plus, word the president was warned directly by two top advisers about the risk of lending money to a now-bankrupt energy company. the administration fast-tracked that loan despite the warnings and taxpayers now must foot the half billion dollar bill. up first, the political story, by far, generating the most buzz today. chris christie is considering a late entry to the republican race for president. >> the title for governor christie's speech tonight at the reagan library, "real american exceptionalism." lester, that's the kind of speech title that a presidential candidate might give. >> christie was in missouri yesterday. he travels to louisiana later this week. he still insists he is not running. >> it would be wiser just to sit back. he's got some time. but, look, it's chaotic in there. there's a lot of people.

it is tempting. you could be president. that's big. >> that sounds like someone is dabbling, that's for sure. >> there is a big speech at the reagan presidential library tonight. republican fund-raisers across the country this week and word from friend and the former new jersey governor tom keane that christie is now seriously considering a late entry into the gop race. here is tonight's truth. he isn't running. and while he's listening closely, very closely, to friends and fund-raisers begging him to reconsider, the best bet is that governor christie stays on the sidelines. why? well, for starters, the governor's greatest strength as a politician is he's viewed as a straight shooter, a guy who calls it like he sees it. and this is how he sees himself. >> i don't feel like i'm ready to be president. i don't want to run for president. i don't have the fire in the belly to run for president. >> so i say take the governor at his word, especially when he adds this. >> you know, short of suicide, i don't really know what i would have to do to convince you people that i'm not running. i'm not running. >> still not convinced? remember, governor christie is a former prosecutor, a guy who knows how to make a strong case.

imagine what a good ad man, that's a prosecutor in politics, imagine what a good ad man could do at this snippet from what you just heard, especially given the huge issues facing the country right now. >> i don't feel ready in my heart to be president. >> and there is more. any good lawyer studies the precedent, and texas governor rick perry is exhibit a for governor christie. >> mitt romney that was on the side of -- against the second amendment, before he was for the second amendment, was it was before he was before the social programs from the standpoint of he was for standing up for roe v. wade. >> a little confused there maybe? the reason successful candidates start running so early is so they make those mistakes in small new hampshire living rooms or a barn in iowa. and the lesson's learned well before the glare of nationally televised debates. plus the mythical candidacy is almost always more fun than the

actual candidacy. just ask fred thompson or rudy giuliani, even governor perry. yes, perry still leads the gop pack in national polls, but his views on immigration, including in-state tuition breaks for children of illegal immigrants, are giving some conservatives pause. so, how do you think hard-line conservatives would process this? the new york times quotes governor christie as saying this back in 2008. "being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime." and then there is this, from just last year. >> so the president and the congress have to step up to the plate, they have to secure our borders, and they have to put forward a common sense path to citizenship for people. >> a common sense path to citizenship. citizenship for illegal immigrants is about as popular with tea party voters as president obama or deficit spending. christie, like perry, would have explaining to do. so, again, i say, take him at his word. >> what do you want me to say?

like i'll jump off a building if they'll nominate me? i can't say this any other way. i am not a candidate for president. >> so why then all this buzz? well, rich galen and gloria borger have a few thoughts about that. rich, i want to start with you. i bumped into you a few times with fred thompson in 2008. why do people say this is late? iowa doesn't vote for 130 more days, there is plenty of time to get in, but it is hard. >> it is. the early days of march, april, may traveling around the living rooms and the barns as you put it, that's like spring training for a professional baseball team. that's when you learn how to cover first on a bunt, that's how you learn all the fundamentals. when you get into the actual race, the little mistakes are not little mistakes because it is the championship season. there is a very famous saying in most nfl stadiums. the most popular guy in the stadium is the backup quarterback. he's never fumbled the ball. he's never thrown an interception. and perry was that guy.

he strapped on this chin strap, ran -- took us behind center and fumbled the ball. >> so, he's not running. i think we all agree at the table he's not running, except his office releases some experiments of this speech tonight, he's going to give it at the ronald reagan presidential library, a pretty big stage for a republican, and, remember, he's a governor. this is among the things he says in this speech tonight. "today, the biggest challenge we must meet is the one we present to ourselves, to not become a nation that places entitlement ahead of accomplishment, to not become a country that places comfortable lies ahead of difficult truths, to not become a people that thinks so little of ourselves that we demand no sacrifice from each other. we are a better people than that and we must demand a better nation than that." >> the shining city upon a hill, sounds like ronald reagan, right? >> that sounds like a guy running for president. >> it does. >> even though he's not running for president. >> right.

he's not running for president, just consider the forum he's at, just consider where he's at. nancy reagan asked him to speak there so it has to be a speech that say large speech, and particularly given all the attention that he's getting. but i agree with you. look, he's not going to run. republicans are searching for ronald reagan. guess what? they're not going to find ronald reagan in this particular field. and ronald reagan is -- chris christie is not ronald reagan either. >> it is pretty flattering, you have all these people saying the field has a hole, we need you, you're the guy who can beat obama, we can raise a boat load of money for you. >> a ton of money for the re-election campaign for the governor of new jersey. four years ago, like today, the polling had hillary clinton at 47%, barack obama at 26%. on our side, the republican side, giuliani 28%, thompson 23%, mccain 15%. if you took mccain and obama and the points, you did very well. >> mccain and obama in the points, i missed that bet. inintro, i played some of the views. you look great, you get in the

race and people scrub your record and they look. people talk about electability, but primaries are about ideology. so we heard what he said about immigration. that would be a tough sell to conservative voters. how about this, on gun control. he said this in an interview with sean hannity in october 2009, what i support are common sense laws that will allow people to protect themselves. but i'm also very concerned about the safety of our police officers on the streets, very concerned. and i want to make sure that we don't have an abundance of guns out there. so trying to find a middle ground on gun control. >> well, but that's not going to make lots of republicans happy, conservative republicans happy. just like perry disappointed them on the immigration issue. >> no border fence. >> exactly. and the hpv vaccine. so there is no perfect candidate. and into that vacuum jumps, i would argue, romney.

because romney, by being sort of the slow -- the steady guy, maybe the person that lots of republicans are now thinking who can beat barack obama because romney can actually make the race about barack obama by not being exciting or controversial. >> one more on the issues, climate change, which the conservatives, again, is a tough one. here is chris christie sounding, forgive me governor, like al gore. "climate change is real. human activity plays a role in these changes. when you have over 90% of the world scientists who have studied this data and the climate change occurring and humans play a contributing role, it's time to defer to the experts." that would be another tough sell, correct? >> when i run for president, here is how i describe climate change. let's agree it is better to put less junk in the air than more junk. can we all agree on that? let's take the next step. but they don't even get to that. >> and yet, barack obama was not going to run in 2008. he gave the big speech in 2004. he was not going to run in 2008, his team looked at it and said 2008 is going to be the democratic year. you can say you're not ready, he did say he wasn't ready and then

he ran because they said here's the year we can win. can you make that case to governor christie, despite everything you said about not being ready -- >> that was six months earlier. >> can you make that case? >> that was a long way before that. and to your point -- and to your point, he spent a lot of time in iowa. especially in iowa, working the crowds, learning the issues. he was a sitting united states senator. he had a little broader palette to paint on than a state governor. >> and the one lesson you were pointing out earlier that i think he learned from governor perry is that there is no off-broadway anymore. you start out center stage broadway. and there are mistakes you're going to make and your record is going to be scrubbed just the way you're scrubbing his record here tonight. and that's a problem for any candidate getting in, particularly when he himself said he's not ready to be president. >> so, rich, is the message to republicans then this is your field? get used to it? deal with it? >> that's right. absolutely. nobody -- i was trying to think of a campaign, not an incumbent,

but a challenger open-seat campaign for president that ever led wire to wire. i don't think that happens. i mean, bush didn't in 2000. got creamed in new hampshire, as you remember. these things happen, they go up and down and up and down. you get into the twitter world now, everbody, all of us, everything we talk about to each other in real time, these things become gigantic. >> it is going to be -- it is going to come down to electability because republicans are united on one thing, that they want to defeat barack obama. if romney can close that deal, saying i'm the most electable and i can shine the light on barack obama in this campaign and make it about him, and his record on the economy, then i think republicans are going to fall in line. i don't know. am i wrong? >> no. the poll we talked about last week, between tea party republicans and nontea party republicans, 80% said when it comes down to it, they want to beat barack obama. >> this is why we go iowa, new hampshire, south carolina,

florida and beyond. different pieces of the puzzle have a different view of it. last thing on governor christie, i did speak to one adviser tonight who said he's incredibly flattered by all of this, still a no. we'll watch the speech, we'll watch what happens in the days ahead. still ahead here, a controversial bake sale at a california campus draws a long line of protesters and stokes the debate over affirmative action. and, next, the president visits colorado, a red state he turned blue in 2008. might the map be changing colors again come 2012? i don't want healthy skin for a day. i want healthy skin for life.

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this simple truth from president obama's top political strategist today. >> we had the wind at our back in 2008. we don't have the wind at our backs in this election. we have the wind in our face because the american people have the wind in their faces. >> a wind in your face and presidential politics means a much more difficult map. and if you track the president's travels in recent days, you get pretty good telling picture about his early campaign targeting. let's take a look right here. there is where the president was today in denver, colorado. watch this. this is where he has been in the last couple of weeks since giving his jobs speech on september 9th, raleigh, north carolina, richmond, ohio,

california, seattle. this is 2008. four of the states the president has visited, red state, red state, red state and red state. these were states that george w. bush won. take a peek again. nine red states in 2004, see them, were blue states for obama in 2008. that's what makes this map so fascinating. at the colorado stop, the president promoted his ideas for job creation and he tried on a new more populous line to counter republican criticism that his plan to raise taxes on affluent americans amounts to class warfare. >> you know what? if asking a millionaire to pay the same tax rate as a plumber makes me a class warrior, a warrior for the working class, i will accept that. i will wear that charge as a badge of honor. the only warfare i've seen is

the battle that's been waged against middle class families in this country for a decade now. >> colorado's nine electoral college votes are a big help to the obama campaign in 2008, but can he count on them in 2012? colorado's democratic governor, john hickenlooper, is with us tonight. governor, if the election were today, would the president carry colorado? >> it would be very close. i think it would be a -- it is hard to say if it was an election today. i think it would depend who his opponent was. >> who would you worry about the most? >> i think, you know, colorado is a very pragmatic state. and after elections, people really focus on getting stuff done. we're not terribly partisan. there are almost as many independents so somebody more pragmatic, mitt romney would be a tough opponent in colorado.

>> your predecessor, republican bill ritter, says a repeat of 2008 is very unlikely. i'd say he's looking at a high-wire act here. you say it would be close. do you basically agree with the former republican governor? >> i'm not sure it would be a high-wire act. i think part of what he's trying to do now is lay out a real, you know, kind of a nonpartisan approach of taking measures that have been promoted by republicans and democrats. you know, cutting payroll taxes, investing in infrastructure, and just trying to get people to work together and i think that sells in colorado. people, you know, we have almost as many as -- almost as many independents as we do republicans and, you know, almost as many democrats as republicans. it's almost one-third, one-third. >> if you look at opinion poll among independents, the president's handling of the independents has dropped dramatically. it has dropped among everybody, but especially among independents. do you see that in your state, people who backed obama last time saying, governor, this isn't what i bought? >> well, there is certainly a lot of discouragement with the economy, and some of that rubs off on the president.

but i think a lot of those numbers were based on some weeks ago. we'll have to see. what people want, really want is some solutions, right? some effort. and they want less red tape. they want, you know, to free up some money in small businesses. they want a more entrepreneurial approach to the economy. that's all the stuff that president obama was talking about today. >> i want you to listen to part of what he's saying today. he was talking about the specifics of his policy. he was also making a political appeal, trying to get people in your state, anyone listening across the country to help out, essentially trying to gin up the grassroots machine. let's listen a bit. >> i'm asking all of you, i need you to lift up your voices. not just here in denver, but anybody watching, anybody listening, anybody following online. i need you to call, e-mail, tweet, fax, visit, tell your congressperson, unless it is the congressperson that is here, because they're already on board, tell them you're tired of gridlock, you're tired of the games. tell them the time for action is now. >> i spent a lot of time in your

state. you were the mayor back in 2008, the mayor of denver. and the obama campaign had a very impressive grassroots organization there, students, latinos, traditional democrats, independents involved. how much has it frayed, if at all, in your view, since 2008? can he flip a switch and turn it on? >> i don't think he can pull a switch. but, again, i think that that grassroots constituency responds to ideas and appeals like he made today. i think that sense of gridlock, right, colorado is a place where we -- you know, once the election is over, everybody works together. we passed our budget -- we have a republican house and a democratic senate, but we passed our budget, which was a tough budget, with 80 votes out of 100. 80% of both parties came together to pass a budget. people are frustrated by the gridlock and i think that, you

