Updated

This is a rush transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," October 15, 2007. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated

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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Personal Story" segment tonight, once again, pundit Ann Coulter has engendered some controversy. Speaking on in a low-rated cable program, Ms. Coulter addressed religion. And the usual suspects were outraged. Ms. Coulter the author of the new book "If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans." Joins us.

And now — OK, first of all, before we get to that, do you believe this San Francisco thing? Do you believe what's going on?

ANN COULTER, AUTHOR: It's not the first time this sort of thing has happened, I know.

O'REILLY: But in the past, if somebody had written about it, this has been blacked out, this desecration.

COULTER: Not on "The Factor."

O'REILLY: No. But I mean...

COULTER: I know.

O'REILLY: ...I think that the boldness...

COULTER: Right.

O'REILLY: ...of the anti Christian movement...

COULTER: Right.

O'REILLY: ...is rising and rising and rising. Am I — I may be overreacting.

COULTER: No, I think you're absolutely right. I mean, it is this whole — to take a term from the gays, a Christian-panic syndrome. They just lose their minds.

I mean, even "Christmas tree," it drives them crazy. I think the whole left wing is kind of cracking up. They wake up in a cold sweat at night worried about the polar bears. They think Rush Limbaugh, you know, hates the troops. They think you're leading the Klan and it's taken over Columbia University. They're losing their minds.

O'REILLY: But there isn't much opposition other than people like me and you, I guess, to some extent. But the mainstream stays out of it. You know, when you go in and you mock an archbishop, and you do what you — those people did.

COULTER: Right.

O'REILLY: And the Catholic church won't stand up...

COULTER: Right.

O'REILLY: ...there's something wrong.

COULTER: No, I agree with you. But as I say in this fine new book, the mainstream media is becoming more and more irrelevant. It really doesn't matter. I mean, I go through 10 years of my allegedly career-ending statements in Chapter 1 here. And I got to say the defamation campaigns haven't laid a finger on me.

O'REILLY: Yes, but you operate...

COULTER: ...they keep trying it. And it keeps — it doesn't work with me. It doesn't work with Rush. Their heyday is over. They use to be able to destroy people for sport. They could destroy Judge Bork...

O'REILLY: They can bring some pressure...

COULTER: No.

O'REILLY: But they can't — but you're unique in the sense that you operate without. You're like a freelancer.

COULTER: Yes.

O'REILLY: You don't work for a corporation. You don't have to depend on sponsorship. You do what you want to do. So that you're harder to pound...

COULTER: Yes.

O'REILLY: ...than somebody who's in corporate America.

Now I got to ask you about this thing.

COULTER: Don't tell liberals that, though, because they keep trying to get me fired. They don't realize, no one hired me.

O'REILLY: Fired for what? Yes, I mean, you work for yourself.

COULTER: Shhhh...

O'REILLY: Unless you commit suicide, that's the only way you're gong to get fired.

COULTER: (INAUDIBLE).

O'REILLY: All right, now you go on this dopey show. Why? Nobody watches a dopey show. Why are you wasting your time? Go out to dinner.

COULTER: Because he's always been amiable to me.

O'REILLY: So what?! There are six people who are watching are not going to buy your book.

COULTER: I didn't realize he was going to turn himself in to the Al Sharpton of the Jews.

O'REILLY: All right, I don't want to mention his name. He's just a twerp. But you go on there, and you talk about Christianity and Judaism, all right? Now come on, I mean, no matter what you say, no matter what you say, they're going to load it up against you. You know that. Just the topic.

COULTER: Look, me saying "good morning," they'll load it up against me and start demanding that no one have me on. OK, so what? I mean, of all the defamation campaigns against me, announcing that I am a Christian and part of my Christianity entails actually believing it...

O'REILLY: OK.

COULTER: ...it's not really taking off.

O'REILLY: But they tried — I read the transcript. I couldn't really make heads or tails out of it. I'm not smart enough.

COULTER: Well, you're smart enough.

O'REILLY: But they tried to say that you were denigrating Jews. You wanted all the Jews to be Christians.

O'REILLY: Right, but it's part of the, as I say, the Christian-panic syndrome.

COULTER: Look, the orthodox Jews are all supporting me. They have some vague familiarity with the Old Testament and New testament.

O'REILLY: Orthodox Jews support you. What does that mean?

