If you strip away all the partisan blather, one very important thing emerges from the Republican victory Tuesday night in Massachusetts: President Obama has lost momentum.
The president took a gamble last Sunday traveling to Massachusetts to support Martha Coakley. It did not work. The largely Democratic state rejected the president, Ms. Coakley and liberal politics.
Now, Obamacare is in jeopardy. There is no question independent Americans do not like the administration's policies. And you can forget about cap-and-trade and all of that stuff. It's finished.
But the big issue is the president himself. He has lost power. There's no question about it.
And here's something very interesting. After the Christmas Day bombing attempt, "Talking Points" said that Americans were becoming disenchanted with Mr. Obama's war on terrorism strategy. I said it was becoming a major issue.
Well, Scott Brown's internal polling showed that in Massachusetts, independent voters cited the president's soft approach to terrorism and Al Qaeda thugs being tried in civilian courts as two reasons Mr. Brown won.
And Wednesday, the president's own director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, told Congress he was not even aware that the underwear bomber would not be questioned by high-level federal interrogators. He wasn't even consulted about Attorney General Holder putting the bomber in civilian hands.
Mr. Blair's statement is embarrassing. Once again, the Obama administration looks chaotic in the face of terrorism.
Going forward, President Obama must stop the liberal nonsense. The American people want to be protected, they want the economy to get better, and they don't want a trillion-dollar health care plan that nobody can understand. This isn't complicated.
Independent voters, who will decide most elections in the future, are simply angry that far-left policies are in play. If you don't believe me, just look at the far-left media outlets. They're all dying. People have had enough.
If President Obama wants to make a comeback, he must simplify health care, he must cut spending, he must cut taxes to stimulate job creation, and he must get tough with Al Qaeda and other terrorists.
If he does not do that, he will continue to lose power, Republicans will regain Congress, and Mr. Obama will join Jimmy Carter in the land of unfulfilled promise.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots
Singer James Taylor is an American icon. He's been around almost 40 years. A very good concert if you get a chance.
Mr. Taylor is giving a concert to help the Haitians, and he will match the receipt of the entire show. Wow. So James Taylor's a patriot.
Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots"!
On the pinhead front, our pal Martha Stewart in a questionable situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh Martha, that was hot. Everyone, speed it up, speed it up. Come on, guys, bend your knees. Bend your knees. Listen to the music. Take it down. Take it down. Keep those hips going. Oh my God, I've got Martha.
MARTHA STEWART, TALK SHOW HOST: She got me on the pole! I don't know what else to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
I guess that's some kind of exercise routine. You can decide whether Ms. Stewart is a pinhead. I just hope she did not get overheated.
— 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
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox