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Glenn Beck

Can Fred Thompson Win the Nomination?; Mitt Romney Facing Religious Prejudice; New Video Threat from American Jihadist

Aired May 30, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, reports that Fred Thompson may announce that he might run for president. How this news will theoretically affect the 2008 campaign.

And has reality TV finally gone too far? A new Dutch game show has contestants competing for, yes, a live human organ.

Plus, oops. She did it again. Only this time Britney is blaming it all on ADD. I`ll tell you exactly why Britney Spears is full of (expletive deleted).

All this and more tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: What has happened to American television when you can`t say crap on the air? Hello, America.

Former Tennessee senator and "Law & Order actor Fred Thompson is taking a major step towards a run for the White House, planning to raise money as early as this coming Friday and, according to some reports, he`s going to announce his formal intention to enter the presidential race over the July 4th weekend.

So here`s the point. Fred Thompson won`t shake things up. He might actually win, and here`s how I got there.

Today a source confirmed that Thompson is planning to set up an exploratory committee to test the waters. And yesterday he apparently told a bunch of big shot financial backers that he not only is going to run, he already has millions of dollars stashed away.

Good news for him, bad news for the rest of the Republican field.

The way I see it, compared to the others, Fred Thompson`s got a great shot at winning the nomination. Let me break down the other contenders much to their chagrin.

Mayor Giuliani, unless a massive war breaks out between now and November 2008, which I`m not ruling out, Giuliani is just not going to be the guy who conservatives are going to trust. He is not in step with the right position on issues like abortion and gun control.

Also maybe it`s just me, but I think his wife makes Teresa Heinz Kerry look like Mayberry`s Aunt Bee. Just saying.

Then there`s Senator John McCain, but he`s wrong on issues. But he`s wildly wrong on issues. The McCain/Feingold is a nightmare. The new massive lemon that he has introduced is the immigration reform bill.

Plus, again, maybe it`s just me, but I think he has that "I`m about to bite the head off a live animal" kind of vibe going for him.

Then there`s Governor Mitt Romney. He is aligned with the conservative base on most of the issues, but as we`ve been seeing, he`s hampered by his faith, which is shocking and disturbing, in and of itself, in 21st century America.

That leaves us with Fred Thompson. Now I know, my apologies to the other 18 candidates, but you ain`t going to win, guys. Get out. The main thing going for Fred Thompson is he`s got an opportunity to come in here and just clean house, and people are saying, I want to wait for Newt Gingrich. Well, you can wait all you want.

Even if he enters the race, there`s no chance in hell he`s going to win, because basically, as I see it, he`s Hillary y Clinton in pants. Actually, she wears pants, but you know what I mean, polarizing figure.

I think the ticket to watch as this race unfolds is this: Thompson/Romney. Maybe a combination that has the best chance of winning next year. Romney could carry the northeast and Utah, and Thompson could carry the south, the west and the entire cast of "Law & Order", and that show has been on for a long time.

Here`s what I know tonight. I know that Fred Thompson can win the nomination against a crowd of vulnerable Republican candidates. What I don`t know: is Fred Thompson a guy that can build the political machine like the Clintons have?

Joining me now is John Fund, the columnist at the "Wall Street Journal".

John, agree or disagree, can the guy win?

JOHN FUND, COLUMNIST, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, I think he`s the candidate who most knits together the disparate elements of the conservative coalition. As you pointed out, all of the candidates basically have some problems with elements of the conservative base.

Now Thompson has his weaknesses, but he`s a figure that seems to unite people, and he also reminds people with his communication skills of someone else.

BECK: Right.

FUND: Of another former actor and politician named Ronald Reagan.

BECK: OK. Let me go on a couple of things. I want to get to his weaknesses here in a second. But I also want to ask you. I saw the recent poll numbers.

Fifty percent of the people who are asked about Fred Thompson, they say -- they don`t even know him. Isn`t he kind of the unnamed Democrat?

You know, before they had, you know, when they were running people against George Bush and they had all of these things in 2004, the unnamed Democrat was winning for a long time. But as soon as you put a face and actual principles and values behind it, then they kind of lose.

Is it possible that Fred Thompson is that guy?

FUND: Possible. On the other hand, the more that people seem to get to know him, the more they like him. So as his name I.D. increases, McCain and Giuliani has universal name I.D. Everybody knows them.

I think as Romney and Thompson have gotten to be better known their favorables go up. And remember, there`s another 50 percent number, Glenn. About 50 percent of the Republican field, up to 50 percent isn`t satisfied with the current crop of candidates. They`re looking for someone else.

