Glenn Beck is a lightning rod for attention of all sorts, and while he might be getting lower ratings from a year ago, is Fox News really considering life without him? That’s the suggestion made by the NY Times‘ David Carr who cites anonymous Fox News officials, “that they are looking at the end of his contract in December and contemplating life without Mr. Beck.” If accurate, then such a meteoric rise and fall might even put Keith Olbermann to shame, yet could it really be true?

Fox News announced yesterday the suspension of their employment agreement with contributors Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum as each ramps up their campaign for President. And with other potential candidates and Fox News employees (Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and John Bolton) being warned by the network that “as soon as each of them shows some serious intention to form an exploratory committee” similar action will be taken, one thing is clear: Fox News’ strategy to secure so many compelling newsmakers was a very smart business decision, and one that we might likely see more of in the future.

Those of you who were able to carve out some time to watch Fox News’ Super Bowl Sunday interview between Bill O’Reilly and President Barack Obama in between overdosing on chicken wings and sharing one’s deep offense at Groupon’s Super Bowl ad with all of one’s Twitter followers saw that, as expected, the conservative pundit – not being one to lob too many softballs in the first place – was relatively tough (But fair?) on the Commander in Chief.

Some polls indicate a positive response to President Obama’s State of the Union address, but not everyone was happy with the speech, especially not members of Frank Luntz‘s focus group on Fox News last night. Words like “empty,” “redundant,” and “platitudes” were used by some of the focus group members to describe their thoughts about the speech.

Mike Huckabee joined Megyn Kelly today on Fox News to talk Republican strategy for repeal of the healthcare reform bill, and more interestingly, revealed some of his thoughts about a potential 2012 campaign for President. Kelly informed Huckabee that he often leads polls of prospective GOP candidates to which Huckabee replied the “American people are extremely smart.”

As more pundits react to Sarah Palin‘s video response on the Arizona shooting, Fox‘s Brit Hume professed he’s never in his life seen someone receive such vicious media coverage as Palin and attempted to broadly define the “Sarah Palin Problem” on Fox News Sunday.

Unless you’ve spent every single waking moment since Saturday under a rock or watching Jerseylicious (Seriously, can you believe friggin’ Doria?), you’ll know that the news has been dominated by the shooting outside a Tucson, Arizona Safeway supermarket which resulted in six people dead (including John Roll, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for Arizona) and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the hospital. New news about the shooting – and shooter Jared Loughner – has been steadily streaming across news tickers on every major news channel, but that doesn’t mean a few networks haven’t seen the need to be a little… creative… in the ways they’ve been searching for additional angles. So: Cue Mary Jo Buttafuoco.

Tucker Carlson‘s The Daily Caller is featuring a piece called “Exploiting a Tragedy,” but the Twitter headline “Exploiting a tragedy: Lefties love a crisis” more closely illustrates the unintentionally ironic, self-contradictory nature of the op-ed, co-authored by Carlson and Neil Patel. Aside from eating its own tail, though, the piece makes several other glaring missteps, including a poorly thought-out comment about gun control, and a yellow assertion about Gabrielle Giffords‘ father.

On Fox News Sunday, panelist Juan Williams summed up yesterday’s tragic shooting and also offered some unique comments on the people of Arizona. Williams first was concerned that “our government relies on the idea that you can speak to your elected leaders and tell them what you think,” and worried that this incident might disrupt communication with Congress in the future.

On Fox News, Megyn Kelly interviewed the man in charge of the Arizona shooting investigation, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik. Kelly introduced the interview saying, “it is always a difficult task to try to assign reason to an irrational act, but that is one of the things that Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik is trying to do.”

Amid a growing backlash spurred by yesterday’s mass shooting, SarahPAC official Rebecca Mansour appeared on The Tammy Bruce Show to push back against suggestions that Palin’s much-derided “crosshair” map is somehow connected to the tragedy. In the process, though, she claimed that the symbols on the graphic were never intended to evoke gunsights, but rather, “surveyors symbols.”

