that "The Radio Factor" is less successful than the TV "Factor." Well, most media, Howard, is less successful than the TV "Factor," including The Washington Post and CNN, where you work.

The fact is, "The Radio Factor" is one of the most profitable radio franchises in the history of the medium, but Howard wanted to find a negative, and he did. By the way, as I said, Howard also works for CNN.

I'm not calling Mr. Huff and Mr. Kurtz pinheads. They don't deserve that designation off what they wrote, but both men could have done a little bit better on this one.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

In 2002, Ayers gave an interview to a radio station in California. Now portions of that interview have surfaced on the Net for the first time.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BILL AYERS: I considered myself partly an anarchist then. I consider myself partly an anarchist now. I mean, I'm as much an anarchist as I am a Marxist, which is to say, you know, I find a lot of the ideas in anarchism appealing. We create felons by having these kind of archaic, puritan drug laws that make no sense whatsoever in any logical way. So in that sense, I still feel like kind of an anarchist. I don't feel like the rules apply. And if they don't apply, I don't feel like you should follow them. Is one of those regrets that I took extreme measures against the United States at a time of tremendous crisis? No, it is not. I don't regret that. There is a struggle over various religious fundamentalisms, Jihad being the most visible. But the religious fundamentalism of the Christians and the Jews is equally troubling.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

He's quite a guy.

Now, during that time that interview was taken, "The Factor" has learned that Barack Obama had frequent contact with Ayers. They were both on the board of the Woods Fund in Chicago. They were both involved with the criminal justice issues together. Obama does not deny that, and this seems to be more than just a casual relationship.

In 1997, Barack Obama gave the Chicago Tribune a blurb for Ayers' book. And a short time later, Michelle Obama organized a panel held at the University of Chicago featuring Ayers and Obama, among others. So there's no way that Obama did not know Ayers was a radical. It is simply not possible.

When I interviewed the senator a few weeks ago, here's what he said:

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA: Now on this Ayers' thing, which you, you know, you've been hyping, Bill, pretty good.

O'REILLY: Not that much. You know, you're on the Woods Foundation board with him.

OBAMA: Here's the bottom line.

O'REILLY: Yes.

OBAMA: This guy did something despicable 40 years ago.

O'REILLY: Yes, he did something despicable last week. He said he didn't do enough bombings. That's last week.

OBAMA: I haven't seen the guy in a year and a half.

O'REILLY: But you know who he was. He's on the Woods Foundation board. You know he was there.

OBAMA: Let me finish my point, all right? Here's a guy who does something despicable when I'm eight years old.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

The question now becomes is this an important issue for you, the voter? For someone like Colin Powell, it is not. But others believe it is important.

The end game on this is that Bill Ayers is a bad guy, a bad American, an unrepentant terrorist, and Obama knew it. Yet, for whatever reason, continued the association.

Now, that's important. How important? That's a decision you have to make.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

The actress Elizabeth Hurley is promoting breast cancer awareness throughout October. The British siren is using fashion to get some attention, including pink dresses. Pink is the breast cancer awareness color.

So even though she is a British subject, we are making Ms. Hurley a patriot.

On the pinhead front, what can I say about Michael Moore that has not already been said? Here's his latest.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: Bring back the draft, but only draft the children of the top five percent wage earners in this country. I am convinced if they have to send their own kids off to war, there won't be any wars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, that wasn't "American Carol," the movie. That was the real Michael Moore. And for playing the class warfare game, and for being simply Michael Moore, he is a pinhead.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

Two examples. First, Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, is a straight down the line left-winger, rarely straying from the party line. A few days ago, Brown was trying to rev up the base at a Biden rally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SHERROD BROWN, D-OHIO: They're going to pan over to Bill O'Reilly, and you're going to — got this good TV. You're going to see a little tear coming out of the side of his eye. O'Reilly looks into the — looks into the camera and he said, I got to announce that Barack Obama won the state of Ohio and he's the next president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I think I did it five times that lame bit in one day. And here's the problem with Brown's ranting. "The Factor" has been very fair to Barack Obama, and the senator has acknowledged that. Somehow Brown didn't get the memo. So we sent producer Griff Jenkins to give it to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFF JENKINS, FOX NEWS PRODUCER: Can you give me one example of where O'Reilly has been unfair and disrespectful to Obama?

SEN. SHERROD BROWN: I just think it's very clear who Bill O'Reilly's for in this presidential race.

JENKINS: Can you give me one example? That's all I ask you. Senator, would you like to think about it and get back to me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Sure. Senator Brown is welcome on "The Factor" to explain his propaganda, but he might want to talk to Barney Frank first, as honesty is our policy here.

And that's where The New York Times goes off the rails in the honesty department. Sunday, The Times ombudsman, a guy named Clark Hoyt who's supposed to keep the paper honest, actually wrote an article disputing The Times as a liberal enterprise.

Sure, and Bill Maher is a Franciscan.

Eighty percent of the columnists at The New York Times are committed left-wingers. And if you saw the nasty piece on Cindy McCain in The Times this past weekend, please send it to Mr. Hoyt.

