>> people are hurting in america. and we know that something is wrong, terribly wrong, with the direction of the country. we know that this election is about the kind of america we will live in and the kind of america we're going to leave to future generations. now, when it comes to the character of america, president obama and i have very different visions. government is at the center of his vision. it dispenses the benefits, borrows what it can't take, consumes a greater and greater share of the economy. you know, with obama care fully installed, government would have control of almost half of the economy. and we would have effectively ceased to be -- this president is putting us on a path where our lives will be ruled by

bureaucrats. we already see where that path leads. it erodes freedom. it deadens the entrepreneurial spirit. those who promise to spread the wealth around only ever succeed in spreading poverty around. other nations have chosen that path. it leads to chronic high unemployment. crushing debt and stagnant wages. i have a very different vision for america and for our future. it's an america driven by freedom where free people pursuing happiness in their own unique ways create free enterprises that employ more and

more americans. because there are so many enterprises succeeding, the competition for hard working, educated, skilled employees is intense. so wages and salaries rise. i see an america with a growing middle class with rising standards of living. i see children even more successful than their parents. some successful even beyond their wildest dreams. and others congratulating them for their achievement, not attacking them for it. >> this america is fundamentally fair. we will stop the unfairness of urban children being denied access to the good schools of their choice.

we will stop the unfairness of politicians giving taxpayer money to their friends' businesses. we will stop the unfairness of requiring union workers to contribute to politicians not of their choosing. we will stop the unfairness of government workers getting better pay and benefits than the taxpayers they serve. and we will stop the unfairness of one generation passing larger and larger debts on to the next. in the america i see, character

and choices matter. and education, hard work, and living within our means are valued and rewarded. and poverty will be defeated. not with a government check, but with respect and achievement that's taught by parents, learned in school, and practiced in the work place. >> this is the america that was won for us by the nation's founders and earned for us by the greatest generation. it's the america that has produced the most innovative, most productive, and most powerful economy in the world. as i look around at the millions of americans without work, the graduates who can't get a job, the soldiers who return home to an unemployment line, it breaks

my heart. this does not have to be. it's the result of failed leadership and a faulty vision. we will restore the promise of america only if we restore the principles of freedom and opportunity that made this nation the greatest nation on earth. >> today the hill before us is a little steep. but we've always been a nation of big steppers. many americans have given up on this president, but they haven't ever thought of giving up. not on themselves, not on each other, and certainly not on america. in the days ahead, join me in

the next step towards the destination of november 6th when across america we can give a sigh of relief and know that the promise of america has been kept. the dreamers can dream a little bigger. the help wanted signs can be dusted off. and we can start again. and this time we'll get it right. >> we will stop the days of apologizing for success at home and never again apologize for america abroad.

there was a time not so long ago when each of us could walk a little taller and stand a little straighter because we had a gift that no one else in the world shared. we were americans. that meant something different to each of us. but it meant something special to all of us. we knew it without question and so did the world. those days are coming back. that's our destiny. >> you see, we believe in america. we believe in ourselves. our greatest days are ahead. we are, after all, americans. god bless this great nation. god bless the united states of

america. and god bless you good people. thank you so much. thank you! >> looking at live pictures of mitt romney. big speech in new hampshire. one that signals the unofficial start of the general election. though he won't clinch the nomination for a month. mitt romney versus barack obama. wolf blitzer is here. i thought that was a good speech by mitt romney. sounding very presidential. and, you know, i think the overriding theme, game on. >> yeah. it was absolutely an excellent speech from his perspective. it looked like sort of an unofficial acceptance speech of the republican presidential nomination. we know it's over. ron paul is not going to get the republican nomination. newt gingrich is not going to get it. mitt romney has the republican

nomination all but sewn up right now. he had to deliver an important speech. the words his ann romney ended with, a better america begins tonight. the general election campaign. absolutely, it's on right now. mitt romney versus barack obama. and let the games begin. >> yeah. it seemed a much more personal speech. he certainly suggested he's going to be a lot more personal now, maybe more inclusive of the american people. a lot more about his vision for america. and basically saying i think, look. america's got big problems right now. barack obama's failed you. i am the promised land. is that how you read it? >> yes. he also has to sort of reintroduce himself. as much as all of us, you and me and all the political news ju junkies were obsessed. a lot of americans weren't paying all that much attention. now he wants to reinvent himself. as much as his advisers say he's

not going to do this etch a sketch pivot, he has no choice. he has to not only appeal to the right of the republican party, but he's going to have to go out there and win moderate democratic votes out there. you'll see a pivot. it happens every time whenever a race like this goes forward. i'm sure it's going to happen this time. the democrats, i will say this. it's interesting. they're going to try to paint him as an extreme conservative, if you will. they're going to make that case that he isn't going to be able to come across as a moderate. he'll try to present a moderate image now he has the republican nomination all by sewn up. >> i've got reaction from ben labolt after we finish, wolf. maybe the reason for that is what you've been saying. he had to go much more right wing than he would have liked to take on rick santorum who's also my guest tonight. get his reaction later.

