where she looked fine. >> it is an honor for me to speak with you. >> reporter: it was an honor for saturday night live to lamb poon her. >> the economy was headed for disaster as you can see from this chart. >> reporter: real michele bachmann, fake michele bachmann. >> as the next chart clearly shows. >> reporter: the real bachmann is back. and instead of grabbing the president, is trying to be president jeanne moos, cnn, new york. that's it for me. i am wolf blitzer in the situation room. for international viewers, world report is next. "john king usa" is next. a daring trip to syria to show you the mounting humanitarian crisis by the assad

family crackdown. first, the fallout from the debate and new fault lines in the debate. president obama raised stakes with a warning republicans risk fiscal armageddon if they don't vote to raise the debt ceiling. >> full faith and credit of the united states is the underpinning of our way of life and the global financial system and we could actually have a reprice of a financial crisis if we play this too close to the line. >> house speaker boehner said in his view authority for the military operations in libya expires sunday unless the administration wins open support from congress. the republican speaker drawing a contrast with the democratic administration, but the debate whether the united states belongs in libya is a source of agreement among republicans that want to be your next president. >> what possible vital american

interest could we have to empower al qaeda of north africa and libya. the president was absolutely wrong in his decision on that. >> the evening after take on the first major event of the 2012 election cycle can be summed up this way. mitt romney has reason to smile after he is skapg with a few minor scrapes as rivals decided not to launch attacks on the big frontrunner. >> job one is making america the number one job creator in the world. >> and minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann is being widely credited with making the best first impression among newcomers to the gop presidential stage. >> i want to make a promise to everyone watching tonight, as president of the united states, i will not rest until i repeal obamacare. it is a promise. take it to the bank, cash the check. i'll make sure that happens. >> let's assess the policy lessons of the first big debate

and the political impact on the field going forward. susan mol in ar ee is here, and cnn contributor of red state.com, erick erickson. start with governor romney. everyone is in agreement. he's ahead in the polls in new hampshire coming in, was not roughed up badly. listen to him on the campaign trail today. he knows he has a big lead in new hampshire, but is this perhaps, perhaps it is humor, but overconfident humor? >> challenging times. i will do my best to make them a lot better. >> we will certainly support zblu thank you. good to see you again. i will probably be back in four years. >> that will be great. glad to have you. >> this time with a larger group, probably secret service. >> a lot of people say mitt romney doesn't have a sense of humor. kind of funny. does he have to be careful? >> i think he does have to be careful. he is polling what rudy giuliani was polling in 2007. he had different flaws that

romn romney doesn't. the history of the republican party is to typically go with the guy perceived to be the heir apparent of the last campaign cycle, that's clearly mitt romney now. polling is in his favor. there is no anti-romney candidate to take him out. pawlenty was given the job by you and he punted. >> a lot of republicans say let's pick a governor, someone that's been a chief executive. that is the track record for president, we have a senator now, not since 1960 did that happen. a lot of people say let's pick a governor. if not romney, maybe pawlenty. he was on fox news sunday, talking obamney care. last night it went this way. we don't have the sound here. what happened, why would he choose those words in the comfort of a sunday studio when

your rival gave him the chance. eventually he used the words obamney care. he wouldn't do it. why? >> i guess he didn't want to take on governor romney. this was going to be their opportunity to go after president obama. but i think he made a tactical mistake. when we look at the comments and overall misgifgs about governor pawlenty, does he have the toughness to lead, can he go toe to toe with barack obama. yesterday his inability or unwillingness to take on the frontrunner i think showed, played into the caricature we all had in mind gout governor pawlenty, and i think there's a danger, can he survive this. i don't know. >> you asked that question this early, i was trying to get him to answer the question. >> what happens if in the next debate a huntsman or guilliani or perry or somebody else takes a shot and lands it hip on governor romney. which they will.

