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Glenn Beck

Cutting Through the Media Spin About Politics; Is This the End of Days?

Aired October 20, 2006 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

GLENN BECK, HOST: Coming up, we`re mad as hell and we`re just not going to take it anymore. I`ll tell you why.
Plus, what we can do about it.

And the star of the new movie "Flags of our Fathers" next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Tonight`s episode is brought to you by Rage-itussin. Are you fed up with inept politicians, politically correct nut jobs, pedophiles and crappy TV? Then take a swig of Rage-itussin, now with 50 percent more mind-numbing narcotics. Don`t go postal, take Rage-itussin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: All right, a recent NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll indicated that approval of Congress is at the lowest it`s been in 14 years. Americans are fed up and, quite frankly, I am, too.

We`re going to run down a few of the stories tonight, and I`m going to show you why we`re so hacked off. But first, tonight here`s the point.

The world is not this complicated. Our leaders need to stop making it complicated just to get elected. Start saying what you mean and mean what you say. Otherwise, I predict the people will rise up over time and take back the power that they lent to you.

Here`s how I got there. I`m just a goofball radio host who now has a stupid cable TV show, and I know that. I`m not particularly attractive, smart or thin.

But one skill that I do have is the ability to translate bull crap to English. I believe most Americans have that same ability. We can smell a fraud a mile away. So, together, let`s cut through some of the bull crap of three stories that the media and the politicians just have all wrong.

First, North Korea. All right, Kim Jong-Il today said he`s really sorry about that nuclear test. Hey, thanks Mr. Crazy Dictator. That just makes everything peachy, doesn`t it? What do you expect him to say?

The plain English of this story, the real story, is that he`s not sorry. He`s calculating. He has violated every order from the United Nations. He has starved his people. He grabbed a nuke. Now, the media is going to focus on all the poor starving North Koreans and imply that it`s us, the big, bad Americans.

The world is going to turn and say, "Oh, geez, George Bush, America, why don`t you just negotiate with him. Look at the people. They`re starving to death." And you know what? They were starving before he detonated a nuke.

This is just his end game to back us a corner. He senses our weakened position. And that the rest of the world has gone soft.

Next, the border agent story. Yesterday, two former U.S. Border Patrol agents were each sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for shooting and wounding a Mexican drug smuggler. Drug smuggler was shot as he ran across the Rio Grande into Mexico after two agents tried to stop him. They shot him in the butt.

Now, they say they shot him in self-defense. Prosecutors and the judge saw it differently. They decided to conveniently forget about the 743 pounds of pot that he had in his van. They dropped those charges so he could come back across the border into our country and testify against the two border agents.

Are we out of our minds? Who deserves the jail time here, the drug smuggler who tried to cross our border illegally with a van full of pot? Or the agents who tried to stop him? Are you beginning to feel the frustration mounting just a little bit?

And finally, the tragic story out of Connecticut. This is a story about Jonathan Edington. He broke into his neighbor`s house and stabbed his neighbor to death because his 2-year-old daughter had said that that guy molested her.

Well, now, it turns out that she wasn`t molested after all. The guy had just snapped. Edington should go to jail for manslaughter. And while I don`t condone what he did, I can understand the guy`s frustration. We are sick and tired of living in a country with absolutely no accountability. Throughout our society, but particularly with pedophiles.

People are tired of molesters having more rights than the most innocent among us. We`re tired of seeing sick perverts like John Mark Karr just walk away free. People don`t trust the system anymore, because the system is governed by politically correct nonsense. It`s governed by politicians who are just trying to get elected and misplaced compassion.

You know what? I have compassion. I have compassion for my kids. I have compassion for your kids. Pedophiles, you lay one finger on a child in my America, you will never, ever see the light of day. One strike and you are out. And until our elected officials put their compassion in that same place, you are going to see other tragic stories like this one in Connecticut.

So, here`s what I know tonight. When it comes to all of these issues and so many more, our leaders need to cut through the bull crap and speak the language of the everyday person. Treat Kim Jong-Il like the lunatic that he is. Stop pussyfooting around with border security. Start protecting our children from monsters.

