Romney Continues to Impress . . . O'Reilly must have liked Mitt in Mass. on "The Factor" earlier this week!

Bill O'Reilly must have been impressed with Romney when he did the live show of the Factor from Mass with Romney as his lead off guy earlier this week. Apparently, earlier today (or yesterday) O'Reilly said that Romney is his early favorite to win the 2008 presidential election over Hillary Clinton (according to the Michigan Republican Party Blog.)

Here's some of the relevant text:

(TRAVERSE CITY) — Fox News commentator Bill O'REILLY told a gathering here today that Massachusetts Gov. and former Michigander Mitt ROMNEY is his early favorite to win the 2008 presidential election over U.S. Sen. Hillary CLINTON (D-N.Y.) in what he sees now as the likely head-to-head race.

Speaking at the Michigan Future Forum, sponsored by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, O'Reilly said former frontrunner U.S. Sen. John McCAIN (R-Ariz.) will be hurt for his "soft" positions on the terrorist interrogation and border security issues.

The host of the "No Spin Zone" and the "O'Reilly Factor" added that another top-tier Republican candidate, Rudolph GUILIANI, the former New York City mayor, is being hurt by his inability to handle the press and his mushy positions on issues. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt GINGRICH and U.S. Sen. George ALLEN (R-Va.) round out the top five candidates on the GOP side.

But in the last two weeks, O'Reilly said he's seeing a lot of reasons to give Romney an edge.

"He's photogenic. He's articulate. He's got money. New Hampshire likes him. This guy . . . you watch him," O'Reilly said.

O'Reilly's opinion matters quite a bit. The Factor is a show with HUGE veiwership and a place where lots of opinion flies around. Having O'Reilly in Mitt's corner would be a nice thing . . . especially for the GOP primary.