COULTER: Yes, because they've heard of the bible. This is not a Christian thing even here. This is way beyond that. This is the irreligious against the religious.

O'REILLY: OK. I don't even care, to tell you the truth.

COULTER: Neither do I.

O'REILLY: But I do care about...

COULTER: You brought it up and I'm not...

O'REILLY: No, I had to bring it up because of other things.

COULTER: Yes, but all of your lead-ins were that I was explaining myself. I'm not. I'm promoting this book.

O'REILLY: Right. The Republican field.

COULTER: Yes.

O'REILLY: OK? You've got Fred Thompson who's just not doing very well right now.

COULTER: Correct.

O'REILLY: You got McCain coming up a little bit. You got Giuliani, Romney. How do you see it playing out?

COULTER: I think it's between — I mean, who knows? I don't have a time machine. But I think it's between Giuliani and Romney. I think we can blame McCain for the paucity of the candidates on both sides. I mean, I really think it is because of campaign finance reform so that you only end up with either previously famous people or massively wealthy people, or people who have some — when — if you look at it backwards, how did America get its greatest president ever, Ronald Reagan?

Well, when he ran for governor, he could get a few millionaires, back when that meant something, to...

O'REILLY: Finance that.

COULTER: ...fund his campaign.

O'REILLY: Right.

COULTER: You can't do that anymore. So you end up with this pathetic list of candidates. And that right there, I think, takes McCain off the list.

O'REILLY: OK, but you've taken McCain. You don't think he has a chance for the nomination?

COULTER: No.

O'REILLY: The immigration thing killed him, right?

COULTER: Well not only that. Speaking of tonight's topic, when he viciously and without provocation attacked Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson...

O'REILLY: But then he went — then he made up with them, though. He walked down...

COULTER: OK. They forgive him, I don't.

O'REILLY: OK. You're a Christian, you have to. Come on.

COULTER: I'm reconsidering "the love your enemies" part.

O'REILLY: Now you basically are writing "If the Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans." But the Republicans haven't done that well. They haven't secured the border. Iraq is a mess. They spend like crazy. So come on, I mean, you know...

COULTER: Well, as I say in the book...

O'REILLY: If they were that brilliant, we wouldn't have those three problems.

COULTER: There are a lot of bad Republicans. There are no good Democrats.

O'REILLY: There are no good Democrats...

COULTER: (INAUDIBLE).

O'REILLY: FDR is a good Democrat. John F. Kennedy.

COULTER: You have to go to somebody who was alive 50 years ago. OK, I prove my point.

O'REILLY: Lieberman's a good Democrat.

COULTER: OK, one.

O'REILLY: Bayh is a good Democrat.

COULTER: OK, now you're losing me.

O'REILLY: You don't — Bayh, the senator...

COULTER: I've run out of actual Democrats in office that I could support once you get past the...

O'REILLY: One more question. Knock the music off, for a minute. Do you hate Democrats? Do you hate them?

COULTER: No, I would say I find them amusing and I hold them in contempt. And you?

O'REILLY: No, wait, no, I don't. I really don't. I mean, I don't hold — I hold people in contempt who try to hurt other people.

COULTER: Well...

O'REILLY: Child predators...

COULTER: ...that is the Democrats. They preside over...

O'REILLY: But do you really hold Democrats in contempt if you meet somebody and they're a Democrat, you immediately don't like them?

COULTER: No, I try to convert them.

O'REILLY: Just like Jews. I mean, are you John the Baptist out there? No, really, I mean...

COULTER: No, but I mean, that is actually a serious point.

O'REILLY: Yes.

COULTER: I realize that like half of my interviews with alleged liberals, and then they'll say oh, but I support guns and I support the death penalty. Half of my interviews are convincing liberals they're not liberal. It just sounds like...

O'REILLY: Could you go camping with a Democrat? Would you...

COULTER: Well, I wouldn't go camping unless it's the Four Seasons.

O'REILLY: Bowling or anything?

COULTER: I don't think I'd go bowling either. Could you do something I'd actually do?

O'REILLY: So you're just not going to hang up with them? You're not going to hang with them?

COULTER: I'm not discussing who I hang with.

O'REILLY: All right. Ann Coulter, everybody. There she goes. "If Democrats Had Any Brains They'd Be Republicans." And I'm sure it'll be a bestseller. Ann, thanks for coming in.

COULTER: Thank you.

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