BECK: So you know, the thing I saw when I saw Thompson, because the one thing that I want as a conservative, really as an American, is somebody that can communicate with the American people. When he -- when Fred Thompson did this little bit, and I`m just going to play a little bit of the video.

When he played this bit on Michael Moore in response to Michael Moore I thought this guy gets it. Watch just a little bit of this video, just for a couple of seconds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED THOMPSON, ACTOR: You know, I`ve been looking at my schedule, Michael, and I don`t think I have time for you, but I may be the least of your problems.

You know, the next time you`re down in Cuba visiting your buddy Castro, you might ask him about another documentary filmmaker. His name is Nicolas Guillen. He did something Castro didn`t like, and they put him in a mental institution for several years, giving him devastating electroshock treatments.

Mental institution, Michael. Might be something you ought to think about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: When I saw this, John, I thought here`s a guy who can deliver a line. He`s a guy who just went into his office. He brought somebody with a video camera. He shot it. It was out on YouTube almost within hours of that Michael Moore letter to him.

This guy could change everything, couldn`t he?

FUND: Well, that video was seen by two million people. To put that into perspective, Glenn, that`s approximately the size of the last debate that the Republicans held.

It`s called a viral video. People liked it so much they forwarded it everywhere. I think Thompson is going to use the Internet and use modern technology like video cell phones and e-mail better than almost any other candidate, because what you`ve got here is a candidate who`s going to take www, the World Wide Web, and turn it into the World Wide Fred.

BECK: John, thanks a lot. I just have to leave you at this. "TIME" magazine on Fred Thompson, just tell me this doesn`t sound familiar.

"Thompson is often most compared to Ronald Reagan. The comparison is apt, but neither would be mistaken for an intellectual."

And I thought good heavens, man. Look at this. Once again, the conservative is a dummy.

Meanwhile, the other half of the dream team that I`ve just cooked up, Mitt Romney, had some interesting adventures on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. I want you to watch this exchange between Romney and a local resident who happened to be a supporter of Hillary Clinton at a diner in Dover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello, sir. How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m one person who will not vote for a Mormon.

ROMNEY: Oh, is that right? Can I shake your hand anyway?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

ROMNEY: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: You know, as much as you want to just dismiss this as an angry old guy, I think it`s actually more of an example of the deep political divide that we face going into this election season. There`s too much hate in politics on both sides.

Republican strategist Cheri Jacobus, she is now with us.

Cheri, cranky old guy, or is this who we are allowing ourselves to become?

CHERI JACOBUS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, you know, if he`s just a cranky old guy, I think we have to go back a few weeks ago to what Reverend Al Sharpton said. He pretty much expressed the same sentiment. So I don`t think you can say this is just some isolated incident.

This is -- you know, we`re supposed to be so tolerant of the different religions, but the left really doesn`t want that. They aren`t going to be tolerant of Mormonism, but we`re supposed to be tolerant of, you know, Islamists in this country. So I think there`s a real hypocrisy here.

BECK: Cheri, I have to tell you, I don`t sense that from the average American, though. I mean, I think people -- people don`t know what Mormons are, and they have questions. And they`ve heard all kinds of, you know -- there`s secret stuff going on and all this bull. But -- so they don`t know what`s going on.

But I don`t sense that the American people do anything but judge someone by the fruits of their labor. They judge -- they look at somebody and say what are his values? What is his family like? What has he created?

JACOBUS: Well, sure.

BECK: And they judge that. I think the rest of it is media and spin.

JACOBUS: I think it is media and spin. But like, you know, you were one of the people that really held Al Sharpton`s feet to the fire on this a few weeks ago, and good for you. He should have been called on it.

But we didn`t -- we didn`t hear him questioning, you know, Harry Reid who is a Mormon, and he`s the Senate Democratic leader, so this is where I think the hypocrisy comes into play, Glenn. And at some point, I think we have to call the left on it.

You know, they`re suppressing films on PBS, which is left-leaning. Frank Gaffney`s film, "Islam versus Islamists"...

BECK: I know.

JACOBUS: ... because they don`t want to look at the radical -- Muslim radicals in this country. But we`re supposed to get all squirrelly and all concerned about Mitt Romney being a Mormon?

BECK: Well, I...

JACOBUS: This is something I think that the left needs to answer to.

BECK: I`m amazed by a couple of things. One, that a -- I just said it with Fred Thompson. "TIME" magazine said, you know, he`s not going to be mistaken for an intellectual, while you know, Al Gore is the super genius that Steven Hawking bows to.

And yet Mitt Romney, who is clearly a very bright individual, he`s just too slick when he has an answer, you know. It really is a double standard.

JACOBUS: It is.

BECK: And nobody noticed that we used to have a problem when MTV asked somebody who as running for president boxers or briefs.

JACOBUS: And look what Mitt Romney got on "60 Minutes".

BECK: Thank you for noticing that.

JACOBUS: They asked him if he had engaged in pre-marital sex. Has any other candidate been subjected to that type of questioning? And if it was because of his Mormonism, can we sit down, can you sit down and ask Harry Reid the same question, because I`d love to see that interview.

BECK: Cheri, thank you very much. Quick programming note for tomorrow night. Senator Hillary Clinton`s nine-point plan for shared prosperity, which sounds awfully like socialism to me, take a lot of heat from Republicans. Her plan to close the income gap means one new thing, more new taxes. This is socialism. Don`t miss tomorrow night`s show.

Now, coming up tonight, the guy they call the American Al Qaeda warning the U.S. about a new attack. This is not the first time this putz has sounded off, but what does the cycle of warnings mean? Serious threats or empty rhetoric?

Plus Britney Spears has blamed her bad behavior on ADD. Really? Britney, I`m riddled with ADD, and I still remember to wear my underpants.

America`s top ADD doctor joins me to analyze Britney`s excuses.

And a new reality show has three contestants vying for -- wait for it -- a kidney. Has reality TV finally stepped over the line? How far are we from "The Running Man", coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up, Lindsay Lohan crashes her car, police pull cocaine from the wreckage, and then she checks into rehab, again.

At the same time, her pal Britney Spears, posts a message on her web site blaming all that`s wrong in her life on ADD. Yes, a lot of bull crap in Hollywood. I`ll have the stories for you in a second.

First, though, in this country, we know the saying three strikes and you`re out. Well, it seems like in the Islamic world the extremists have something similar. They call it a cycle of warnings. Once they have satisfied certain warning requirements in their twisted murderous minds, they believe they have every right to wage a holy war of terrorism.

Take a look at this new video. It`s a warning to President Bush from Al Qaeda operative Adam Gadahn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM GADAHN, AL QAEDA OPERATIVE: You will go down in history not only as the president who embroiled his nation in a series of unwinnable and bloody conflicts in the Islamic world, but as the president who sent the United States off on its death march.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Ooh, Adam, you are down, because that is really bad acting.

Adam Gadahn, used to be Adam Perlman. He was a nice Jewish boy, Jewish-Christian boy from Los Angeles. He converted to Islam in his late teens and then moved to Pakistan. Hear it`s beautiful, especially this time of year.

He became one of the first Americans to be charged with treason since World War II. Government`s really kind of a stickler on people making Al Qaeda propaganda videos and posting them on the Internet.

The newest video is especially alarming, because it calls for an unconditional withdrawal of all Americans from all Muslim countries as well as many other demands. It`s a warning, and it`s not a subtle one.

Now here`s something to think about. Just after the 9/11 attacks Osama bin Laden received sharp criticism from Islamic scholars, saying that Al Qaeda had failed to satisfy several religious requirements pertinent to waging war. Who knew jihad had so many rules?

The cycle of warnings philosophy is vitally important for our nation`s leaders to recognize and understand, especially in the light of this newest Al Qaeda video.

But are they, and where are we in this new cycle of warnings? I`m almost afraid to ask, and fortunately, I already have.

We go to our guest, Steven Emerson. He is the author of "Jihad Incorporated" and terrorism analyst and one of the best in the world.

Steven, I`ve got to ask you, because you have been pointed out in some of these yourself. And part of the circle of -- of warnings, the first demand, the first time they say you have to convert. The second one is you can join and become part of our second -- you can be a second class citizen in the Islamic state. And the third one is here we come.

You were actually the last time around, they said, Steven Emerson submit and convert, did they not?

STEVEN EMERSON, AUTHOR, "JIHAD INCORPORATED": Yes. Adam Gadahn issued a video naming me and three other Americans, demanding that I convert or suffer the consequences, and basically, I said, "Make my day."

I mean, he is a grade "B" actor, and I think he is full of rhetoric. His 15 minutes of fame are long over. I frankly don`t pay him that much attention. I don`t think he has any of the religious authority that would give him the standing to make a warning stick like Osama bin Laden or Ayman Al-Zawahiri.

BECK: So did that -- what was that like when you heard that? I mean, even with the really bad hand gestures? How did you feel? Did it bother you at all? Did it bother you at all?

EMERSON: Well, I must tell you, Glenn, that I`ve lived with certain amount of threats for the last 12 years, so it wasn`t exactly new to me being named as a, quote, enemy of Islam.

And, you know, that`s really the problem. It`s not him naming me. It`s what others who hear that will do in response to that. The hotheads out there, the Islamic extremists. They`ll just shoot or kill anybody.

BECK: May I ask you a question? And this may be just a grade school question, but I mean it sincerely. I`ve thought it a million times, and I bet I`m not alone.

Why don`t we just follow the Islamic UPS guy who`s delivering these tapes to Al Jazeera? Can`t we track those guys?

EMERSON: You raise a great question, Glenn, and I`ve often asked that to intelligence officials. Why can`t we retrace the delivery route by which these tapes are dropped off at Al Jazeera? Why can`t we put our own messengers in place so that they get to pickup directly from the Al Qaeda, you know, drivers? I don`t understand.

Now, of course, in one sense if they are directly offloading these tapes to the Internet, then they don`t need personal delivery men to make the drop-offs. And if they can disguise the actual access points or portal points then they`re anonymous. Then they disappear.

So they`ve covered their tracks, and with high-speed Internet access points then they`re perfectly anonymous.

BECK: You know, we haven`t heard from Osama bin Laden, I think, in about a year-and-a-half. Do you think he`s still alive?

EMERSON: Good question. I myself am beginning to doubt whether, in fact, he is alive. I mean, we`ve heard absolutely nothing from him. No audio, nothing, not even a representation from Ayman Al-Zawahiri that he is around. Nothing to rebut the claims that he`s been dead. There was a flurry of claims a while ago. I don`t know whether he`s alive or not. I think it`s a good question.

BECK: Does it change anything? I mean, I know that Osama bin Laden, he talked about an American Hiroshima. He talked about, you know, getting a nuke and wanting to get a nuke and planting it here in one of our cities or several of our cities. Does it change anything if he`s dead?

EMERSON: No, it doesn`t, really. He`s a symbolic figure. He`s an icon. He will live on forever. Al Qaedaism is really just shorthand for radical Islam. The Ft. Dix people didn`t need al Qaeda to carry out or plan their plot against the Ft. Dix soldiers.

They will continue. Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad are going to continue fighting the infidels in their local battle theaters. And I think we live in this threat forever.

BECK: I will tell you, America, I don`t think you really understand this. We are living in a "Schindler`s List" kind of world, and people like Steve are so incredibly brave to say what they do.

Steve, thank you very much and keep speaking out.

EMERSON: Thank you.

BECK: And coming up, the definition of arrogance. A guy with a rare form of T.B. is told by the U.S. to stay home. What does he do? He takes two international flights. Now hundreds of lives may be in danger.

Plus, Britney Spears hits rock bottom and blames it all on ADD Really? Yes, Brit, I`m going to talk to someone who knows a little bit about ADD, my ADD doctor. Don`t miss it, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: You know what? I get the sniffles and my doctor says, "Glenn, you should stay home," I do it, mainly because I`m a big baby, I`m lazy and I don`t want to get Nancy Grace sick. I`m afraid of her.

Too bad not everybody is so considerate, especially the idiot who traveled internationally even though he had a deadly strain of T.B.

Dr. William Schaffner, he is the professor and chairman of the Department of Preventative Medicine at Vanderbilt University.

Doc, tell me this guy -- tell me this guy didn`t really know what he had? And not a really evil guy.

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR/CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: Well, Glenn, he certainly knew he had tuberculosis, and when he was in Europe he heard from the CDC that he had a very special kind of tuberculosis, one that was very resistant, and at that point he must have known he was a hazard to others.

BECK: So, first of all, do we think that -- I mean, is this a really -- I know it`s nasty because it`s hard to cure, but is it real virulent?

SCHAFFNER: Well...

BECK: Or what do you call it, communicable?

SCHAFFNER: Well, several things. First of all, it is very resistant, and that makes it difficult to treat. And these sorts of strains, when they occur in the developing world, in South Africa, for example, and in eastern Europe, are more virulent.

They`re more apt to make you seriously ill. He`s not, and he looks to be, fortunately for all of us, on the low side of transmissibility. He certainly didn`t infect his fiancee, now his wife and family members, and so fingers crossed that this is going to come out all right.

BECK: You know what I thought of, and please tell me that -- please tell me how I`m wrong. I heard this story yesterday, and I thought, "Oh, geez, if this were Ebola, if this were small pox, you would have had an international incident going on."

Why wouldn`t somebody, and I`m not giving anybody ideas here, but if you really wanted to kill a lot of people, couldn`t you just do that?

SCHAFFNER: Well, that`s certainly been thought about an awful lot, and fortunately for those other illnesses, when you`re capable of transmitting the illness to others, you`re too sick to travel. There`s something unique here about tuberculosis, where he`s not too sick to travel and still could be putting others at risk.