And don`t just talk about it. Don`t just talk about it just to get elected. Sit down, grab a piece of paper and pencil, shut your yap and do it. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Now, here`s what I don`t know. How long before Americans reach a boiling point? We are very frustrated as a society. We are becoming fully disenfranchised by our government. And all we`re getting this election season are a bunch of scandals, finger-pointing and meaningless rhetoric.

If our politicians continue to speak only in their B.S. Washington language and not plain English, how long will it be before Americans finally stand up and say, "You know what? I`m sick of you guys. I am not lending you my power anymore. I want it back"?

Political analyst and author of "Get in the Booth", Larry Sabato joins us.

Larry, what have I missed here?

LARRY SABATO, AUTHOR, "GET IN THE BOOTH": Well, I think what you said is perfectly reasonable in terms of how people can react.

BECK: It`s scary, isn`t it, that I`m reasonable?

SABATO: Yes, well, you know, I don`t think that that`s unreasonable, that you`re reasonable, but in the end, it`s up to people, it`s up to citizens.

You know, George Mason wrote in the original Constitution of Virginia magistrates, elected officials, are our servants and at all times amenable to us. If we don`t make then amenable, if we don`t stand up and become the people running the system, then they`ll continue to do whatever they want.

BECK: All right, it`s...

SABATO: It`s up to us.

BECK: I agree with you 110 percent. But it seems like we`re living in an America that either people don`t even recognize the truth anymore or they don`t care about the truth anymore. Which is it?

SABATO: Well, a lot of it is a lack of civic education, Glenn. They don`t recognize the truth.

Look, they don`t even know the names of most of the major public officials. A majority of Americans, incredibly, thinks, for example, that the president can suspend the Constitution in times of national crisis.

A majority of Americans believes that the socialist credo, "from each according to his ability to pay, to each according to his need," is in the Constitution. That`s why I say civic education.

BECK: So, I have been saying on my radio show and also on TV quite a bit, you know, it is so important for people to not vote for a Republican or a Democrat or an independent. You have got to vote for people. You have got to vote for an American. Is that naive to say that?

SABATO: It`s not naive. Personally, I`m an independent and that`s exactly what I do, but...

BECK: You wouldn`t believe -- Larry, you would not believe the phone calls I get from people that say, we need these parties and you know what, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. That`s all I get from the parties. I need good Americans with a freaking spine that see the issues the way I see it, that will stand up.

SABATO: Glenn, I tell you what has shocked me over the years is that when you actually look at the electorate, about two-thirds of the electorate is partisan. That is, nine times out of 10, they will vote for either the Democrat or the Republican. They have blinders on. They believe the partisan talking points for their side.

I`ll bet you get a lot of the same e-mails that I do. If you don`t stick to the talking points of one party, they call you a traitor.

BECK: Yes.

SABATO: They`ve got all kinds of names for you. It`s as though many Americans have literally handed their brains to a political party.

BECK: Well, I think that, you know what, the problem is we`ve done that with everything. We do it with our -- I think the problem with our schools is the same problem that we have in Washington.

We put our kids on the bus and we expect the government to take -- well, I`ve done my part. I put my kids on the bus. I moved into the right school district, you know what I mean? And that`s why the schools fall apart.

And it`s the same thing with Washington. Well, I did my part. I went and I paid attention enough and I went in and I voted for a Republican or a Democrat. They`re supposed to take care of that. That`s not it at all. We are.

You put a book out, what is the name of the book again? I`m sorry, Larry.

SABATO: It`s called "Get in the Booth."

BECK: "Get in the Booth".

SABATO: I do it every two years to help citizens focus on the upcoming election, to learn about the candidates, to learn about the issues so they can make an informed choice. A lot of people go to the polls, and they don`t even know who`s running.

BECK: Larry, I`ve only got a couple of seconds here. And we`ll talk to you more on the radio program. I haven`t seen your book yet but can you tell me at this point that it is nonpartisan, that it is facts?

SABATO: Absolutely, I am totally nonpartisan.

BECK: Great. I`ll look at it over the weekend and we may have on the radio program. Thank you very much, Larry.

SABATO: Thanks.

BECK: Now if you are sick as I am of politicians not giving a rat`s behind about the things that you really care about, I want you to know, there is hope. No, I mean, there is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Hi, we`re the common sense party, and we`re fighting for the really important issues that affect your life. Like if we had the technology to make things instantly hot, why is there no machine that makes things instantly cold?