Regardless of the graphic’s relevance to yesterday’s shooting, Mansour’s claim is belied by a November tweet from Palin, which read “Remember months ago “bullseye” icon used 2 target the 20 Obamacare-lovin’ incumbent seats? We won 18 out of 20 (90% success rate;T’aint bad)” (h/t Teresa Kopec)

Late Saturday night, Fox News Channel’s Geraldo Rivera, discussing the Arizona Safeway shooting that left Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford injured and six others dead with Tea Party 365 co-founder David Webb, “went there” by invoking former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

In an interview with the Advocate, actor Richard Chamberlain recently discussed the danger for young leading men actors to come out of the closet and advised that in today’s culture it’s still better for their career to keep their sexuality a secret. This got Red Eye host Greg Gutfeld wondering “how hilarious is it, that as the military now dumps [Don't Ask, Don't Tell] a Hollywood icon is imploring actors to embrace it. Anyway, why don’t we demand from Hollywood what Hollywood demands from the military?”

Frank Gaffney, head of the Center for Security Policy, a conservative think tank, appeared on The O’Reilly Factor and told substitute host Eric Bolling he was disappointed with everyone in the media, and yes that includes the Fox News Channel, for underestimating the threat of homegrown jihadists and not being appropriately fearful of the organizers behind the ground zero mosque.

President Obama‘s praise for convicted dog-murderer Michael Vick receiving a second chance really fired up Megyn Kelly earlier today on Fox News. In a debate on her show, Kelly wondered whether this was an overblown story or whether the President truly was wrong for picking Vick’s second chance as worthy of praise.

Columnist and Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer is often the conservative contrarian and sometimes referred to as “a brilliant man”, therefore Republicans are often very interested to hear his advice. While many Republicans in the House of Representatives are eager to return to Congress in January so they can start with their plans to defund Obamacare, Krauthammer urges they put the brakes on such plans.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton appeared with Tucker Carlson last night on Hannity to discuss his strong disapproval of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Bolton believes the ripple effect of the treaty will cost America “for years to come” and Tucker even describes alleged liberal rationale for the treaty as “grotesque.”

On today’s Your World with Neil Cavuto, host Neil Cavuto may have been on vacation but don’t worry, Karl Rove‘s dislike of President Obama never goes on vacation and Rove brought it with him as guest on the Fox News show. This time, after discussing Obama’s campaign strategy for 2012 and potential common ground on tax reform, Rove got really hot under the collar on the issue of closing Guantanamo Bay.

Earlier today President Obama celebrated signing into law the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the policy that only allowed gays to serve in the military if they kept their sexuality a secret. While some conservatives think repeal means the country is “not taking the military seriously,” and other military leaders are confident the military can adapt and just happy to move on from it at least one Congressman, Todd Akin from Missouri, is still confused about what the original problem was and why social statements have taken priority over national defense.

On Fox News Channel‘s Red Eye, Ann Coulter unleashed a fury of controversial comments in response to the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military policy. However, whether one finds her thoughts offensive or funny depends entirely on one’s own view of Coulter’s role in political discourse. For those who take her every word seriously, you probably will be justified in being upset with her comments here.

Stop! Factor Time! In a discussion over Al Sharpton‘s attempts to have the FCC regulate “standards in regard to race and gender on publicly regulated TV and radio,” Fox News Channel host Bill O’Reilly told Megyn Kelly how happy he was to be on the private airwaves, beyond the reach of government. O’Reilly laughed, “as MC Hammer would say, you can’t touch this. I’ll do a little dance.”

Rachel Maddow turned her attention toward Fox News on her program tonight to—wait, don’t grab your pitchforks just yet! It turns out that the MSNBC host comes in peace… if your name’s Shepard Smith, that is. Maddow praised Shep for the “hullabaloo” he’s been making in the name of the 9/11 First Respodners bill. She’s just thrilled that a man whose network actually matters to Republicans decided to hold Republicans accountable. “All hail Shep Smith at Fox News,” she declared. “And I’m not kidding.”

Fox News Channel organized what America Live host Megyn Kelly accurately dubbed the “best panel ever,” comprised of Catholic League president Bill Donohue and president of the American Atheists, Dave Silverman. The two men discussed — what else? — the divisiveness and alienation some non-Christians feel this time of year, particularly when faced with a veritable twinkling forest of Christmas trees.

Fox News Channel will be giving Judge Jeanine Pirro, Fox legal analyst and former Westchester District Attorney, her own weekly show to air Saturday nights at 9 pm, nestled comfortably between Huckabee at 8 and Geraldo at Large at 10. The name of the new show will be Justice with Judge Jeanine and will debut Saturday, January 8th.

For some, the best gift this season is sitting back and observing warring media outlets debate the “War on Christmas” in between posting on the 10 Best Holiday Gifts for Bisexual Fashionista Tech Geeks or producing news segments on how gift cards are impacting global warming. The New Republic and Fox News Channel offer their takes on the debate.