tonight's speech was nothing to do with that. no social issue stuff. it was much more about america, jobs, people suffering, and his record as a businessman from a fame who's come from nothing to run huge successful businesses. that their track record is to lead america back into good times. >> that's precisely why this was an effective speech. he didn't deal with the tangential issues out there. he dealt with economy and jobs and trying to suggest to the public out there, a lot of americans nervous out there. they've lost their job or have a job or aren't sure they'll have a job in six mornnths. he says i know how to deal with job creation, give me a chance. he says this president is not doing a very effective job. so that's why this was a more

effective speech than presumably would have had to give if he was only concerned about winning the republican nomination. now that he's achieved that goal, he can do exactly what he did tonight, speak about the economy and more mainstream issues, if you will. >> yeah. played to his strengths. right now, wolf, who would you say is the most likely candidate to be his running mate? there's been all sorts of people suggested. all types of personalities. if you were mitt romney, who would you be looking for to go now? >> i think rob portman, he's not well known out of ohio. he's the republican senator from ohio. a lot of romney's top people, people close to him have suggested here's a guy who served as the budget director in the bush administration, the trade representative of former congressmen. he's well liked out there. he's not necessarily all that dynamic, but he's extremely intelligent. there you see him. he introduced romney when romney was out there campaigning in ohio. ohio's a key battle ground state. no republican in modern times

has won the presidency without carrying ohio. so i think he's got a good chance. if you want to go to florida, i don't think marco rubio from florida by romney's definition is necessarily ready to be number two, vice president of the united states. and obviously has to be ready to be president god forbid in an emergency. i do think, though, and others disagree with me. i think jeb bush who's popular in florida, florida a key battle ground state. someone who speaks spanish could appeal to the latino vote out there. i think he would have a shot. but we'll see if the romney folks decide that he's going to be vetted thoroughly. i would say those two guys have a very good chance of being at the top of the list. >> i think jeb bush is a good choice there. i think one thing's for sure, they won't be taking any risks after what happened with sarah palin. wolf, thanks for now. when we come back, the obama campaign fires back at candidate

romney with the campaign secretary for president obama. he'll be here after the break. every time a local business opens its doors or creates another laptop bag

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we paid more in student loans than we paid on our mortgage when we finally did buy a condo for the first eight years of our mortgage. we were paying more in student loans than for our mortgage. >> the number of college graduates that can't find work or that can only find work well beneath their skill level. i fully support the effort to extend the low interest rate on student loans. >> president obama versus mitt romney on student loans. now more on the obama campaign reacting to romney's speech tonight. joining me now is campaign spokesman ben labolt. mr. labolt, what's your reaction to the speech? that because the president has fail failed, he will run a campaign full of diversions, distractions, and distortions. >> there he goes again. the fact governor romney knows

this election will be like any other. it will be a choice between two candidates. he's had a monologue over the the past year. this will be a choice between a president that brought us back from the brink of another depression, who bet on american workers to revive our auto -- the auto companies. to revive our manufacturing sector. we've created 400,000 manufacturing jobs in this economy when we've been slipping for years. and a governor -- >> but tell me this. what happens if a large number of americans do exactly what mitt romney said tonight. they ask themselves is it easier to make ends meet? is it easier to sell my home or buy a new one? have i saved enough for retirement? am i making more at my job? do i have a better chance to get a job? do i pay less at the pump? what happens if a large number of americans come november conclude that actually most of the answers to that are no?

>> well, the fact is a better title for governor romney's speech tonight should be back to the future. because he's proposing the same economic policies that brought us into the economic crisis in the first place. more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, letting wall street write its own rules again. we've tried those policies before. we passed those tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. they were supposed to unleash growth. they were supposed to unleash job creation and they didn't. he praised the recovery during that period but it was much more tepid than the job creation we're experiencing now. the number of exports that our economy is producing right now. the number of small businesses that are opening right now. and governor romney made a series of promises in massachusetts he didn't keep. similar to those promises he's making today. he says he'd make the government smaller. it expanded under his watch in massachusetts. he said he'd keep taxes low. they went up in massachusetts. he said he'd create job.

massachusetts slipped in job creation under romney. >> let's look at the interesting strategic move today which was the president's appearance on jimmy fallon's show where he slow jammed the news. let's watch this. >> do you know mitt romney? >> i've met him. but we're not friends. >> we didn't actually see the slow jam bit there. we did see him denying being friends with mitt romney. would you say that's an accurate assessment? the president and mitt romney are not friends? >> well, i think they've met one o two times along the campaigns. i'm sure they'll be seeing more of each other face to face. i don't doubt we're faces stark differences here. return to the same policies that caused the economic crisis and the president's vision which is building an economic that lasts. where hard work and responsibility are rewarded and everybody plays by the same set

of rules and does their fair share. >> president obama thought the secret service have been knuckle heads. if a large number of the secret service are knuckle heads, is it time for the chief knuckle head who runs the secret service to step down? >> well, i think anybody who's been following the news in the past week about a very small group of individuals in colombia would draw that same conclusion about those individuals. but the president has expressed his full confidence in director sullivan to get to the bottom of this. many of us have had the pleasure of working with secret service agents in the white house who have put their lives on the line for the president of the united states. and he has confidence that director sullivan will ensure the agency can get back on track. >> the big battle between president obama and mitt romney may turn out to be one not just about the economy, but about charisma. do you back your man to out-charisma governor romney?