We propose a blue ribbon panel to explore the potential of macro wave technology. Ice cubes in seconds flat. Now, that`s chilling.

The Common Sense Party because, really, who has time to wait for ice?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Coming up, administration staffers are getting briefed on Armageddon. Do they know something we don`t?

Also, how can you make your voice heard this election season? Show Washington you don`t care about politics, you care about ideas.

And I`ll talk with one of the stars of the amazing film "Flags of our Fathers". Don`t miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Can you imagine if Trent Lott would have gone over to Africa, lined 12 children up and said, "I`ll take that one," gone on a plane, had somebody else deliver it to his home? Can you even imagine what people would have said? My gosh, Madonna can do it.

The part of the story that hacks me off that I read today was the fact that she looked at the second child, a little girl, and she said, "Oh, that one looks like me. I`ll take that one, too. Can you wrap that up? We`ll come back and pick that one up."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Now, to everybody who says I`m overreacting when I say that our enemies want to destroy us and they`re trying to bring about Armageddon, here is what President Ahmadinejad said a few months ago.

Quote, he prayed to God to "hasten the emergence of your last repository, the Promised One, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace."

I read that the first time and thought, am I missing something here? I`ve got to be wrong. I mean, they don`t really want to bring about Armageddon, do they?

Joel Rosenberg has been called to the White House now to brief the administration on an "end of days" scenario. He joins us now.

Joel, I read this in, I think it was "Rolling Stone" magazine, and they`re trying to -- you know, they`re trying to say, "Oh, look, he`s being controlled by the Bible." Does the president believe these are the end of days?

JOEL ROSENBERG, AUTHOR, "EPICENTER": Well, I -- I did speak at a White House Bible study. It was actually last year. I`ve spoken to a number of congressional leaders and homeland security, Pentagon about my novels, which are based on Bible prophecy.

I have not met with the president of the United States.

BECK: Right.

ROSENBERG: And I can`t tell you what he believes. I have a feeling, talking about -- based on my conversation with friends at the White House, he`s got -- he has a full plate. You know, he`s more concerned about what Ahmadinejad believes about the end of the world than -- than spending time on this himself.

BECK: See, here`s -- here`s the interesting thing that I think that Christians understand that are looking at, you know, "end of days" stuff. It doesn`t mean that it is going to happen.

ROSENBERG: Right.

BECK: It means that there are a certain series of events, that if you don`t stop them or reverse them, they will happen. Am I wrong? It`s not a doomsday scenario.

ROSENBERG: Well, it`s a little combination of both. The Bible does lay out a whole series of things to watch for...

BECK: Right.

ROSENBERG: ... that would indicate that we are living in the last days. One of them is a Russian-Iranian alliance with Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and a group of other countries that will attack Israel.

Now, those events that the Bible predicts, those will happen. But we don`t know yet if we are there...

BECK: Right.

ROSENBERG: Obviously, Russia and Iran...

BECK: But you -- but it`s also...

ROSENBERG: ... are building an alliance now that has not happened in the 2,500 years since the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote it.

BECK: Right.

ROSENBERG: So it`s intriguing.

BECK: But you could also slow that down. You could -- if that alliance happens, you could do things to prevent it. You know, it`s not inevitable that this is the time, even if that alliance is formed.

ROSENBERG: The timing -- the timing is the key for Jews and Christians, which is are we ready? Now events can converge, and then, you know, you have a situation in which the Soviet Union, as I describe in "Epicenter," in 1967 in that war and in `73 was right on the verge of sending ground troops into Israel.

I got the NSA/State Department/White House transcripts of how close they came. But they didn`t. So those looked like apocalyptic moments...

BECK: Right.

ROSENBERG: ... but God kicked the can up the road, as it were. And the United States was a key player in that.

BECK: OK.

ROSENBERG: So the question is will we deal with Iran now or are we going to wait for them to launch an apocalyptic war against us?

BECK: OK. Now Joel, when you were at the Pentagon and the White House, et cetera, et cetera, what were their questions? And what are the - - more importantly, what are the answers that you gave them and what are the answers that you should -- that the American people should hear?

