The Difference Between the Jihadists and Their Intended Targets, Namely Us
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The difference between the jihadists and their targets: us. That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."
The terrorists are not selfish, we are. That's a huge factor in the terror war. Let me give you a few examples. Every free country knows that a democratic Iraq would be a defeat for terrorism and a huge benefit for the world. How many free companies are helping out in Iraq?
Most people believe international force in southern Lebanon could control the chaos there. But as of today, no country has offered any troops.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Here in the USA, gas consumption is higher this year than last, despite the fact sky-high oil prices help the terrorists. So, tell me, how can the world defeat terrorists, some of whom are willing to blow themselves up, when the world will not make any sacrifices? How will a civilized world win the fight?
I don't know the answer to that question. America has made sacrifices after 9/11. We tried to confront terrorism in Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the world, and for our trouble some people hate us, including some Americans on the far left.
But how many of us have made individual sacrifices in this time of terror? Think about your own life. Has the world war affected the way you do things? Islamic fascists calculate the free world as simply too selfish to fight the fight. Certainly that's true in Europe. France and Spain have proven they have no interest to help the USA fight the bad guys. In fact, France is one of Saddam's biggest customers in direct violation of the U.N. sanctions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And now president Chirac in France is criticizing Israel on the latest War on Terror action. But we can't be giving France too much jazz, because many Americans are so busy pursuing happiness and gratification, we have no idea what's going on. Our leaders haven't asked us to sacrifice, so it's business as usual. Hop in the gas-guzzling SUV, drive yourself crazy.
Meantime, Hugo Chavez and the jihadists are cashing their oil checks. I know it's hard to think about patriotism when the kids have to go to soccer games, when computers, iPods, blackberries, and reality shows beckon.
So, all in all, the bad guys are willing to live in primitive conditions, kill themselves, and murder children, while we gas up, slap the iPods on, and hit the road. Not exactly a recipe for success in the terror war. And that's "The Memo."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day
As mentioned earlier, FOX News is dominating the ratings in covering the crisis in the Mideast.
Last Thursday, a heavily watched night, FOX News hammered its cable competition. Greta, "Hannity & Colmes," Shepard all won their time slots by a wide margin. In fact, FOX prime time more than doubled its closest competitor, CNN.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As for "The Factor," at 8 p.m., we beat all our cable news competition combined with 700,000 viewers leftover, perhaps the biggest margin of victory ever on cable news.
Overall, CNN second, Headline News third, and MSNBC dead last. Ridiculous? Only to those who don't like us.
By the way, we appreciate all you guys watching us. We really do. Thank you.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}—You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" 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