BECK: OK. He`s from the United States. First of all -- first question. Is this what they used to call consumption?

SCHAFFNER: T.B. is what they used to call consumption, because it used to consume your energy and turn you into a wasting kind of illness.

BECK: Right. And we`ve pretty much wiped it out here in the United States. Where the heck did he get this?

SCHAFFNER: Well, that`s not been revealed yet, and I`m sure it`s under intense investigation by the CDC. And they do two things. They do the old-fashioned shoe leather kind of things, ask you lots of questions about where you`ve been and whom you`ve been in contact with.

And then they do the modern scientific CSI kind of stuff. They can take his T.B. strain and examine it in the laboratory. They take a molecular fingerprint and compare it to other strains around the world. That`s currently under way.

BECK: So T.B., I mean, is it like this year`s polio? I mean, didn`t we wipe this out? I thought this was under control.

SCHAFFNER: Well, certainly not around the world, and this reminds us that we`re all in a global community together, just as you say, something that happens around the world can be here in an airplane`s flight.

BECK: Unbelievable.

SCHAFFNER: And that`s happened to us locally in Nashville.

BECK: Doctor, thanks a lot.

SCHAFFNER: OK, Glenn.

BECK: Up next. The celebrity bad excuse file gets a lot wider. See what Britney Spears now has for an excuse. We`ll be back with "The Real Story" in just a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. Coming up, it`s pop stars gone wild. Lindsay Lohan crashes her car and checks into rehab, and her gal pal, Britney Spears, is blaming ADD for all of her life`s debauchery. We`re going to cut through all the celebrity gossip and tell you why it`s really important actually, in just a second.

But first, "The Real Story." I`m sure you`ve noticed that gas prices have finally fallen for the first time in over a month, yes, by a whole penny. Whew! I know, every little bit helps. But "The Real Story" is, America`s energy future is tied to foreign sources, faraway countries run by nuts dictators who have their problems that will hit us right at the pump.

Nigeria, Libya, Venezuela, all these nations supply lots of oil to the U.S. Let`s not forget our friends over in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia. When something bad happens in one of these countries, be it war between any of the usual suspects in the Gulf region, civil war in Nigeria, garden variety Hugo Chavez nut jobs, or just some crazy whim, oil prices are going to skyrocket. Some experts say, if any of our major oil suppliers suffers a real blow, look for crude oil prices in the range of $120 a barrel. That is double where they are now.

That also means -- you guessed it -- price per gallon somewhere around seven dollars. Research shows that Americans will not change their driving habits until gas gets to be about $4.35 a gallon, but that`s up from last year. We`re heading that direction. The time is right now to start exploring domestic alternatives to foreign energy. Our lives, our lifestyles depend on it.

Tomorrow in "The Real Story," I`m going to tell you about the guy who says he has an answer. It looks pretty legit, but who`s slowing him down? Politicians.

But first, Mark Hitchcock, he`s the co-author of "Armageddon, Oil and Terror." Mark, tell me, how screwed are we on this?

MARK HITCHCOCK, CO-AUTHOR, "ARMAGEDDON, OIL AND TERROR": Well, the situation we have right now is, we use a quarter of the world`s oil, America does. We use about 20 million barrels a day, and our consumption is not slowing down. The whole world uses about 85 million barrels a day. In a few years, it`s expected to be 95 million barrels. By 2020, it`s expected to be 120 million barrels, and we import 60 percent of our oil into this country.

BECK: Nobody really understands what a real oil crisis -- I mean, if they take out the oil fields in Saudi Arabia, these terrorists do, which they`ve already tried to do, they take these oil fields out, everything in our culture -- oil is what drives everything, from your clothes that have any kind of synthetic threads in it, to the sewing machines that make them, it needs oil for the sewing machines, all the way to our food supply, because of the tractors, et cetera, et cetera. Everything comes crashing down.

HITCHCOCK: Well, that`s right. And in February of 2006, Al Qaeda tried to take out a facility in Saudi Arabia. And just as recently as April the 29th of this year, there was an attempt to hit the infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. They said, if that had happened, it would go to five to eight barrels a gallon for gas.

And as you point out, there`s a domino effect. It`s not just the price we pay at the pump, but our food is brought to us by trucks, clothing. It`s going to have a domino effect. It would really put our entire economy into full cardiac arrest.

BECK: Yes, Mark, have you done any research on it? Have you seen any kind of numbers on what it would take to really -- to stop the heart of the U.S. economy or the world`s economy? What kind of price per gallon would we be looking at to actually do that, not put us in a pinch, but stop our heart?