ROSENBERG: Well, the question that`s been most interesting among these various administration and congressional officials is, are you saying that the Bible talks about an alliance between Iran, Russia and a group of Middle Eastern countries to attack Israel at some point? And the answer is yes.

Ezekiel, chapter 38 and 39 describe what Bible scholars call the war of God and mad guy (ph). I had a high-ranking congressman say right to me, "Are you kidding? I mean, I`ve never even heard of this, of Russia and Iran forming an alliance."

The word Russia is never used in the Bible. Persia is the name for Iran, and you have to do some historical detective work to discover what the ancient names correspond to in modern times. And I do that in the book.

But it is quite fascinating. Because as I said in the 2,500 years since Ezekiel wrote the prophecy, Russia and Iran have never had an alliance, but they are developing one right now. And that`s what`s so chilling, in light of what Ahmadinejad is saying, that he believes the end of the world is rapidly approaching.

BECK: Right.

ROSENBERG: There`s sort of convergence there.

BECK: Here is the -- here is the thing. We`re going to have to finish this conversation on the radio tomorrow. I`d like to spend some real time with you on this stuff tomorrow. Because the interesting thing to me is, even though I may not believe it, Ahmadinejad does believe it.

What is the -- what is the latest poll? What is the percentage of Americans that believe that we`re living in the end days?

ROSENBERG: We did an exclusive poll for this new book "Epicenter", and we found that 42 percent of Americans believe that we are living in what the Bible calls the last days.

That includes 40 percent of self-described Democrats, 75 percent of African-Americans, 57 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 25 believe we are living in the last days. It`s a striking number and helps you understand a little bit of Americans` anxiety about the Middle East.

BECK: OK. Joel, we`ll talk to you tomorrow on the radio.

ROSENBERG: Sure. Sounds good.

BECK: Thanks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Every day you can hear my radio program at stations all across the country, including 1290 WJNO in West Palm Beach, Florida. And by the way, if you can`t find an affiliate in your area, please sign up to listen online at GlennBeck.com.

Now Dave Glover is here from St. Louis, KFTK, 97.1 FM Talk.

Dave, I will tell you, as a father of an adopted child, I am outraged by Madonna. And I don`t know if I`m alone in that.

DAVE GLOVER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, we may be alone. I`m with you. I mean, who better to take a beautiful humanitarian gesture and crap on it than you and I? But you know, to me...

BECK: I don`t think -- you know what, I don`t think it was a humanitarian gesture. I really don`t.

GLOVER: No.

BECK: It feels like -- you know what -- I`m going to be really politically incorrect. When they lined up the 12 children for her in Africa, did she inspect them? Did she check their teeth like they were slaves? It felt like a slave moment.

GLOVER: Yes. To me -- it`s like the Hollywood equivalent of Cabbage Patch Dolls, you know. It really is that -- you know what it`s like? It`s like when Paris Hilton had that handbag Chihuahua and suddenly everyone had one. Angelina got an African baby. I want an Oompaloompa now, kind of thing.

BECK: It`s exactly the way it feels. I know I`ve gotten a lot of mail from people who are in the same boat that I -- you know, that I am. We don`t take the adoption of our children lightly.

In fact I just -- right before I went on the air today, I had a woman come up to me. She`s been waiting for almost a year now. And she`s trying to adopt from an African nation. And she said, "I`m afraid that this whole thing is going to screw things up, because they already look at Americans coming over and just throwing money around and stealing our children."

GLOVER: Yes. Just about an hour ago she made a statement that there was absolutely nothing different about her process than any other American...

BECK: She was in a country that didn`t allow foreigners to come in to adopt.

GLOVER: Well, that`s good news for us. We can get an African baby delivered within about three days. Just like Omaha steaks.

BECK: You know, the thing about this that makes it even worse is that her husband, Guy Ritchie -- they are married, yes? Right? OK. Her husband says that -- he`s not -- not so sure it`s the right thing to do.

GLOVER: It`s like -- my God, it`s like going to pick out a puppy. And you`re like, "Honey, really, let`s think about this. And all the midnight potty stuff."

And she`s like, "Oh, let`s just get and we`ll change our mind later." It bothers me.

BECK: I saw an article in the paper today about Mike Tyson. And he says he now wants to fight women. I say we throw him Madonna.

GLOVER: You know, what is Jesus waiting for, really? You know, the temple to be rebuilt? The blood to turn -- the moon to turn to blood.

BECK: Right.

GLOVER: Mike Tyson is going to fight women.

BECK: Unbelievable.

GLOVER: Come on.

BECK: He doesn`t have any experience in that field, does he?

GLOVER: No, no.

BECK: No.

GLOVER: Did you hear the latest? I`m not making this up. He`s going to be a stud for the new Heidi Fleiss male brothel.

BECK: How is this guy out of prison?

GLOVER: I love surprising you. You know, we really need -- when I`m king we`re going to have a creepy prison for people like John Mark Karr and Mike Tyson who have really not broken any laws recently. But you just say you know what...

BECK: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. That is brilliant. We let Mike Tyson fight Madonna. Then we throw him in jail with John Mark Karr. That`s the perfect solution. Thanks a lot, Dave.

GLOVER: See you, man.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Welcome to "The Real Story," where tonight I want to start with a despicable politician. Actually, several of them. What better way to illustrate that than with two little words: Mark Foley.

But the real story tonight is not about the Mark Foley scandal, as it`s apparently known; it is about what happened afterwards, how a case of a depraved man who did disgusting things was spun into irrelevant and misleading political noise by both sides of the aisle.

There are Democrats out there right now screaming about "cover-ups" and how this proves the Republicans are soft on sex crimes, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Many of these people had very different attitudes when the now-deceased Gerry Studds, a Democrat, had his own sex scandal in 1983. Nancy Pelosi, for example, voted three different times for Studds to be chairman of the House Committee after the scandal broke. Studds even served 13 more years in office after that, after he made it with an intern or a page at 17 years old.

And now the Republicans are countering with a story about former Democratic Congressman Mel Reynolds, who they say should be a household name because of his 1994 sexual relationship with a 16-year-old campaign worker.

Republicans are harping on the fact that Reynolds was later pardoned by Bill Clinton, which, I admit, is pretty ironic, but what you`re not hearing is that the pardon was for an unrelated fraud charge. He had already served his sentence for sexual assault.

All of this just proves my point: It is nothing but irrelevant noise. The Democrats are wrong by being hypocrites and making this political. And the Republicans are wrong by thinking that, if they can just bring up enough cases from the other side of the aisle, then we`re all even. If you are not equally offended by Mel Reynolds, by Gerry Studds, Bill Clinton, Dan Crane, Mark Foley, then maybe it`s time you take a hard look at yourself. And quite possibly the best time might be in about eight minutes when we start airing our first in our porn series.

Next, the "Washington Post" ran a story this weekend about President Bush and Karl Rove being, quote, "inexplicably upbeat" about the Republicans` chances this November. Although the story never said it, I think they`re confident because they believe that security will be the top issue and, more importantly, security is synonymous with Republicans for many Americans.

But the real story here is they`re only half right. I agree that security will be the number-one issue this fall, but I don`t believe that it will translate into people just blindly voting for Republicans. Think about this: Most people this year are not going into a voting booth thinking about, you know, who has the best plan to privatize Social Security or who supports a ban on stem cell research. Most people are going in there to vote for who is going to keep them safe.

But safe can mean different things to all of us. If you live near the border down in Texas or Arizona, you`re probably a lot more concerned about immigration and a fence than you would be if you live here in New York, where our concern is, you know, subways not blowing up.

All of us, no matter where we live or how we interpret "safe," are looking for candidates who just frickin` get it. And that`s not a Republican thing, not a Democratic thing. It`s an individual thing.

Let me give you an example. Here in New York, a Republican mayor, Michael Bloomberg, says that he opposes any restrictions on private planes around Manhattan because -- and I quote -- "Oh, a terrorist would never use a small plane." Right. I mean, Mike, I don`t know if you noticed this, but we never thought they`d use the big ones, either. That just shows to me a complete lack of imagination on Bloomberg`s part.

Then, on the other side, there`s Joe Lieberman. Now, he`s currently being disowned by the Democrats, but here`s a guy who on my own radio program agreed with me that we face the end of the West as we know it if we don`t win this war. Now, there`s an individual -- not a donkey, not an elephant -- who I agree with and who`s going to get my vote, much to his chagrin that I just announced that on national television.

The next few elections, I truly believe, are possibly the most important in our country`s entire history. It is absolutely critical that you vote for a person, not the party, who you think really gets it, gets it the most, because, honestly, these are not the Reagan Republicans anymore and they are certainly not the JFK Democrats our grandparents voted for.

Times change, and so do the parties. But what hasn`t changed is that it is still really all up to us to figure it out.

Mark Halperin, he is author of "The Way to Win" and the political director at ABC News.

Mark, what does Karl Rove know and when did he know it?

MARK HALPERIN, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, ABC NEWS: You mean that makes him so optimistic?

BECK: Yes.

HALPERIN: I think, Glenn, there`s three things Karl Rove is thinking about. One is, he`s optimistic by nature, just like the president. Two, he believes that, because they`ve won three straight national elections, they`re going to do it again using the same things, including security.

And, finally, Karl Rove is a huge believer in psychology. So is Bill Clinton. We interviewed both Bill Clinton and Karl Rove for our book, "The Way to Win." Both of them say you`ve got to be confident. You have to project confidence. You have to project strength. I think a little bit of what Karl Rove is projecting is trying to send a signal to Republicans: We`re going to win this thing, baby.

BECK: Right. Now, I have always heard, "It`s the economy, stupid. It`s the economy. It`s the economy. People vote with their pocketbooks." Now you`ve got the Dow just on the brink of breaking 12,000. You have the deficit cut in half early, et cetera, et cetera. The economy is doing really well, at least on the surface, and you don`t hear any talk about the economy.

HALPERIN: Well, you do from the Republicans. It`s one of the big issues the president is going to continue to talk about.

But, Glenn, not everybody is as fancy as you and has a stock portfolio, so I think there are some people in this country who don`t think the stock market going up helps them in the long run. People are concerned about health care. You talked about security before. There are a lot of people in this country who equate security, not with the border or the subway, but with economic security. And that`s an issue that is hurting the Republicans now, even though there are plenty of signs the economy is doing well.

BECK: Right. Do you think -- talking about security taking -- I mean, Republicans taking some real hits -- do you think the way they handled the border has really just crippled them?

HALPERIN: Nope, I never thought that would be a big issue in this race, and I don`t think it is now.

BECK: Really?

HALPERIN: I think people who are unhappy with the way this is being dealt with are not going to take it out on the Republican Party. They did vote to build that fence. Democrats and the president are people who want to build bridges to people who are here illegally. So I think the issue is all muddled, it`s all over the place, except in a few races. I don`t think that`s a big issue in this election.

BECK: I noticed that -- and maybe it`s just me because I`m a frustrated voter -- I don`t ever hear anyone with an actual plan. I hear a lot of people complaining. I hear people saying, "We`ve got to go in there and win the war or we`ve got to whatever." And I don`t hear any actual plans.

And I`m hearing more and more, the closer we get to the election, of scandal. Does that work? Do people vote against -- I hope this isn`t true, because I`m a guy who votes for something, not against it. Am I alone?

HALPERIN: Well, the Democratic Party is not targeting you. They have too many divisions.

BECK: No kidding!

HALPERIN: They`re for big government in a lot of areas, including health care. They`re for withdrawal in Iraq, in a lot of cases. They`re divided. They`re more liberal in many cases than they want to admit. They`re basically just trying to hide what they want to do, knowing full well that the country, a lot of the country, will vote for change, even without specifics. It is a recipe for serious gridlock if the Democrats take control of Congress and have to work with President Bush.

BECK: You know, somebody called me on my radio show today and asked me, you know, what`s going to happen? I said the Democratic Party is too split. I mean, they`re fighting internally as much as the entire nation is fighting. And they`re not going to be able to do anything except agree on, "We hate Bush. Let`s investigate people." Do you foresee that, if they take control, that it is just a nightmare?

HALPERIN: It`s a huge (INAUDIBLE) I think the ball would be in President Bush`s court. Does he want to work with Nancy Pelosi? It`s very hard to find Republicans outside Mr. Optimist, Karl Rove, Mr. Optimist II, George Bush, who believe they`ll keep the House today. So it`s a reality, but it`s one that I don`t think anybody understands.

