Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points Memo July 17, 2007

"Presidential homeland security adviser Frances Townsend answered questions Tuesday about a report that says Al Qaeda is getting stronger. The threat from Al Qaeda is a strong Republican issue, and President Bush knows it. So if Americans are dialed into that threat, they are more likely to cut the president some slack in Iraq and the terror war in general. It's interesting to note that Stratfor, a private intelligence outfit, disputes that analysis and writes that 'al Qaeda likely lacks the ability to strike in any strategically meaningful way.' On the other side, the left understands that if Al Qaeda does strike America, liberal stands against anti-terror measures will come back to haunt the left. If terrorists hit us again, the left will say Bush failed to neutralize Al Qaeda and wasted American resources in Iraq. Talking Points believes both the right and the left are playing games to some extent. Certainly Al Qaeda remains dangerous, but the only way to hit them is to invade Pakistan. Do the Democrats want to do that? Americans should be united in fighting these savages, but we're not. Ideology has poisoned a reasoned approach to defeating the jihadists. America's great strength, diversity of thought, can also be a weakness, and Al Qaeda knows it. As the old saying goes, united we stand, divided we fall. Well, we're divided."

--Bill O'Reilly