A Bad Day for Tiger Woods

A bad day for Tiger Woods, and that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo." Looking somewhat shaken, the golfer told the world that he had acted irresponsibly in conducting a number of extramarital affairs that damaged his family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS: I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable. And I am the only person to blame. I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

And being selfish is not an uncommon thing. All of us are sinners. The only thing that separates fallible human beings is the degree of the transgressions. Therefore, judging Tiger Woods is probably not a good thing to do. Now, Mr. Woods went on to say how wealth and fame influenced his behavior.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOODS: I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have far -- I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Mr. Woods also said he would not answer questions about his conduct and that's smart. The press would brutalize the man because scandal sells. The more salacious the information, the more money the media can make. So the golfer is wise not to get specific about what he did or did not do.

Also, Mr. Woods appealed to the press to stop following his children around and leave his wife alone. Again, the media does this to make money. And I hope the press will back off.

Finally, the golfer addressed the religious issue. As you may remember, Fox News analyst Brit Hume suggested that Tiger Woods might seek forgiveness through Christianity, rather than through his native religion Buddhism. In response, Mr. Woods said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOODS: Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

So, once again, the world sees a fallen star, a man who's bad decisions have hurt himself and the people he loves. The importance of the story, the cautionary tale. And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Time now for "Pinheads & Patriots." Last night I watched the Boston Celtics defeat the Los Angeles Lakers by just one point. Tremendous game. At halftime I talked with actor Jack Nicholson and found out that Nicholson had visited the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., to raise the morale of the wounded troops there.

Now, the actor did not have any publicity associated with this. He wanted it quiet, and I'm sure he'll be mad at me for telling you. But he's a patriot and you should know it.

On the pinhead front, singer Elton John gave an interview in Parade magazine in which he said, quote, "I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East. You're as good as dead," unquote.

While the singer is correct in asking for compassion towards gay people, he is a pinhead for calling Jesus a gay man. There's absolutely no evidence of that.

— 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