At the end of his amazing column claiming that The Times has been fair in its election coverage, Hoyt writes, "[Robert Lichter] released a study concluding that Obama was faring worse than McCain on television news. Bill O'Reilly of FOX News, who had previously praised Lichter's work as proving that the media was liberal, was incensed and rejected the study. Like a lot of news consumers, O'Reilly appears to have a hard time with information that does not fit his view of the world."

Now that's just flat out false. I was not even close to being incensed. My objection to the study was not ideological. It was based on the method used. Skeptical questions were considered negative coverage by Dr. Lichter. Since Obama was getting dramatically more attention than John McCain during the primaries, of course Obama's negatives would be higher just on questions alone. And that is what I told Lichter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: What I'm worried about is that your study goes out in the media and that the left-wing media, which actively is working to get Barack Obama elected, can say, see, we told you we were being fair. They're not. Your study can be used to distort the true picture is what I'm saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now "Talking Points" believes Hoyt never heard that interview with Robert Lichter. We don't believe he listens to "The Radio Factor." We suspect he got his information from Think Progress, a far-left Web site, because the only place the Lichter interview was discussed was on that Web site. Of course, Hoyt did not tell his readers anything about using a far-left Web site as a primary source, and that is blatantly dishonest, sir.

The New York Times strikes again. It's no wonder the paper's in so much trouble.

Now the main point here is that fair-minded Americans might have something to fear if hard core leftists gain control of the government in two weeks. They already control The Times, NBC News and other powerful media, and you can see for yourself what is happening.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Pop celebrity Hilary Duff has made an interesting video, aimed at getting kids to stop bullying certain people.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you like this top?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so gay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's totally gay.

HILARY DUFF, ACTRESS/SINGER: You know, you really shouldn't say that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say what?

DUFF: Say that something's gay when you mean it's bad. It's insulting. What if every time something was bad, everybody said, "That's so 'girl wearing a skirt as a top'"? Those are cute jeans though.

When you say "That's so gay," do you realize what you say? Knock it off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now we like the message there, so Miss Duff is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, Che Guevara's favorite actor, Sean Penn, has once again traveled to Venezuela to see his pal, Hugo Chavez. Penn and Hugo visited a natural gas pipeline together. Considering the amount of gas these guys spew, the visit was entirely appropriate. Of course they are pinheads.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

On a day when the Dow went down almost 800 points, neither candidate even mentioned it. Senators McCain and Obama did not speak at all about the greatest fraud ever seen in the United States. They did not address the collapse of the financial system, the betrayal of hardworking Americans. Not a word.

Is that unbelievable or is it me? Instead, we got more political rhetoric and the other guy is a pinhead.

Now, I know and you know that Americans are suffering greatly because greedy Wall Street people were allowed to sell bad loans and the feds didn't stop it and didn't alert investors to the danger. What Obama and McCain should have said to all of us is that they will launch intense investigations and hold the guilty parties responsible, both on the Street and in Congress. But again, we got nothing from the guys. I shouldn't say that. What we got was Barack Obama saying this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA: When President Bush came into office, we had a budget surplus and the national debt was a little over $5 trillion. It has doubled over the last eight years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

And then Obama proceeds to tell us that he'll institute government-sponsored health care. That's more than a trillion dollars over 10 years. $150 billion for alternative energy development, tax rebates for the 32 percent of Americans who don't even pay federal income tax. That's $70 billion a year. And an additional $18 billion added to the record $68 billion for education.

Now if I were John McCain, I would have bolted out of my chair, scaring Bob Schieffer, and said, are you kidding me? Who's going to pay for all of that?

Senator Obama says he'll raise the capital gains tax. Bulletin, there are no capital gains. They've been wiped out for years to come.

He says he'll raise taxes on rich guys like me. Bulletin, there are far fewer rich people in America than there were a month ago, senator.

He'll raise the corporate tax, already the second highest in the world behind Japan. Bulletin, companies will pass that expense on to the consumer, or move to Bermuda, or fire workers. Corporations aren't going to sit there and fork over profits to the government without action.

I mean, this is insane.

Senator Obama wants to raise taxes on ExxonMobil? Sure, to make up the loss, the oil companies simply raises prices and the folks suffer again.

If John McCain were even half as angry as I am right now, he'd be president. But the senator tried to hammer Obama with Joe the plumber, and it was all over.

"Talking Points" will say it again. Barack Obama is a brilliant politician, and his campaign has made very few mistakes. The race is not over, but I can hear the fat lady warming up.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Our pal, political cartoonist Michael Ramirez, has a new book out called "Everyone Has the Right to My Opinion," a compilation of his best work.