HITCHCOCK: Well, I think, if you got up into the $6 to $8 a gallon for gasoline -- you know, again, I`m not an economist -- but it would be double, triple what it is now. I mean, think of the domino effect of that. Again, everything that we consume in our country, the price would go up just precipitously, and it would have a devastating effect.

BECK: What really amazed me -- and I think this is every American. I mean, I think Al Gore and I could agree on something, and that is this. We`ve got to get this monkey off of our back. I don`t think there`s an American that you would talk to, conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat, independent, doesn`t matter. I think a politician could come out and say, "It`s time for us to do a moon shot. It is time for us to get this off our back, and we can do it." But why is it nobody will?

HITCHCOCK: Well, I just don`t think the American public has really been awakened to the crisis that we`re in. I think it`s going to take something, unfortunately, catastrophic or catastrophic prices to wake people up, and I don`t think politicians want to touch it. I mean, people want to continue to drive their vehicles.

BECK: Do you believe something catastrophic is something that we really recover from? I mean, even the Great Depression, we don`t really survive another Great Depression, because we can`t grow our own food like our grandparents did. I mean, another really big shot like that is truly devastating, and it may not ever get back up from.

HITCHCOCK: Well, something like a hit against one of the Saudi Arabian, their infrastructure, that, you know, temporarily drove prices up, like we said, to $6 to $8 a gallon, you know, eventually they`d come down when those things are repaired. You know, we could recover from something like that, and that would be the type of wakeup call that it`s going to take.

But I think, you know, with China, with India, with them coming online, using more oil, the demand just keeps rising, and supply, I just don`t think it can keep up, so you`re right.

BECK: OK.

HITCHCOCK: Something is going to have to be done.

BECK: Mark, thank you very much.

Now, like most of you, I have always felt that Britney Spears and I have had a lot in common. Oh, yes. I mean, we both lived in Florida. We`ve gotten in trouble for scandalous moves on the dance floor, both of us fallen for, well, K-Fed`s bad boy charm, but "The Real Story" is, it doesn`t stop there.

Now, according to a new letter that her fans have read on her Web site, Brit and I also have ADD. When she was able to find the focus, Britney managed to type out these wrenching sentiments. "Recently, I was sent to a very humbling place called rehab. Truly hit rock bottom. Until this day, I don`t think it was alcohol or depression. I was just like a bad kid running around with ADD."

Boy, that sounds like denial in the first place. Second place, I don`t want to rain on your parade, but I`ve actually been clinically diagnosed by some of the best doctors in the country with ADHD. The only reason why I question whether or not Britney actually has it is because we are living in a culture where celebrities are quick to hide their irresponsible actions behind some disease, and we`re even quicker to let them do it. It`s time we held people like Britney Spears accountable, people like me accountable.

You know what? I made a lot of really nasty mistakes in my life. It wasn`t the ADD or ADHD that made me do it. It was me. Dr. Lenard Adler is the direct of the Adult ADHD Program at the NYU School of Medicine, author of "Scattered Minds," a great book.

Doctor, how are you, sir?

DR. LENARD ADLER, AUTHOR, "SCATTERED MINDS": I`m fine, Glenn.

BECK: The ADHD, a lot of people who are watching right now will say, "This is a bunch of crap."

ADLER: Well, ADHD is a very real disorder and very common. It affects about 4.4 percent of the U.S. adult population, and it`s quite impairing. Adults with ADHD under-perform on the job. They`re more likely to be divorced and separated, twice as likely to abuse substances and smoke cigarettes.

BECK: You know, I just read something, I think it was -- was it Dr. Joyce Brothers that I saw, this article? And she said that it`s just an excuse to be lazy.

ADLER: ADHD is not an excuse. It`s a neurobiological disorder. We know that two in three kids with ADHD go on to be adults with ADHD, and, in fact, most adults with ADHD don`t know that they have it. Only one in four are diagnosed and treated.

BECK: Now, you know, I had ADHD my whole life, and I did pretty well for myself. I did, obviously, self-medicate. I am an alcoholic, but I don`t remember ever thinking to myself I wasn`t going to wear underpants or shave my head. The first part of her statement, she says, "I don`t believe that it was alcoholism or depression. I was like a child with bad ADD." Does that sound like denial to you?

ADLER: The only people who really know whether Britney has ADHD, you know, are her and her doctors. This is a disorder that is diagnosed by sitting down and taking a careful history with your physician.

BECK: Right.

ADLER: We know the symptoms of ADHD. We know they include trouble paying attention, trouble with distraction, losing track in conversations, inattentive symptoms, and interrupting others, impulsivity, trouble waiting, for the hyperactive, impulsive symptoms, so we know the symptoms themselves are quite impairing.

