The Truth About Hillary Clinton...

The truth about Hillary Clinton, that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."

A book of that title will be out tomorrow. And some right wing Web sites have given it a lot of publicity. The author, Ed Klein, is a colleague of mine. And he asked me to read the book, which I did, over the weekend.

First off, there's little new in the book. If you follow politics, you already know most of what Mr. Klein has put forth. In fact, outside of how Bill and Hillary interact right now, most everything has been written elsewhere.

And most of the contemporary stuff comes from anonymous sources, which is not good. Far too many accusations are coming from people who are settling grudges in a cowardly way.

You may remember we did a poll asking you whether I should interview Kitty Kelley, who wrote a slam book on the Bush family, using a lot of anonymous sources. Well, the majority said no to the Kelley interview. And she did not appear.

To be fair, I'm going to apply the same standard to Mr. Klein. It is not that the book is defamatory. It is simply negative. Again, that's not hard to do. Writing a book or article that slams somebody is simple. Just line up the person's enemies and let fly. They do that stuff to me all the time and to every other successful person in the media or politics.

If you want to read Ed Klein's book, fine with me. Same thing with Kitty Kelley (search). Free country. Knock yourself out.

But understand what you are reading. Don't think there's anything fair or objective about it. As for Hillary Clinton herself, anyone who watches “The Factor” knows, I have many questions for the senator. And if she doesn't answer those questions, which so far she has not, I will oppose her.

Here's a partial list. What exactly would you do to secure the borders, Senator? What exactly would you do to win the war in Iraq? Would you close Guantanamo Bay (search)? And if so, where would you move the prisoners? Are they entitled to Geneva Convention (search) protections? Do you believe in coerced interrogation? Do you support civil trials for foreign and battlefield combatants not in uniform?

I have tons of other questions for Hillary Clinton, which is why she's never appeared on “The Factor.” To be fair, perhaps she feels this venue is coerced interrogation.

So I'm saying no to personal attacks on Hillary, but yes to holding her accountable in public policy. She has a responsibility to get up close and personal with the issues. And if she does not, that's a legitimate reason to scorn her. We don't need the personal stuff.

And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day." Actor Tom Cruise has been taking a beating in the press because of his love life, and now a civilian has jumped in. A guy pretending to be a TV reporter in London squirted Cruise with water. The actor reacted this way.

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TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: I'm here giving you an interview and answering your questions, and you do something nasty. What a jerk. You're a jerk. You know what? You're a jerk.

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I don't blame Cruise one bit. In fact, I probably would have decked the guy, who was taken away by police. And I hope they charge him with disturbing the peace or even assault.

That liquid could have been a dangerous substance, and enough is enough. Cruise and every other famous person have to be on guard all the time, which is ridiculous and wrong. I'm telling you, it's out of control, ladies and gentlemen.

—You can watch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com