Monica Crowley

O'Reilly In The Monica Zone

Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox's O'Reilly Factor and author of a number of books, including Culture Warrior, joins me this weekend to talk about the Democrats, the culture wars, and of course, Hillary!   I'll also be joined by the one and only Art Buchwald, famed Washington Post columnist and author of Too Soon To Say Goodbye.   After an amazing life as America's reigning newspaper humorist, Buchwald is still having the time of his life.  You can learn more about Bill and Art's books by clicking the titles in this post, and be sure to listen in and join the discussion by posting your thoughts here on my blog.

Monica on MSNBC

Monica will be on MSNBC Wednesday morning talking politics.   Look for her appearance in the 9am et hour.

The Legacy of Rumsfeld

I feel like I’m one of the few Americans left who will be sad to see Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld go.   But no matter what you think of the war in Iraq, you can’t deny the importance of Secretary Rumsfeld’s service to this country.   

From the morning of September 11th, when he bravely rushed to help pull burning victims from the Pentagon, to the successful effort to bring freedom to Afghanistan, Secretary Rumsfeld has helped this country through some pretty difficult times.  When he stood by President Bush this week to say goodbye, he also stood by his decisions in the war in Iraq.   The calls for Rumsfeld to step down have been getting louder, and faced with the Democratic victories in the House and Senate this week, President Bush was clearly faced with a difficult decision.   

In typical Rumsfeld style, he seems to be taking it all in stride, quoting Winston Churchill who once said: “I have benefited greatly from criticism, and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof.

This weekend I’ll be remembering the Rumsfeld era on the radio by letting you listen to the interview I conducted with him at the Pentagon back in the summer.

READ MORE: RUMSFELD'S LONG, HARD TENURE

Here She Comes!

Bloomberg News reports this morning that Nancy Pelosi and the victorious House Democrats have a few targets in their sights: the drug industry, defense contractors, oil companies, highly paid chief executives and the White House.   Democrats, who haven't controlled Congress for 12 years, have eagerly been making plans.

``I have over-sighted every administration I have dealt with going back to Eisenhower,'' said Representative John Dingell 80, of Michigan. ``I see no reason why I should not be interested in seeing to it that this administration, that has never seen oversight, should have the careful attentions of the Congress.''

Read the full BLOOMBERG story.

Why Harold Ford Lost

A lot of people are trying to play the race card in trying to figure out why Harold Ford to Bob Corker in Tennessee.   All you have to do is look at the picture to the left to see what was wrong with his campaign.   When Ford went on TV on election day, sporting a camo hat in front of a Confederate flag, it was clear he was trying to be something he wasn't.   Tennessee voters saw through the act, knowing full well that Ford would was more liberal than he was letting on.   Read more about the Corker victory at NEWSMAX.COM.

Decision Day 2006

This is it!   The campaigning is over.  The voting has begun.  The pundits had the Republicans' obituary written just last week, but a last minute surge in the polls is giving many of them second thoughts.   Dick Morris continues to talk about the latest bump, especially in the important race for Senate in Virginia.   The latest Gallup Poll there has George Allen with 49 percent and Jim Webb with 46 percent.   Morris says that if Allen wins, it is unlikely that the Democrats will take control of the Senate.   Polls in several other key states are also tightening for Republicans, proving this election is far from over.

So get out and vote and check back for updates throughout the day!

One Day To Go: Republican Upswing

With just one full day of campaigning to go, Republicans are seeing an upswing in the national polls, and a tightening of a couple of the Senate races that seemed lost just a few days ago.   Democrat Rahm Emanuel is quoted in the New York Times as saying the upswing is making him nervous.   Emanuel is also quoted in the Washington Post as saying he "doesn't know what to make of it."  A Pew Research Poll shows the Democratic advantage slipping to 47 percent to 43 percent.   That's down from 51 percent to 44 percent just a couple of weeks ago.

Dick Morris is now predicting Republicans won't face the disaster that has been predicted.  Morris says the polls are all showing a GOP tilt, and that the Saddam verdict will end up helping the party.   Some of the other recent polls seem to suggest that the idiotic comments last week by John Kerry have hurt democrats more than first thought.

New Podcasts Ready for Download

We've just updated the podcast with the interviews from this past weekend's show.   Visit my iTunes page to download my interviews with Rep. Peter King, Pollster Frank Luntz and Carol Taber.   You can also listen to the interviews with the ON DEMAND feature, on the right hand side of the website.   Thanks for listening!

Iraqi tribunal sentences Saddam to hang

Iraqis are celebrating the news that their once brutal dicator will hang for his crimes against humanity.  Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced Sunday to hang for crimes against humanity in the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town, as the ousted leader, trembling and defiant, shouted "God is great!"  Saddam wanted to die by firing squad, but unfortunately he won't get his request.  He will now suffer the next best thing-- death by hanging.  Saddam will have the right to appeal, but that process is exected to only take a few weeks and it's not expected to save his life.   Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki hailed the conviction in a televised address, saying that the sentence was "not a sentence on one man, but a sentence against all the dark period of his rule".

The Midterms & 2008

The dust won't have long to settle after Tuesday's vote, before everyone switches their focus to the 2008 race for President.  I had the chance to hear Hillary Clinton speak this week in New York.  This weekend I'll be telling you what I heard (here's a hit: She's running.)    We'll also be talking about the stakes in Tuesday's election.  I'll be joined by congressman Peter King (R-NY), Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.  I'll also find out from Carol Taber, of FamilySecurityMatters.org, if the so called "security moms" still exist and if how they'll vote.   Of course we have to talk about John Kerry, and his slam at the troops.   Did he hand Republicans the Halloween surprise the needed?  We'll ask GOP pollster Frank Luntz.