and i think that further exacerbates -- >> it makes pawlenty look inexperienced, weak, and indecisive. >> if you're going to take a hit -- >> there's a long way to go. without a doubt, a long way to go. you track the conservative movement closely. for those looking at romney, saying do we want to do this and looking at the alternatives, what was their reaction? >> the common reaction last night was the big winner is rick perry. there's clearly an opening for somebody else. pawlenty has time to overcome it. frankly, had the moment not come at the beginning of the debate, it wouldn't have overclouded the rest of the remarks. because it did, may be unfair, but rick perry has a real opening. my e-mail is full of people today saying when is he getting in. >> i think a decision is made, when you start to attack the frontrunner, people can get mad at you for going on the attack. if this is the way you introduce

yourself to the republican voters, which it was for tim pawlenty, why do it. >> why do it on sunday. >> that was my question. i was not trying to be a jerk to the governor. i was trying to say if you do it sunday in the comfort of a studio, why not do it with the guy there. you want the nuclear football, want to be president, turn to the guy and say what you said in the studio. i wasn't trying to pick on the governor. newt gingrich's senior staff fired the candidate days before the debate. he had a lot to prove. one of the criticisms was on another show he used radical right wing engineering to describe the ryan plan. i wanted to ask the speaker about that. listen to how he redefined that debate. >> if you're doing something as big as medicare and you can't have a conversation with the country where the country thinks what you're doing is the right thing, you better slow down. we all got mad at obama because he ran over us when we said

don't do it. well, the republicans ought to follow the same ground rule. if you can't convince the american people it is a good idea, maybe it is not a good idea. >> i get what the speaker is saying there, i get what he is saying strategically as a presidential candidate. when you're the house republicans and negotiate white gold the democratic white house, does that pull the rug out from under them? >> yeah. next question. i mean, clearly it does. you take away the negotiating, giving the democrats their talking points as they sit down to negotiate with paul ryan. >> and who are republicans running over, themselves? this is their plan, almost unanimously approved. who would they be running over? >> he is a good debater, forced the debate. he challenged me when i had numbers not right. very good in that give and take. did he do what he needed to do to get people to say all right, his staff didn't like him, they ran away, let's give him a chance. >> no, he's a great debater. we all know this. same criticism they threw at

barack obama, he gives a good speech, but is a bad manager. this with newt gingrich is the same. he had a two week sail around the mediterranean to come up with what to say. he's always been a bad manager. i would frankly be interested in the congresswoman, she was there with him awhile. >> yeah. >> to what people perceive of gingrich's weakness, lack of discipline. people who quit as you well know, were not just paid political consultants, these are people in newt world, for them to walk away is a big deal. >> we had dial testing groups, independent voters watching the debate. i don't like to make too much of this, they track audience sentiment, what gets them excited and turns them off.

i want to play a snip et that herman cane said, watch the dial group. >> i do not believe in sharia law in american courts. i believe in american laws in american courts, period. >>. [ applause ] >> there have been instances in new jersey, there was an instance in oklahoma where muslims did try to influence court decisions with sharia law. i was simply saying very emphatically american laws in american courts. >> the crowd certainly liked it in that room. does that have anything to do with being president of the sus and how did he acquit himself last night? >> i actually think newt gingrich gave a better answer than herman cain. i took over herman's radio show in atlanta, but there were a lot

of phone calls even from die hard herman fans scratching their head, like they knew obama and pawlenty would come up. newt gingrich gave a better response for him on this. it is not going to hurt him in the republican primary. heck, state of oklahoma passed a statewide referendum on sharia law. doesn't hurt republicans, but it is an off topic issue when jobs are out there. >> you say jobs. i want to get one more in here. several more candidates making their case against the democratic incumbent. >> this president has failed, and he's failed at a time when the american people counted on him to create jobs and get the economy going. >> this president is a declinist. >> the obama administration is anti-jobs, anti-business, anti-american energy, destructive force. >> you're all here saying the president of the united states is making the economy worse. has he done one thing, one thing right when it comes to the

economy in this country? >> that's a tough question. no, no, i can't think of anything. >> quickly to each of you. eric, you're not in the room. you go first. one of the test of republican voters, who up there on debate stage do i want to see against the democratic incumbent, in terms of making a case against the president, what did you see? >> you know, i think mitt romney probably had the best answer. i've never been a big fan of his, i think he won the debate not just by default but on answers on the economy. he was paternalistic on tim pawlenty's plan, too. i thought he came out well. >> i like in this george w. bush trying to run for re-election, bill clinton, had help from ross perfect oh, bill clinton convinced key voters in the middle i get it on the economy. >> there weren't a lot of specifics, then you pressed, you

talked to tim pawlenty, how can you predict 5% growth in your plan. so there weren't a lot of specifics given to those independent voters about what better plans the republicans would have. >> early on, did you see someone up there that you think if they grow at a good rate, that's somebody i can see winning that debate? >> i think most of us sat back and said one of the reasons as eric said adopt a frontrunner from the left because they have that experience. mitt romney showed that composure, was more relaxed. if you look at the tapes from last time around. in general, every candidate did a good job. no cringe-worthy moments. they stuck to the script. i may have disagreed with some of the ways they went and some of the thoughts they brought forth, but as a republican, i was kind of proud. >> good to see them focused on the president and not each other. >> good debate.

>> appreciate your coming. still could come, a daring trip, crossing from turkey into syria and finds a growing humanitarian crisis. and next, republican house speaker clashes with the democratic house on libya, but the most interesting foreign policy debate at the moment might be inside the gop. the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪ because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu.

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here is the latest news you need to know. big day on wall street. they posted best gains since april. the government says inflation isn't that bad, and consumer spending hasn't slowed as much as many experts feared. also today, federal reserve chairman ben bernanke warned congress not to play games with raising the federal debt ceiling. listen to what he says will happen if lawmakers don't act. >> treasury would soon find it necessary to prior advertise among and withhold critical disbursements like social security and medicare payments and funds for the military. >> when we come back as republicans try to pick a nominee for president, yes, they are arguing over taxes and spending but also a big fight over foreign policy. stay with us. highway miles a tank. one of our 9 models over 30 mpg highway.

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the field could look different for the next republican debate. former utah governor jon huntsman joined the gop field next week, choosing ellis island and lady liberty for his backdrop for the announcement. and a new candidate on the block. also there, texas governor rick perry after the debate, an opening to get in? >> of course he is not saying, john, because he is in a

listening and thinking mode, but he did say earlier today that he didn't think that last night's debate moved the ball. in other words, no clear frontrunner emerged, and in this room which is lincoln day dinner of republican new york candidate republicans, there are a lot of folks that say they feel a draft romney movement coming in, they would like to see him jump in because they see an opening. >> now, they see an opening. what do they think rick perry brings to the race that seven candidates on stage last night don't? >> it is a combination. obviously the fact he has a certain amount of charisma and energy, a willingness to go on the attack and fight. he has the sort of boldness, lack of fear about bringing the fight to the opponent and theoretically that would be president obama if he were to get the nomination. also, he has that combination of social conservative credentials, an ability to raise money as head of the republican governors association, he has access to

many donors, as a texas republican, many donors there, but also has this success story with the economy in texas, because as you know the economy in texas has been outperforming the economy as a whole across the nation, and that can be a very compelling story running against president obama were he to make it that far. that's what you hear from republicans who think he would have promise as a nominee were he to get there. >> showing the viewers some pictures. governor perry in the back of the room. we will show the live image if we can. one last question. when speaker gingrich's staff fired the candidate last week, a number of them have close ties to governor perry from running his texas campaign, so there is a campaign in waiting, if you will, a staff, is there not? >> that's right. and one of his -- i should say one of newt gingrich's top aides is traveling here with rick perry. that's not a defection. he also worked for governor perry prior to working for newt

gingrich, but you know, now he's freed up and a free agent, if you will, so if governor perry chooses to run, there are plenty of free agents available to him to get a campaign up and going, and as i mentioned, it is not insignificant that he has a donor database to tap into, and access to a small donor base because of alliance with key interest groups. he could get something going rather easily if he decides to take the plunge. >> sometimes a good horse looking for a good jockey. the republican speaker of the house sent a warning to the white house about u.s. military involvement in libya. speaker boehner says will be 90 days since congress was informed of the decision to use american military fire power in libya. the letter says it would appear in five days the administration will be in violation of the war powers resolution unless it asks for and receives authorization

from congress or withdraws all u.s. troops and resources from the mission. tough words, but it would be wrong to see this just as partisan show down. as you saw in the presidential debate, there's growing divide in the republican party, not only over libya but broadly over use of u.s. military force overseas. david bergennis here to talk with us. you get differing views. john mccain was tough on foreign policy, the president said he was too late getting into libya. again, potential muscular use of force. listen to differences in the candidates last night. >> i want the troops to come home, based upon not politics and economics but instead based upon conditions on the ground determined by the generals. >> i won't wait for generals, i

make the decisions, i tell the generals what to do and bring them home as quickly as possible, get them out of iraq as well and i wouldn't start a war in libya. i would quit bombing yemen and quit bombing pakistan. start home. we could save hundreds of billions of dollars. >> the first duty of president of the united states is leader of the nation and commander in chief is to make sure the nation is safe. you bet if there are individuals i have intelligence on in yemen that present threat to security interest in the reasoning or or to united states of america, they will hear from me and we will continue the bombs. >> what do you make of this debate, when a party is looking for a new nominee, searching for a new leader, sometimes tries to sort things out. what's happening here? >> it is remarkable, john. it is a different tone from the last election in 2008. these were a group of candidates that sounded isolationist. when mitt romney says bring the troops out of afghanistan as fast as you can, and several of

them lined up against the libyan mission, you know, it is a big change of tone. i think in part, john, it is a war weariness that they are reflecting, and this is the first time i can remember in many years when there's a wide open republican nomination and there's no sitting senator among the candidates, so we've had mccain, for example, in the past, who sounded that voice, a much more hawkish voice, there's nobody like that here. it was striking after the debate last night, ron paul -- almost straight down the line, no, no, no, we are not getting involved. he told anderson cooper after the debate, he said you know, i find the candidates this year closer to me than they were in 2008. >> they are, not all of them, many are. and they don't treat him with the scorn john mccain treated ron paul with in 2008. i was asking michele bachmann about that last night about

libya, she's on the house intelligence committee. she doesn't think the united states should be involved militarily in libya. here is one of the reasons why. >> what possible vital american interest could we have to empower al qaeda of north africa and libya, the president was absolutely wrong in his decision on that. >> ten years after 9-11, our intelligence is so inadequate that we have no idea what percent of libyan rebels are al qaeda. >> two serious candidates for president in the republican party there saying we don't know who the libyan opposition is. we can't trust there is not al qaeda involved. listen to the last republican nominee, john mccain, who says he knows these people and has no problem with them. >> i do believe that this is a legitimate government, there are concerns about the makeup of it. they are on facebook. you can -- they've got a website. you can see who they are and what they're about. >> does it matter?

this is a soul searching is what a primary process is about, finding a new leader. does it matter? when you're in the middle of these crisis to as a party be sort tg out? >> it does matter. it will clearly send a signal to other nations if the republican party is split over a muscular foreign policy. you know, they may want to wait it out. may get something that's much different. the republicans have been the hawks. the neoconservatives after all picked up that banner and charged into iraq and charged into afghanistan and to have the republican candidates now basically say let's get out of afghanistan as quickly as we can, or to attack the libyan thing, if you're gadhafi and watching this, you might -- i don't want to go too far with this, gadhafi is -- i think he will be gone soon and good

riddance, but a lot of republicans were pushing president obama to be much more aggressive and muscular in libya, and john mccain, lindsey graham and others thought we ought to lower the boom on gadhafi. it was not that long ago, of course, that president reagan went after him with bombs after terrorist attack in berlin. you know, republicans have traditionally taken a very hard line against gadhafi and a lot of these terrorist activities, so i was surprised last night by this. i also wonder where it is going to lead in terms of defense spending among the candidates. if they want to spend -- if they refuse to cut spending, what is it the military is supposed to be for when we have terrorists facing us? it almost seems like a repute agency of what george w. bush was trying to do and i was surprised. >> interesting point. not only criticism of the democratic president but criticism or repud agency of george w. bush.