BECK: You know, I will tell you that, I treat my ADHD. I don`t treat it during the day. I do treat it on weekends and stuff like that, and I take ADD medication, and I take it because, with my kid -- I remember the first time when we got the dosage right, I actually sat on the kitchen floor with my son for over an hour. And I actually -- my agent called me, and he wanted to talk to me about some business, and he said, "What are you doing?" And I started crying, and I said, "I`m playing with my son, and I have for an hour."

I had always thought that I was just a bad person, that I just couldn`t do it, because I would play with my kids for about 30 seconds, and I would be driven out of my mind. I couldn`t take it. Do a lot of people just feel like they`re just bad people?

ADLER: They often know that something`s wrong and don`t know what it is. And when ADHD is diagnosed, it can be a life-changing experience. And things just like you described, in terms of much richer qualities of their family interactions, improved performance on the job. The bottom line is that this is a disorder that can be diagnosed, and we have good treatments available.

BECK: See, I think that it`s interesting that -- David Neeleman is a good friend of mine. He runs JetBlue. He`s riddled with ADD. He doesn`t treat it at all, because he thinks that it is the secret to his success. I believe it is the secret to my success, as well, but there are -- it`s a double-edged sword. There are bad things and good things to it, like everything. Are there two kinds of people, really successful and those that are destroyed by it? Or do you have a bunch of people just in the middle?

ADLER: Well, we know that there are clear impairments from having the ADHD untreated, in terms of substance abuse and self-medication and increased risks of divorce. The idea is to allow individuals to tap into their capabilities, to really allow them to do the things that they can do.

BECK: OK. Doc, thanks a lot.

That`s "The Real Story" tonight. If you`d like to read more about this or if you`ve found a "Real Story" of your own, please tell us about it, at glennbeck.com and click on "The Real Story" button. Back in a second.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: If I were to rule the world, it would be a nightmare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think you could do a better job than the current politicians?

BECK: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you`re still constantly yelling about them all the time?

BECK: No, but when people say, "Why don`t you run for" -- it would be a nightmare, and I mean that sincerely. You do not want me anywhere near that, because I would, for a myriad of reasons, ADD is one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`d ruin the world.

BECK: Excuse me, we now have 12 minutes to make this decision. I know, but I have another idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This message has been paid for by Glenn Beck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Should say it would be a nightmare for everybody else. It would be great if I was ruling the world for me.

If you`re a big watcher of TV, you`ve probably checked into some pretty tasteless reality shows over the last few years. There was, of course, "The Littlest Groom," which was classy, "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire," and, of course, "The View," just saying. Still, there is a show in Europe that really kicks it up a notch. It`s a Dutch program called "Big Donor Show."

The premise is this, and I am not kidding: A terminally ill woman will choose a contestant to receive one of her kidneys before she dies of a brain tumor. Joining me now is psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow.

Hi, Keith, how are you?

DR. KEITH ABLOW, PSYCHIATRIST: Good to see you, Glenn.

BECK: How disturbing is this trend? You know what? I think that we are so close to being the Roman Empire with a coliseum, and this is "The Running Man."

ABLOW: I am with you. I think that we`re losing our grip of reality, and partly in the name of reality programming. But I`ll tell you, the minute you put a lens in the equation, you alter reality, so this isn`t just a woman deciding who wins her kidney. It`s a woman who`s on TV deciding this amidst the unfolding of her terminal illness, and that variable is a very important one, because it`s going to affect her decision-making.

And, anyhow, whoever thought that a drama like this would be one we`d want to eavesdrop on? Who wanted to take a terminally ill woman and make her, at the end of her life, write a chapter where she`s the Faustian hero, the "Sophie`s Choice" individual, who is going to choose one person to live and another to die?

BECK: I mean, how do you -- I mean, unless there`s like a surprise ending where, like, "Oh, we`ve got news for you. You all get kidneys," I mean, how do you end this show where you say, "I`m sorry, you lost, and you`re not getting a kidney, so you`re going to die"? How is this a good thing, in any way, shape or form?

ABLOW: Well, it isn`t. The trouble is, it`s a contest, and so what it does is it minimizes life and death, as so many things do now in entertainment, minimize our real feelings. They drag us away from ourselves, so that if you can watch on TV, someone wins and someone loses a kidney. How serious is it, after all, then that there are hospital rooms in America where people are dying of kidney failure? Well, it`s only a game show, really.

BECK: What does this say about her, the one giving the kidney? Is there some sort of, "I want to go out and make a difference, and I want to be remembered, I want somebody to remember my name"? What is going on with her, do you think?