know, if congress can't find -- find a compromise and move forward, they're actually doing a service to the president. the president -- it makes the president looks like he's doing everything he can to get things going and that congress is just digging their heels in for partisan politics. >> you mentioned your situation in colorado. here in washington, we also have a republican house and a democratic senate. a democratic president, two weeks after he sent his jobs bill up to capitol hill saying in your state, the time for action is now. as a democratic governor, how would you explain to fellow democrats why the democratic senate led by the democratic leader harry reid has not brought the president's jobs bill to the floor and essentially dared the republicans to have that debate? >> well, you know, that's the part of politics that's over my head. i spent too many years running restaurants. so, i'm probably the wrong person to ask there. my guess is that they're trying to frame the discussion of, you know, why can't we find a compromise in congress and, you know, i think the democrats are trying to, you know, really kind

of push the republicans. so much of what is in the jobs bill was earlier supported by various republicans that they -- i think they're trying to bring that out and say, hey, if you want -- you want to cut payroll taxes before, we want to cut it now, let's get it done. >> your state is one of the great laboratories heading into 2012. because in 2008, it had been a red state, obama turns it blue. then in 2010, two democratic house seats go republican in your state as part of the big republican wave and we're asking when we look at these swing states, what's going to happen in 2012? what is your sense among the electorate? are they happy with the choice they made in 2010 or is the pendulum going to swing again? >> like i said, you know, it is about equal numbers of democrats and republicans and independents. i think they're unhappy with the economy. and, again, some of that always rubs off on the president, the president is the leader. but i think most people in colorado don't care as much about republican or democrat as they do about our country. and what they really care about, you know, the whole thing with

the debt ceiling, where people lost faith in our government, not just in -- not just here in the united states, but all around the world and suddenly, the stock market goes into a tailspin, people in colorado hate that. there are certain common factors all across the country, right? we hate waste. we want people to work together. the gridlock that we see in washington is, i think, frustrating for everyone. >> governor john hickenlooper of colorado, sir, appreciate your time tonight. we'll keep checking in as the campaign plays out. >> you bet. still ahead, the president's terse response when a reporter suggests there are mounting complaints in the african-american community. plus, the death of michael jackson. his former doctor is on trial. new details of the pop star's final moments emerge during an emotional first day in court. that's next. ♪

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welcome back. here is the latest news you need to know right now. a los angeles jury heard opening statements in the trial of dr. conrad murray, michael jackson's doctor. the prosecutor said murray's incompetence caused jackson's death. they said he died so suddenly, he didn't have time to close his

eyes. israel announced plans to expand settlement ins east jerusalem, a move hillary clinton called counterproductive to u.s. efforts to restart peace talks. apple is expected to unveil its new iphone 5 one week from today. but it is only confirming a big press event on october 4th. the cost of family health insurance jumped to $15,000 annually. guess what? it shows employers picked up most of that increase. revised figures from the census bureau show just over half a million u.s. households now headed by same sex couples. that's an increase, but still less than 1% of all u.s. households. following up on a story we told you about monday, protesters wearing black and lying on the ground far outnumbered buyers at today's pay by race bake sale. that sale was sponsored by republicans to draw attention to affirmative action in university admission policies. two of the president's top advisers warned him there were financial and political risks in fast-tracking loan guarantees to new energy companies.

one of those companies, solyndra, went bankrupt this month as we reported previously leaving taxpayers holding the bag on the half-billion dollar loan. the president visited the plant in may of 2010. one of the main investors was a big contributor to the president's 2008 campaign. joining us now, one of the authors of that fabulous piece of today's "l.a. times." i want to be clear, because there's a lot of politics involved in the discussion of this story. larry summers and tim geithner warn the president about these loans in general, not specifically solyndra. what are they worried about? >> earlier this year, they briefed him on the problems involving broadly this energy loan guarantee program. the advisers were really split about whether this program was actually effective or even meeting the president's goals. and on one side, you had summers and geithner, who really had concerns whether the program was

vigorous enough, foreshadowing questions raised about solynda's application. and on the other side, energy secretary steven chu was under pressure to fast-track and speed up the loans and wanted less review and oversight. >> you have -- you quote a source familiar with the internal debate, "it was completely predictable there would be a colossal failure among the bets. is that in the sense that the program wasn't ready for primetime or was it that if we're going to invest in 10 new companies, a couple of them are going to fail? >> sure. this was the philosophical debate that started early on in the administration. does it make sense to invest in specific companies versus market incentives? specific companies take a bet on them, you're not sure it is going to take. this is something the president's advisers were concerned about early on. >> one of the debates in washington now is was it politics? because one of these investors gave money. was it picking a company and saying help that one because they gave us money. has anyone in your reporting, i talked to others, been able to connect the dots or is that a republican question? >> that's something

investigators are looking at right now. and that's not something that i think anyone has really definitively shown yet. there were, i think, fascinatingly enough, questions about whether this overall program was a good idea and that's something that really, i think, presaged the whole controversy. >> take us inside that -- what you call a philosophical debate, which is, essentially, the role of government, period, in stimulating the economy? and if there say role, how specific? are we picking general industries or specific companies within? >> i think this episode is so emblematic of the question that has faced obama since he's taken office, which is what should the role of government be in stimulating the marketplace? and you had advisors on either side of the issue and it is fascinating to see this exploding in the way it has. early on, the question was should we try to just stimulate the market overall or should we be specifically trying to pick our bets and pick companies? supporters of the program argue that there are going to be some that fail and solyndra just happened to be one in this case.

>> and to circle back, when the president's top advisors say, mr. president, this is risky, what does he say? >> what is interesting is what appears is there is a draw out of this meeting there wasn't a lot of action taken. they made modest changes to the program, but there wasn't any extreme option that had been proposed, identified. so the program went forward and it's unclear whether that would have affected solyndra's prospects if they had actually raised more questions. >> congressional investigation continues. fascinating reporting. matea gold, thank you very much. next, president obama's testy anser when asked about doing more to help specific groups, such as african-americans. [ grandma ] why do relationships matter?

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should the country's first african-american president be doing more to specifically help african-americans deal with these tough economic times? it is a question some african-american political leaders have raised in recent months and it is a question the president himself doesn't like. listen. >> why not target the african-american community? why not say, then, this is for you? this is for african-americans. if there was a banking crisis and you target money for the banks. if there was a national disaster, you target your money for the national -- for disaster relief. >> no, no, no, no. that's not how america works. >> the president goes on to describe what i will call the rising tide lifts all boat theory. well, is that the right approach from both the policy and political standpoint? joining us, cnn political

contributor roland martin and blogger, tara wall. roland, the president gets his back up when he's asked this question. i've been around him before when it comes up. no, that's not my job. my job is not just to help the african-american community, my job is to help america. right answer? >> wrong answer. and it makes no sense he gets had his back up. when latinos talk about the dream act, we know exactly what they're talking about. when gays and lesbians talk about don't ask, don't tell, we know that they're talking about. there is a way to answer the question. there is no need to go defensive. part of the reason is the white house is sensitive to white criticism of who are you helping? tea party study that was done showed that 25% of them felt he was doing more for african-americans than any others. but black voters are his constituents. so, therefore, you can target programs, so don't be afraid to answer the question. >> i think the president

certainly is correct. he does represent all the people. it is the same argument president bush made when he was asked the same question among minority constituents. i think the issue for president obama, however, is that this is something that he set himself up for, this was a promise he made to the black community and targeted specifically the black community. so, i think he has a responsibility in that essence, in that vein, if you will. overall, absolutely, yes, the president represents all of the people. and he has to address problems that are for all americans. with that, though, there is opportunity there to talk about what specifically he is doing in the black community and some of the issues that are causing disparities between black and white americans. >> and that's a policy issue there. there is a political overlay now. we're heading into the re-election cycle. the president knows it will be a tough election. he needs turnout and intensity. listen to the president, this was an interview with b.e.t. the president objects when he believes the reporter is suggesting there is widespread dissatisfaction among african-american political leaders.

let's listen to the answer. >> the other thing i want to make sure you don't just kind of slip in there is this notion that african-american leaders of late have been critical. there have been a handful of african-american leaders who have been critical. they were critical when i was running for president. there is always going to be somebody who is critical of the president of the united states. that's my job, in part, is particularly when the economy is going as badly as it is right now, people are going to have concerns and they should. >> so, the president trying to suggest it is limited, and to be fair to the president, i believe he's right. it is relatively limited but loud at times. listen to the california congresswoman maxine waters, who is part of a congressional black caucus jobs tour. she said they need to go into the inner city and help people find jobs because in her view, the president isn't doing enough. >> we want to give him every opportunity, but our people are hurting. unemployment is unconscionable. we don't know what the strategy is. we don't know why on this trip

he's in the united states now, he's not in any black communities. we don't know that. >> african-american unemployment during the obama presidency, 12.7% when he took office. it is 16.7% now. now, it was higher than the national average when he came in, so as it has gone up nationally, it has gone up there. when it comes to the politics and turnout, his approval rating is still off the charts among african-americans, 90% or more. the question is intensity, turnout, will they work in the campaign? >> i think his approval ratings have dropped among black americans. it's in the 60% range at this point. i don't think that -- obviously, the majority of black americans are still going to vote for president obama. there are a couple of missed opportunities. first of all, the reporter there asked some very great questions, some tough questions. the setup to the question, in which he answered by talking about the folks that were lambasting him, was not about people that were speaking out against him. it was an opportunity. it was about the unemployment rate, the youth, the 50% in some cities where there is black unemployment at 50%. and it was a great opportunity

for the president to be able to take that and say, listen, this is what my jobs plan will do for young black americans. not an opportunity to say, well, you know, i've got some criticism out there, dismiss it away. whether it is from one cbc member or five or 20, the fact is it's legitimate and should be addressed. >> here is the truth, though. john, you said he's right, it's limited, but it's not necessarily true. the difference is congresswoman maxine waters has been vocal. you had other folks who have been vocal. i talked to many mayors, state reps, state senators, across this country, and they will privately voice dissatisfaction, but for african-americans, they don't want to go public with it because they fear exactly what you just did, play the soundbite. therefore, it becomes a conversation. there are people who are not particularly happy. and so the white house understands this right now. you see this effort talking to african-american radio show hosts, bloggers, newspapers, because they understand if they don't have those numbers and

those critical states, come next year, he can't get re-elected. >> i think there is opportunity too. if they lose -- if they lose a significant chunk of the black vote, he still has an opportunity to be in trouble here and republicans have an opportunity to -- >> intensity is down, there goes ohio, there goes north carolina, there goes virginia. thank you. interesting dynamic. there is a new leading lady in american politics tonight. there is. we'll tell you why. plus, chris christie is new jersey's governor and a man who says no, no, no when asked if he's running for president. yet his speech at the reagan library tonight sounds, well, presidential. ] america is facing some tough challenges right now. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security

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i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. new jersey governor chris christie has said over and over and over again he's not running for president. however, in his speech tonight, he'll lay out a lot of national themes, even touch on foreign policy. he'll say this. "for american exceptionalism to truly deliver hope and a sterling example to the rest of the world, it must be demonstrated, not just asserted. if it is demonstrated, it will be seen and appreciated and ultimately emulated by others. they will then be more likely to follow our example and our lead."

that is the governor of new jersey, sounding, shall we say, presidential. so might he actually reconsider? let's check in with cnn contributor, "newsweek" editor john avila, cnn contributor ed rollins, democratic pollster cornell belcher who worked for the obama campaign in 2008. as the republican in the group, ed, i want to go to you first. all indications are no, no no, no, no, no, no. but? >> who knows at the end of the day, he has another three or four days to make his decision. there's a lot of pressure on him to run. romney will not get out of the race. he's been running for six years. perry has been running for five, six weeks. he's not going to get out of the race. christie, obviously, is a very strong lead, done very well in new jersey. but there's a lot of thing about him that the conservatives don't know about yet, things like immigration, guns, stuff like that, that will get picked apart if he gets in the race. i can only tell you, having managed christie whitman's race

when she was elected, she ran around the country for years, going to be the vice president and had a difficult time get league elected and very difficult time governing. you got to put all that in the portfolio when you look at it hard. >> john where does this all come from? some republicans don't like the field. so, they're running at christie, we can raise money for you, we can help you, you're great, we love you. >> it's a very explicit -- the courtship of chris christie is a fascinating story in its own right. the number of big donors who have come out and basically begged him to run, but that itself is just a proxy for the fact that some of the most seasoned leaders of this party recognize that it is a weak field. especially on the center right. there are no strong figures on the center right to carry that mantle forward and that's what some folks thing you need to win. he's got a great record as governor. strong fiscal conservative, taking on the unions without apologizing and he's become a right, but this whole idea that it is news that chris christie isn't running, he's said this over and over again, he's not running. i understand the desire for him