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tonight, you can look at the map, we are seeing multiple reports of syrian security forces widening the crackdown especially in the northwest part of the country. the government says it is pursuing rebels. witnesses say they are burning fields and destroying people's homes. the syrian government refuses to allow cnn and other news organizations into the country to cover this dramatic story. tonight, we have exclusive pictures of the humanitarian crisis caused by the brutal crackdown. i will show you on the map. a reporter came from turkey into this area of syria, not saying where here. spent several hours in a camp filled with people that fled the syrian military advance. have a look. >> reporter: this is the campsite located out of the turkish border in syria. conditions are so dire, as you walk through here, individuals keep coming up to us, wanting to show us how much the families are struggling to survive. the women here are visibly

upset, they arrived a few days ago from one of the small villages. they don't have much shelter either. these children with them that don't even have proper shoes, are not able to stay clean. they are filthy, and it is an incredibly desperate situation. >> she joins us live across the border in turkey. amazing reporting. help us understand the situation, where you are, especially where you have the refugees, families that are fleeing. where are they staying, what is their mindset, where are they hoping to go. hoping to go home? >> reporter: john, they have the most rudimentary living conditions imaginable. tents if you can call them that, under a little more than carpeted, often times strung between two trees. it has been raining quite strongly the last few nights, thankfully not tonight. in many cases, a lot of them say

they had to spend the night standing up because the ground beneath them turned into pure mud. now, some of them are waiting to cross into turkey. some of them choose to stay, because they hope against hope that perhaps one of their loved ones that went missing in the chaos as so often has been the case would turn up, or there -- they are hopeful they can go back home. one man tried to make the journey home three days ago, on his motorcycle, came across the military creeping through. they shot at him, he went running back to camp. there are tails of horror, they see the syrian military coming for them, inching closer to the turkish border. >> and it is very important. as i said, we can't get into syria, we have been trying, you have been trying for weeks to cover this crackdown. when you talk to these people,

you use the word horror. what specifically do they describe seeing and experiencing? >> reporter: you know, john, you ask them that question, and the first response that they say is i cannot put into words what i have seen. it was horrific. it was a nightmare. and the stories range from individuals who saw others shot and killed in front of them to people who say they witnessed syrian security forces burning fields around their villages and their livestock, destroying their homes. many people managed to flee at the last minute as the military was entering into their homes. it is chilling. it is incredibly difficult. the children, speaking to them. on one hand, they laugh and appear to be playing in this filthy river in water people are using to bathe in, but you talk to parents, they tell you how traumatized the children are and they are struggling in this camp because there's a lot of disease

going around. one man set up a makeshift pharmacy trying to help. they didn't have medicine at hand to deal with the need. these are people that say they fled a nightmare, but now they are faced with an entirely different set of challenges. the biggest difficulty is they don't know when they can go home. they keep asking us wondering if we have any insight into when the regime of assad may fall, but that's a question we can't answer either. >> brave reporting there. keep up the good work. stay safe. we will continue to track that story as much as we can, including reports the crackdown continues. thanks. let's get more perspective of what's happening inside syria and what should the united states and other international countries do to put more pressure on the regime. the ambassador joins us. she talked of horror story after horror story from citizens about

the crackdown and a refugee crisis, israel has excellent intelligence on what's going on in syria. tell us what's happening? >> we see a breakdown of syrian internal control, regime control over the population. syria breaking down along ethnic likes. syria was cobbled together from various ethnic groups, always been held together by preponderance of force. now we see people challenging that central savage force. >> a challenge to the force or tipping point that could perhaps crumble the regime? >> perhaps indeed, though that regime is a brutal regime, has many means at its disposal to crush opponents. we have seen it. used tanks on their own people, helicopter gun ships against their own people. keep in mind, his father 30 years ago killed between 15 and

20,000 people in one day who rose up against him. his son is continuing that horrible tradition. >> and so the question is what should the world try to do about this. i want you to listen to mark toner, state department spokesman. the obama administration rhetoric is getting increasingly tough but doesn't go to the end in calling for regime change. listen. >> we are trying to bring more pressure to bear on assad, trying to isolate him. but i think what you're seeing increasingly is that assad is doing a pretty good job himself of isolating syria, making it more and more of an international perfect eye a. >> would israel like the united states to say he should go or do

you fear what could come worse? >> president obama said in unequivocal terms that assad should agree to general winery form, leading to genuine democracy or get out of the way in syria, president obama said that publicly. as far as israel is concerned, it is not a question we prefer, the devil we know to the devil we don't know. as odd is sufficiently is devilish. hard to imagine someone a worse devil than he is. he supported -- provided 50,000 rockets to hezbollah, 10,000 to hamas in gaza, he is involved in assassinations in lebanon, doesn't even keep a quiet border with us. people used to say that was the big advantage to us. he hasn't done that any more. really, we don't see any alternative that could be worse. >> does israel want regime change? do they want the world to demand that change? >> we want the world to demand reform leading to democracy in syria. >> do you think assad is capable of that? >> in view of his past record, definitely not. >> iran is the big worry from syria, many worry about a proxy