They don`t like each other. They don`t agree on much. I think it`s going to be up to President Bush if it happens, if Democrats do take the House, to say, "Does he want to work with them or not?"

BECK: I`ve got 10 seconds. Who`s going to win -- well, I don`t know if you can answer why, but who`s going to win?

HALPERIN: The American people. Or as Glenn Beck once said, "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."

BECK: Thanks, Mark.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: The question is: "Flags of our Father," where they took the picture of the guys in Iwo Jima and put that up, and they used that to inspire for us to go wipe out evil, is this, what we`re seeing now, the exact opposite of "Flags of our Father," where we are taking pictures and using them to turn the country in the other direction? No war would have ever been won by the United States if we started exploiting the middle of the war. It`s either worth doing or it`s not worth doing, and you make that decision before you start.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: The new Clint Eastwood movie, "Flags of our Fathers," tells the story -- now, it`s the famous and inspiring photograph of the flag raised up on Iwo Jima. There it is. It was a photo that helped bring together a country that was just lost. We had forgotten why we were fighting in the first place.

The movie is already getting tremendous reviews. It is so easy to see the parallels between the mood of the country now and the way it was before the day the photograph was taken back in 1945. Actor Barry Pepper, you know his face. In this movie, he place Mike Strank. He`s the U.S. Army sergeant in the film. I recently had a chance to sit down and talk with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Hello, Barry.

BARRY PEPPER, ACTOR: Hi, thanks for having me.

BECK: Welcome. How are you?

PEPPER: Very good. Very good.

BECK: I will have to tell you that I`m a big Clint Eastwood fan, like his movies, think he`s great, yadda yadda, terrified to see any movie about war from Hollywood today because, man, when I go to the movies, I don`t want to be preached to. I just want to escape.

PEPPER: Yes.

BECK: Is there a less-than-universal war message in this?

PEPPER: Yes, I think Clint is very emphatic about making apolitical films. He`s motivated to tell entertaining and compelling stories, but there`s nothing political in his intentions.

And this story is just sort of a wonderful chapter in America`s history that kind of fell through the cracks at time, if you will. The book, "The Flags of our Fathers," that it`s based on is just a tremendous read. So maybe if you don`t want to see an R-rated film about war, read the book first and you`ll be compelled to see the film.

BECK: OK, and the guys didn`t want to go around -- weren`t they compelled to by the government...

PEPPER: Absolutely.

BECK: ... to go and raise money because we were broke at the time.

PEPPER: Yes, it was sort of a necessary illusion. You know, it`s a timeless theme in conflict, you know, you see it today, propaganda has been used time eternal. But, yes, they were brought back to America and sent out on this bond drive and sort of lionized as heroes to raise $14 billion for the war effort. The country needed to be rallied and unified at the time, and, I guess, you know, for the time in America, it was a necessary illusion.

BECK: Right. Do you, when Hollywood and really -- because I like you, I loved you in "Saving Private Ryan" and everything else, so I`m not asking you because I don`t want to know. But for those people who have political opinions in Hollywood, do you think that people in Hollywood hear a good percentage of the American people that are like, "Please, shut your mouth, because I want to like you"? I want to like you. What happens, I think, is so many people, whether you`re left or right, it doesn`t matter...

PEPPER: Right.

BECK: ... they hear your opinion, and I can no longer see the actor as the character they`re playing. I see them as the actor that hacks me off one way or another.

PEPPER: Yes. That`s unfortunate.

BECK: Do you feel -- do they understand that in Hollywood?

PEPPER: Yes, I think people, you know, see that they have a certain celebrity and a soapbox platform and there`s an opportunity to speak on things that they`re passionate about. And I think that, you know, it`s almost by default they are just so passionate about their thoughts and feelings, they can`t help it. But the trouble is, is when people just aren`t educated on the subject. It can be a little bit grating.

BECK: Yes. You are fascinating to me. You`re a Canadian, and when we sat down...

PEPPER: I`m actually a dual citizen now.

BECK: Dual citizen. Congratulations.

PEPPER: Thank you very much.

BECK: We sat down and we started talking about this television...

PEPPER: Yes.

BECK: ... and you said, "We didn`t have television until I was 12."

PEPPER: That`s right. And it looked like that. And we got it, I think, in 1982. And there was an old black and white hand-me-down from my aunt and uncle, and just all snowy and maybe one or two channels, but...

BECK: And that`s because your parents, while you were on a sailboat for most of your childhood, but your parents also wanted you to stay away from television?

PEPPER: Well, they just sort of wanted to expose us to something different than kind of a media-saturated, you know, life that we were living in North America. And so they took us off to the South Pacific and...

BECK: So is it bizarre now that you are a part of this evil, magic box?

PEPPER: I know, man. You know, I don`t know. You know, I`m just trying to tell some good stories. I really am. I mean, it`s either the chicken or the feathers with me. I never know what I`m going to be eating one day to the next, because I pass on so many movies that I just don`t believe in the sensibilities of. So...

BECK: Do you know when you`re on it -- because I don`t want to talk about -- I don`t mean to hold you out, stick you out here. But you want to talk about the feathers. You were on, what was it, "Battlefield Earth."

(LAUGHTER)

I`m sorry.

PEPPER: Hey, you know what, man? You learn something from everything, right?

BECK: Right.

PEPPER: You have to take something good away from all of these experiences.

BECK: Well, here`s what I want to know. When you`re on a movie -- because you`ve been on "Saving Private Ryan" and that. Do you know, when you walk on the set, you do your first day, you know, "Holy mother of -- what have I done?"

PEPPER: Well, you know what? Even if it`s a sinking ship, you`ve got to paddle. You`ve got to help paddle, and you just...

BECK: But do you know? Do you know you`re on...

PEPPER: Oh, yes. You know immediately. Yes. But the thing is, you know, when you`re young, and energetic, and naive, and green, and you`re just enthusiastic about the idea of working with all of these people, and it`s exciting, then you get caught up in it. And, yes, but you know what? You have to take something positive away from it. And I just learned that I...

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: Barry, thank you very much. Best of luck.

PEPPER: My pleasure. Yes, thank you very much.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. There is a ton of e-mail that`s coming in on our porn series. Some like it, some not so much.

First, Lee in San Diego. "Glenn, bravo on your porn addiction series. A lot of folks want to dismiss this simply as `boys will be boys,` but it is having a negative effect on men that goes way beyond their marriages."

Thanks, Lee. If nothing else over the past few decades, we`ve learned that marriages and families here in America are hard enough to keep together without this kind of thing making it worse.

But now from the pro-porn side, Kwan writes in, "You people kill me with this addiction garbage. I wish the government and people like you would try to stop making me like what you like."

First of all, I want you to know, I am not saying that we should ban porn. Far from it. Americans are free to choose to use it, as long as they do with -- you know, do so within the bounds of the law. The question that I have is: Should you make that choice? Should it be embraced? Should we just ignore how destructive it is?

With so many things, I don`t question the right that Americans have. I question whether or not we have the responsibility that goes along with that right.

Back to Kwan. "Many of the things you covered, Glenn, I agree with you on. But this is an issue that directly affects me, as I own an adult Internet business. This business has given me the freedom to travel and spend more time with my family."

(LAUGHTER)

You know what? I have to tell you, honestly, I think I need another day on this series. I didn`t cover the family side of porn at all; I honestly didn`t think I`d hear the "porn makes me a better dad" argument.

"Finally, legitimate people in the adult business do not exploit children. In addition, we don`t want our children on Web sites at all. They don`t have credit cards. I`m in this business to make money. It`s not only a moral issue for me."

Nicely put, Kwan. "Why would I want kids looking at porn? They`ve got crappy credit." That`s a good argument. There`s so much more that Kwan said that we`re going to -- hopefully, we`ll have him on the radio show tomorrow to duke it out with me.

But finally, Chuck in Pennsylvania writes in. He says, "Hey, Glenn, I`m sitting here with a beer waiting for the porn you promised us. I think if a guy has his own TV show and is going to do a weeklong special on porn in America, we might actually get to see some porn. I`m still waiting. Time`s up. Now I`m off to find my own porn."

Sorry, Chuck. We`ll be in there pitching for you tomorrow. But you know what a good pitcher I am. Although, if you`re looking for something stimulating, there are better places than cable news shows hosted by out- of-shape white guys, don`t you think? Just say it.

END