'The Factor' Begins Election Coverage

Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly.  Thanks for watching us tonight.

"The Factor" begins election coverage. That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."  As we did with the Iraq war, we will provide you with the absolute best election coverage for the next four months because just the facts will be analyzed.

Driving into New York City this morning, I was switching around the radio. The right wing hosts were already demonizing John Edwards. He is Damien, Omen 5. Did you know that?

The left wingers on the radio were saying Edwards was born in Bethlehem and is very near the baby Jesus. Now I ask you, how much of this bilge, b-i-l-g-e, bilge, can we take?

The truth is that all four men involved in the presidential race are patriots and believe their views will help the country. So deriding them is ridiculous unless they do something questionable.  We will hold all of them responsible for what they do and have done, but generally attacking them is a waste of your time.

"Talking Points" likes John Edwards and predicted months ago he would get the V.P. nod.  Edwards will answer questions. That is respected here. His record is liberal, no question about it.  He voted no to ban partial birth abortion. He voted for the Iraq war, but against funding it.  He wants to raise taxes on Americans earning more than $200,000. He opposes a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, wanting the states to decide the issue. He doesn't like the Patriot Act. He does support the death penalty, however, but he's against school vouchers.  And he wants to legalize illegal immigrants who stay out of trouble and work.

Now Edwards is a smart choice for Kerry, because he appeals to women and is a friendly guy.  He gives the Democrats energy and has only one major negative. As you may know, Edwards made his fortune as a lawyer by suing big companies. Expect that part of his resume to get a lot of attention.

So there you have the John Edwards story, delivered fair and balanced, with no spin.  That's what we're going to do over the next four months, so you can decide which candidates are best for the country.

And one more thing. If you think I'm unfair in my analysis, let me know by e-mail or calling "The Radio Factor." We'll be keeping an eye on them. You can keep an eye on us. And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day"...

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