Are You Ready For War?

To watch "The Talking Points Memo" click here.

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

Are you ready for war?  That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo.  This weekend I was in Palm Beach, Florida, giving a speech, and there was chaos at the airport there.  Those in charge couldn't figure out how to get the people through the four small security stations.  The solution was open up all of the concourses to take offs, not just one, so passengers wouldn't have to bunch up.  But that was way beyond the mental capacity of the brass at that airport.

The folks, however, were great.  Even though they had to stand in line for almost an hour, few complained.  I felt sorry for the senior citizens who had to stand that long.  Airport security has been accepted by most Americans because they understand how vulnerable planes are.  Once again, it's a shame that many airport managers are simply dumb.

But inconvenience is one thing.  True sacrifice is quite another.  And the question is, if things start going south in the war on terror, including the action against Iraq, are Americans disciplined and courageous enough to endure it?  Surely the anti-war voices will be raised once something bad happens.  Monday morning quarterbacking will be heard coast to coast.

The press will also sensationalize everything.  You'll be bombarded with unpleasant images and descriptions.  Each setback will be greatly magnified by an increasingly aggressive media.  So are you ready for that?

And how about your kids?  Have you discussed the ramifications of war with them?  Little children, especially, are going to be frightened.  Best to get them prepared.

Because there's an air of normalcy in the USA, our leisure pursuits are still available, our family and friends accessible, we almost have a lull about us.  But the military action against Iraq will be terrible, and death will be in the air.  Are you ready for that?

"Talking Points" is prepared.  The attack on 9/11 was my basic training.  Terrorism against America is not going to go away until the villains are neutralized, and Saddam Hussein is a true villain.  Protecting us from evil is the government's mandate right now, and most Americans are on board with that.  But evil is difficult to defeat, and we will have some trying times ahead.  But we didn't start this fight, and those killed on 9/11 did not deserve to die.

Order must be restored in the world beginning with the removal of Saddam Hussein and the continuation destruction of al Qaeda.  Every one of us is involved in this fight, and every one of us must be ready.  Are you?  And that's "The Memo."

And that's The Memo .

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

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

Nice article about The Factor in The Washington Post today, and you can access it on billoreilly.com.  We posted it there for you.  Thanks to Howard Kurtz, the writer, for taking the time.

And if you want a few grins, tape the CBS program, JAG, tomorrow night, Tuesday, because your humble correspondent is on it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY:  It's hypocritical, unjust, and dangerous to the country.  A pilot in combat makes a split-second decision, then is forced to answer to some pinhead politician if something goes wrong?

Hey, it's war!  Lots of stuff goes wrong.  You cannot turn an honest mistake on the battlefield into a crime, and you can't treat American fighting men like criminals, if an accident happens.

Come on.  We have a war to fight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  I don't always agree with him, but he's right.  Partly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  What part is that, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:  We do have a war to fight, and I'm not just talking about Afghanistan.  I'm talking about a place that's even more dangerous, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY:  He doesn't always agree with me?  What's that?

Well, we want you to tape JAG because The Factor is on at the same time, and it would be ridiculous for me to compete against myself.

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