war. if assad goes, does iran win or lose? >> syria has been a loyal ally of iran. it is together with iran that syria supported hezbollah and hamas, and i think loss of syria to iran would be a major set back to the iranians. >> what would happen on your border? the egyptian crisis played out in a way i assume israel is happy with so far, knowing stanlt of the mubarak government so far. do you worry if another regime fell on another border with israel, there could be chaos in the region? >> i think right now there is chaos in syria, i think there are desperate threats to states throughout the region from iran, and there are as i mentioned earlier 60,000 syrian supplied rockets aimed at israeli neighborhoods. hard to imagine a situation worse than that. i think we can look forward to a better future if what happened in egypt would transpire in

syria as well. >> mike obviously oren, u.s. ak bass door from israel. thanks for your time. very important subject. we will stay on top of it. up next, what one congressman says is the real reason behind president obama's quick trip to puerto rico today. ♪ ♪ well, you know i love it too ♪ ♪ you love money ♪ well, you know i love it too ♪ ♪ i work so hard at my job ♪ and then i bring it home to you ♪ ♪ i love money in my pocket [ male announcer ] breathe, socket. just breathe. we know it's intimidating. instant torque. top speed of 100 miles an hour. that's one serious machine. but you can do this. any socket can.

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president obama made a quick political trip to puerto rico today, he was there about five hours, just long enough to raise money and to promise he will support whatever decisions

voters in puerto rico make about their political future. could be full independent, state hood or some semi autonomous status. >> when the people of puerto rico make a clear decision, my administration will stand by you. >> watching the president's trip, a democratic congressman from the president's hometown who happens to be of puerto rico, he says the trip was more about here than there. >> i think the trip of the president of the united states to the island of puerto rico has a lot more to do with the 860,000 puerto ricans that live in the state of florida, maybe the nearly 400,000 that live in the state of pennsylvania, two key battle ground states in the upcoming. money will do good, too, million and a half, but let's put it in context. he didn't speak to puerto rico,

the unemployment rate is twice as high as the rest of the nation of united states of america. they have an economic engine that stalled, has broken down. 30,000 employees fired. they have severe economic -- i would have thought he would have gone there to speak about how it is you improve the socioeconomic conditions of the people, but if it is a campaign stop, there's nothing wrong with that, presidents have done it before. it is nice, he visited people in a sun filled island and i am sure there are wonderful photos taken. >> that's tough words. that's how you view it, as essentially the president going to raise money, help himself politically. seems like you have a cynical view of the whole thing. >> i just, look, you asked me, john, and i read the speech carefully. he said just so that you understand, i was there in puerto rico when he was candidate barack obama. there's an extensive agreement, i'll send it to you after this interview, specific things he said he would have an economic detailed plan in order to infuse the economy of puerto rico with

stimulus for jobs. i mean, come on. these are 3.7 american citizens that live on that island that are going through some devastating times. they are losing homes quicker, the devaluation of homes, joblessness that exists there, there are severe problems. and i think that it is always good to match, you know, actions with your know, actions with your words. to say yes, you care about the people of puerto rico. it's nice you that went there. and i don't want to begrudge him the visit to puerto rico. but let's put it in its proper context. it really much more i believe a political visit than one that -- that creates job opportunities and economic wealth. >> and as you do that, you're saying promise broken, essentially, mr. president. you promised more to the people of puerto rico than you've given them. and you also write in the huffington post today very tough words about an issue we've talked before. your views of the president on immigration. specifically the dream act in this case. now, you're a democrat. you're from the president's adopted hometown. why so tough? >> well, because i want him to be re-elected president of the united states.