to run, he is taking the mantle of a national figure and maybe looking a bit down the road. >> if he's going to look down the road, i want to go over here first, he's going to look down the road a bit. if he wants to think about running, he has to make up his mind. let's pick a few states. iowa, caucus state, you don't have to show up. south carolina, that's a big state in the republican process, november 1st. florida, october 31st. if he wants to run you can't just show up and run. you got to file paperwork and all that. >> you can't show up in iowa. it is a caucus, got to have organization, people organizing, a whole movement, so he is running even further behind. but look, i don't think chris christie is going to run. if i'm advising chris christie, you are a young guy, sit back and wait this out, what's rush? however, he is an opportunist, and he has taken advantage of this opportunity given to him by

what is a ridiculously weak republican field of candidates now. >> ed, is it ridiculously weak field of republican candidates as our democrat says? >> every field looks weak two years out to, democrat or republicanment tend of the day i think whoever emerges is going to be a very strong candidate and have an excellent opportunity of winning this presidency but we got a year to go five or six months before voters actually get to cast ballots tapped is a tough organization. having just tried to put a campaign together in a very short period of time it is tough to put the money, put the people, do all the kinds of things and to do it this late, fred thompson is the perfect example, four years ago, fred thompson walked into the race 31% on day one and basically, faltered every step after that >> just about every step. i think that's fair assessment. you guys hold tight, we will take a quick break. next, the leading claude of u.s. politics she doesn't live in the white house and she suspect from alaska. nationwide insurance, talk to me.

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who issed leading lady in american politics? the secretary of state hillary clinton. 26% have an unfavorable view, 69%. the first lady's favorability rating, 59%. let's continue our conversation. mr. belcher, people think the secretary of state is doing a good job and b, not the involved in all this politics stuff that has everybody else confused? >> you go two years ago and look one of the cases that a lot of folks made about hillary clinton, she was so divisive, her negatives so high in certain areas, something hardly ever happens in politics, off negative view of a candidate that negative view gets flipped around that has happened with hillary clinton, because she has done such a spectacular job as secretary of state.

>> was dick cheney just having fun? he says he thinks she would be the strongest democratic candidate, bill clinton objected he was causing mischief, i don't know whether i was trying to press him or have fun on this issue, let's listen here. >> he didn't turn down the opportunity to accept my suggestion that hillary ought to run. >> pretty clear she is not going to. >> i said it tongue-in-cheek. i think he could tell that i think the democrats ought to have as much fun on our side as we are on ourses. >> he is having fun there ed. cornell's point, how is she so -- she was the polarizing one in 2008. >> it is all about contrast, anybody who knows polls, as in any case, the star of this administration, gone about their business, hasn't got entangle old the white house, consistent in conducting for rip affairs.

>> a lot of people missed them. >> off on the sidelines, not involved in debates shut documenting government, cutting, this spending money on that look at these new polls. a pox on both by 3 points. mr. belcher can count, 43% better than 40%. the american people looking that the town and saying go away. >> angry at this disfunction of the american government. 40% of american rind pen dent

voter, a proactive rejection of both party he is, i think, you know, the re-emergence of hillary clinton is because she is somewhat outside partisan politics as secretary of state. she had a negative disapproval rating of 52% when running for president but now seen as a steady figure. i got laugh at the new clinton love on the part of all these conservatives who thought they were the devil 12 years ago. but i do think, you know, washington's got a real problem and they need to appreciate that both parties have -- are deeply disapproved of, they seem so dysfunctional and divided and polarized. >> we may not the have loved them but always respected them. >> not always. >> they respected them but they impeached him, what he was trying to say, roland, cornell. ed, you worked with ross perot, once? the perfect environment if you look at the polls for somebody like that why can't it happen? >> i would argue that the mood is right for an independent candidate. the advantages s perot hurrican

independent wealth, fund a campaign like that want a candidate a little more sane and someone who understood the political process a little bit more, but you know, obviously an end pep dent candidate could be a significant factor. >> saab little more sane out there, corpsle? >> his name is barack obama. this won't happen? >> seriously, not partisan, have to be almost a billionaire today to do t very few guys, put up the organization, structure, across the state, raising identification, no regular guy can do it got to be not just a millionaire, a billionaire. >> avalon hits the powerball, he is going to run. >> his wife could get elected. he can't. >> i'm going to call it a truce there end on that bipartisan note. mr. avalon's wife can run for president. john, cornell, ed, thanks for coming in. that's >>to