Ramirez, a traditional guy, is heavily outnumbered by left-wing cartoonists, but he does some very funny stuff. And since we need all the laughs we can get, Michael Ramirez is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, 19-year-old Hayden Panettiere, one of the stars of the TV show "Heroes," has become a political scientist.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAYDEN PANETTIERE, ACTRESS: There are three things I think all citizens should do: smoke cigarettes, vote for John McCain and don't wear a seatbelt. A vote for McCain is a vote against change. He'll keep tax breaks for the rich, start another war, and we'll all probably die. He's just like George Bush, except older and with a worse temper. Let's vote for McCain and stay the course. Don't switch horses midstream. Get an older horse who would take 12 years to cross that stream, because he's old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Whatever. It is quite possible that Hayden has crossed the line into pinheadville.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

Other Republicans believe that kind of exposition would hurt McCain, as the press would spin the attacks as desperation and racist, that kind of stuff. Remember, Independent voters, especially women, are the ones who will decide the race.

Already a group supporting McCain, but not associated with him, is letting it fly in a TV ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama seems to have different values from most Americans. His supporters put up Cuban flags with the murderous leftist Che Guevara in Obama's campaign offices. Obama's campaign received $33,000 in illegal donations from Palestinians living in the Middle East. A top official of the terrorist group Hamas endorsed Obama's campaign. And who can forget these hateful sermons from Obama's pastor of over 20 years?

REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT: God damn America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our Country Deserves Better PAC is responsible for the content of this ad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Also, a full-page ad urging debate moderator Bob Schieffer to ask about Obama's income redistribution plan appeared today.

Now, "Talking Points" believes McCain should ask Obama about his past associations to define the issue. Clearly, that is why McCain feels a guy like Ayers, for example, is important.

But there's no doubt in my mind that McCain must make points on the economy if he hopes to win, and not complicated policy points. The senator needs to be somewhat emotional and dramatic. He needs to feel the pain Americans are feeling.

As for Barack Obama, he simply has to keep his composure and restate his points. All he has to do is prevent McCain from making him look foolish. A debate tie would be great news for Obama.

With two and a half weeks left in the race, John McCain needs to state one solid message, and that message should be that he will avenge the folks for the economic corruption both on Wall Street and in government. He will right the wrongs and deal with the betrayal people are feeling. That's it. That is the only thing that will turn things around for McCain.

"Talking Points" made that suggestion last week, but the McCain campaign did not respond. Since that time, however, a number of people at McCain events have told the senator face to face he needs to confront the villains.

Yes, Ayers is a villain, but that was a long time ago. Some current villains are still sitting in plush offices on Wall Street and Capitol Hill. Those are the people McCain should concentrate on.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

This nice tie I'm wearing tonight was sent to me by the Susan G. Komen organization, which raises awareness of breast cancer. October is the month when American women are alerted, especially, to the dangers of the disease. So please get checked out by your doctor. And everybody involved in the awareness and cure of breast cancer is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, the controversial ACORN organization has endorsed Stuart Smalley, aka Al Franken, who's, incredibly, running for the Senate in Minnesota. Franken, of course, is thrilled, saying he is honored to be endorsed by an organization that is accused of voter fraud all over the country.

Actually, Franken just said he was honored by ACORN's endorsement. I threw in the other stuff. Satire. But what is not satirical is that Franken is a dangerous pinhead.

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In the key state of Florida, for example, McCain was leading by five points on that date. Tuesday, he's behind by five points. In the vital state of Ohio, McCain was up four points on the 21st. He is now down by two. And in Virginia, the same thing. McCain was up by two back then. He's now down by three.

The economic chaos has greatly benefited Obama. That's just the way it is. So far, Senator McCain has tried to parody Senator Obama in the stimulus game, but that's not a winning strategy.

For decades, the Democrats have been the entitlement party, the Republicans the party of self-reliance. There's no way McCain can out-entitle Barack Obama, no matter what plans he tries to sell.

The only area where McCain could score, and big, is enforcement and oversight, bringing to justice the villains who have caused all the economic pain. There are bad guys in this situation, and they should be held accountable.

The Democrats will not do that because too many of those responsible are in their own party. But maverick McCain is capable of going after all the guilty ones, Democrats and Republicans alike, as well as the corrupt, deceitful CEOs. That's what the suffering public wants — some passion for justice, as well as tax relief and a sound plan going forward. So that is Senator McCain's opening.

"Talking Points" suggested the senator concentrate on the justice area in the last debate, but he didn't do it. The result: another stalemate and no momentum for McCain.

Senator Obama is simply too good a debater to think you can beat him on complicated tax plans. It's not going it happen. But Obama is a cautious politician, not a demonstrative crusader, while McCain is much more emotional. So again, he has an opening to right some wrongs.

No matter what happens in the debate Wednesday night, it is a tough climb for John McCain. The Obama campaign is smart, has tons of money, and at this point all they have to do is sit on the lead. It will take some dramatic moments for McCain to get moving again.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

On October 25, the American Freedom Foundation will hold a music festival at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The show stars Alan Jackson and Trace Adkins, among others, and will raise money for American vets and their families.

More information is available on BillOReilly.com, and the event will be televised on the Pentagon Channel. Everyone involved in this is a patriot.

On the pinhead front, Ringo Starr has had just about enough.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RINGO STARR: This is a serious message to everybody watching my update right now. I'm warning you, with peace and love, I have too much to do. No more fan mail. Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. Nothing. Anyway, peace and love, peace and love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Indeed. Now, Ringo looks a bit over