There Are No Winners in the Schiavo Case

There are no winners in the Schiavo case: that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."

Terri herself will soon be dead. We pray she'll have eternal peace in the afterlife. Her parents and siblings have lost their struggle in a very painful and public way. They can't be feeling good about any of this.

Michael Schiavo (search) is forever demonized in the eyes of millions of people, although he'll probably write a book. His image is in tatters.

The Right-to-Life movement has been damaged because some of its supporters have gone overboard, telling people with whom they disagree to "rot in hell," things like that. Right-to-Life folks will never be able to persuade if they are seen as hateful fanatics. That's what their opponents want, shrill, rather than thoughtful, rhetoric.

The secular movement is lost because it seems to want Terri Schiavo (search) to die. Why do they care if Terri's parents want her alive and will care for her? What's the down side of that?

Since independent guardians have ruled that Michael Schiavo's contention Terri wanted to die is compromise, no third party will ever know what Terri wanted. There is no certainty here.

So, for the secularists to come out and root for her death puts them in a brutal position. They lose big. The media has lost because no matter what side you take, millions will dislike that conclusion. And if you don't have an opinion, you come off as a zombie who doesn't care. Few are winning any new converts in the media.

The judges, politicians, and clergy are in the same position.Whatever judgments they make, people will hate them for it. That's why the Democratic senators simply vanished when the bill was put before them. But running away from a huge issue like this looks like cowardice. Again, they all lose.

"Talking Points" has never seen a story quite like this one, where there are simply no winners at all. But that's the case, and that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

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

Complementing the TV "Factor", as some of you know, is the daily "Radio Factor" — it's heard on more than 400 stations across the country.

In the last ratings period, the "Radio Factor" boomed up more than 50 percent year-to-year in the key demographic categories.

Our station list is post on billoreilly.com. So if you want to know the station in town where [you can hear the "Radio Factor"] — you just go there. We appreciate all of our affiliates.

Also, if you're a billoreilly.com premium member you can hear the "Radio Factor" on the web site. — Amazing technology and not ridiculous at all.