and i know that sounds contradictory. i cannot -- okay. this thursday i'll be in -- out in pittsburgh. and then i'll go to minneapolis-st. paul and new york on saturday, and next week oregon. i'll be campaigning around the country in order to create the kind of grassroots effort to get the president to take executive action. but listen, i will return to all of those states, and i will work vigorously to go back there and say you know something, he didn't just speak, it wasn't just a photo opportunity in puerto rico or el paso or a nice speech or a nice speech about what we need. he took the kinds of action that really improved the quality of life and he kept his word. and then i can go back there and campaign and get him re-elected president of the united states. >> but will you not do that? you're complaining in the huffington post article about deportations. will you not go out and campaign for the president? will you not go into the latino community across this country in all of those key states and say you can trust this man if he doesn't do more and do more

soon? >> john, my word and my activism and my presence will become irrelevant unless the president clearly -- there's a door that's wide open, and the republicans have just -- have kind of said step aside, latinos, we really don't care. and they've opened this wide door. i want the president to walk through that door with actions and with a commitment through his actions as president of the united states. then it becomes really, john, irrelevant i -- >> but if he doesn't walk through that door, will you say mr. president, sorry, you're on your own, i'm not going to help you now? >> it would become irrelevant what i say, really, john. what's going to happen -- this is really not a choice about democrats and republicans and about asking people to vote for a republican candidate or someone other than the president of the united states. and i want to make that absolutely clear. this is about how many people we can get to the polls, how many of those 850,000 puerto ricans in florida, how many of the millions that he's going to need in key battleground states that

he won before. new mexico and colorado and florida and nevada. we want to make sure -- i want to make sure that there is a sense of, how would i say it, here are the promises that are made, here are the people that came out to vote, and they're actually in unison with one another. that is, people voted, came out, and the promises were kept. >> some tough words from the democratic congressman. luis gutierrez. sir, thanks for your time tonight. >> thank you so much. when we come back, we'll fact check a claim made in last night's republican debate. and, well, there was something i did last night that some of you liked, some of you differed, didn't like. someone else put it to music.

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wow... it's all in the wrists. ♪ nationwide is on your side we had some technical issues that kept us from doing this throughout the show, but one of the things we wanted to do tonight and we'll continue today and the days ahead is to put some political rhetoric to the test as the campaign unfolds. here's one we want to put to the truth test from our republican debate last night. >> the reason we're seeing this second dip is because of energy prices. and this president has put a stop sign against oil drilling -- >> now, that's a bit of a stretch. what senator santorum, the point he was trying to make, is he wants the president to approve more domestic drilling. but the stop sign, the stop sign rhetoric say bit misleading. let's go and show you the facts there. again, the senator wants more crude oil drilling. but if you just look back from the bush administration days into the obama administration, the available statistics so far, domestic crude oil production is actually up in the obama

administration. that's one of the things we wanted to check. we also wanted to show you something else. it was very important to me as the moderator. and some of you enjoyed the job i did. some of you thoroughly did not enjoy the job i did. comes with the territory. that's okay. my top priority was trying to keep it as fair as possible. seven candidates. you should try it sometime. it's hard to manage seven candidates in a free-wheeling live television debate, over two hours. what we wanted to do is split the time relatively easily. you see governor romney got the most time, herman cain the least time, about a two-minute difference between them. i wish those numbers were a bit closer. but if you look in here everybody is pretty close. went back and looked. this is the most fair we've been able to be at cnn in our history in a multicandidate debate like this. i would defy you to look elsewhere. i like when our competitors do debates too. i watch them. nothing against them. we believe this was pretty fair in keeping the time running as consistently as possible. ma maybe you liked it. maybe you didn't. another thing we tried to do that has received some criticism online and other people liked it. i call it this or that. we asked a lot of serious questions about the economy, about foreign policy, about

other issues in this country, but many of these candidates you don't know before. so we wanted to take some time to just ask them, yes, a silly question to see how they responded, to see if they would laugh, to see if they would smile, to see if they would joke. some of you didn't like it. i just want to make this point. the debate was two hours. "this or that" took up to minutes and 41 seconds total. now, as we went through last night, i enjoyed it. i thought we learned a little bit about our candidates. this morning our friends at sirius xm radio took that segment and put it to rap music. we decided to one up today. we took their audio, matched it up with the video. have a peek. >> every time we go to break or come back from break i'm going to ask the candidates one at a time -- ♪ it's like this >> -- a question we call "this or that." "this or that." ♪ this and like that and like that ♪ ♪ uh-huh >> or that. this. ♪ or that. >> leno or conan? >> neither -- probably