ABLOW: You know what? It could certainly be like a misguided attempt at some kind of posterity, but it also could be that, you know, we`re learning the lure of television, that even somebody counting out her final days would say, "Oh, what, TV? Well, sure, count me in." And...

BECK: Wow.

ABLOW: "I`m the star? Excellent. Well, let`s take my death and roll that into the equation, too." It`s so concerning to me. I really think that it filters down to young people who are living their lives wondering whether they`re real and genuine at all or whether they`re playing roles in the world now.

BECK: You know what? I was just going to ask you that, because I think we are in this cycle where -- let me just ask you the question.

ABLOW: Yes.

BECK: Who`s leading whom? Where is the beginning of the circle and the end of the circle? Is it media leading us? Are we leading media? What`s happened to us?

ABLOW: Yes, you know what? And I think it`s partly this desire that people have to not address their troubles and their pain that leads us to try to externalize them and to sort of slip the bindings, I like to say, of our own existences, to be free of all of the troubles that are real in life, and just assign them to a role, you know what, that you`re carrying a script.

The trouble with that is that it short-circuits real empathy. And I think we`ve let, you know, kind of like we`ve let things slip into arenas in our lives that were once really pristine. So, listen, I think cameras in the courtroom -- I understand why they`re there constitutionally. However, I think a jury being televised is a different jury than one that isn`t.

BECK: You know, it`s really interesting to me, just that radio bit that we just did, where I was saying about ruling the world. That was coming from...

ABLOW: I`m comfortable with you ruling the world.

BECK: I was taking a test on narcissism.

ABLOW: Yes.

BECK: Because I think, when it`s all said and done, the biggest problem we have is we are becoming a culture of narcissists. Nothing else matters. It`s all about me. I`m the one that`s important. And when that happens, everything -- I mean, if you track it down, don`t you think almost every problem that we have is because, "It`s about me"?

ABLOW: It`s me, and there`s no me there. See, that`s what narcissism is at its core, anyhow. It`s a projection. It`s trying to be grandiose and bigger than life, because inside you feel pain and you don`t want to. And, listen, every kid in America now, if you go into a retail clothing store, you`re going to buy clothing that looks like it`s old, for instance. It`s all fibs, right? Try to buy a pair of jeans that isn`t distressed. Try to buy a t-shirt that doesn`t say you`ve been to some bait shop in Idaho you`ve never been to. It`s all contrived.

BECK: OK. Doctor, always a pleasure.

ABLOW: Thank you.

BECK: Coming up, a cry for help from one of the world`s most recognizable creatures, and, no, I don`t mean Lindsay Lohan. I`ll explain in just a bit.

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BECK: All right. It`s not that I want to share this story, but I have to share this story with you, because you`re probably all too familiar with it. It`s been in the news all week long. For some reason, people just won`t stop talking about it, and to be honest with you, I didn`t want to do the story yesterday, I don`t much care to do it today, but since everybody else is, I`m going against my better judgment tonight.

Let me recap. Started as a big mistake. Wrong turn. Some say that it was an accident. Others say it was a cry for help. I don`t know. But then things, as they often do, begin just spiraling out of control. More mistakes were made. The next thing you know, it`s the number-one news story in the country.

Now, in case you`ve been living under a rock, let me bring you up to speed with this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECK (voice-over): Their names are Delta and Dawn, two humpback whales who took a mysterious wrong turn and somehow ended up hundreds of miles from home, lost in dangerous, unfamiliar waters. Fortunately, their cries for help were met with action.

Many of the top marine biologists responded immediately. No expenses were spared, as scientists did everything humanly possible to save these two creatures from almost certain peril. And all the while, we as a nation never gave up hope.

Strangers from near and far gathered, some driving hundreds of miles just to offer some kind words of encouragement, and all the while the cameras followed their every move. Americans huddled around their TV sets, fingers crossed hoping for a miracle, and then the whales, perhaps sensing they would meet certain death unless they changed their way, suddenly changed course and began swimming straight for the open seas. Yes, it looked like these two creatures would indeed survive.

As Delta and her calf, Dawn, now head towards a glistening Golden Gate, I can`t help but think what might have been if, perhaps, we listened to a different cry for help. Maybe it`s not too late. Maybe listening to that cry for help is the only difference between an Academy Award and this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: The thing that really kills me about this story is, this is the ultimate dilemma for an environmentalist. Do I let the whales die, or do I get a bunch of ships burning diesel fuel to shoe them back out to sea, and do I get my family, pile them into the SUV, and drive hundreds of miles to watch? What to do, what to do.

From New York, Godspeed, good night.

END