>> well, i don't think that ultimately that will be the final test. but what's incredible is that after these three years in office, the president has remained the normal guy he was when he got there. he talked today about the fact he and the first lady just paid off their student loans not too long ago. but what's more out of touch about mitt romney than his statements joking about being unemployed saying he feared getting a pink slip are his policies and the fact they stack the deck against the middle class. they stack the deck against seniors. and they're under the false assumption if we shower giveaways amongst millionaires and billionaires that that will restore economic security for the middle class. that's a flawed premise. we. >> to be the most brutal race in

earth. can you say it's going to be a genteel romp in the park or is it going to get nasty? >> you may have oversold it a bit at the top. but i think there are -- i do think there are stark differences here. this will be a critically important election about the direction of our country. either we can pursue the false assumption we can cut away prosperity, base the economy on outsourcing and loopholes and risky financial deals. or we can invest in the middle class and build an economy that lasts. where we're out-innovating the rest of the world. that's what the president is fighting for every day. >> ben labolt, thank you for your time. >> thanks for having me, piers. coming up, rick santorum. will he endorse mitt romney? my exclusive live interview with rick and his wife karen who are entering the studio as i speak.

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maid -- made me decision to get in this race at the kitchen table. we made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential race for us is over

for me, and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting. >> rick santorum on april 10th announcing the end of his race to the white house. rick and karen santorum joining me now exclusively. welcome to your both. >> thank you. >> there's a mixture here of disappointment that it's had to end. yet i can see on karen's beaming smile, thank god i've got my husband back. it must be a bit of that, isn't there? >> absolutely. it's great to have him back. it's nice to be shifting gears and get family life back and get more perspective with the way things should be. but it was a great time. we had fun. >> it was an amazing campaign. i remember in december all the -- every time i interviewed you -- >> why are you doing this? when are you getting out? >> you're a crazy man app you're at 2%. then iowa happened and boom. it all changed. for you an exciting run even

though it came to an end on april 10th. >> we've been out there working in the vineyards for over a year and been in three states primarily. we had done 385 town hall meetings in the state of iowa. when people say boom you arrived on the scene, let me have you walk a few miles in my moccasins. >> you went to how many places in iowa? >> 385 town hall meetings. all counties. it was great. >> this guy, he's putting the yards in. >> her too. we had the family out there for the iowa straw poll. they came out for about three weeks. that's where our summer vacation was last year. we spent it at steve an jan's farm in oskaloosa, iowa. we have a soft place for them going forward.

>> how fitting for you to be in this green room here watching mitt romney make what was effectively the nomination speech. >> i thought it was a good speech. he set the right tone. the tone was this race is about barack obama and his failures. this is he's got an optimistic vision for the country. i'm very glad so see that. i think he painted a strong picture. it's one that's a clear contrast to what this president's brought this country. >> i can't believe what i'm hearing here. for the last few months we interviewed you, mitt romney was the biggest danger. what happened to you in. >> i think that's overstating you. >> how hard is it to segue from a vicious opponent trying to win a race against him to someone sounding supportive? >> well, my feeling is the objective is to get this country back on the right track on a variety of fronts. that's what the race was about. it's always been about that. we felt we were the best person

to do that. we went out and talked about a lot of issues that weren't getting air time. and i think to the benefit. hearing governor romney in some of the speeches. i was at st. louis at the nra and heard his speech of freedom. i heard a lot of familiar refrains which i was pleased to hear. imitation is the greatest form of flattery so when i hear a line coming from another candidate that makes me feel we had an impact out there. >> everyone watching tonight once they knew you were appearing wondering, if you like him so much suddenly are you going to endorse him? >> well, you know, we're going to be meeting with governor romney. our staffs have been trying to put something together. i'm going to meet with some of his people tomorrow to talk about some things. then karen and i will have an opportunity to meet with the governor hopefully in the next week or two. we've been trying to decompress a bit, spend time with our family. really haven't had a whole lot -- haven't been out talking to a lot of folks. we've been just trying to get my

bills paid. get my taxes filed. >> when you see the governor -- i assume it works like this. having scrapped away with him, you now sit in a darkened room and say i need some cash to pay off my debts. i'd like a nice cabinet post. isn't this how this works? >> no, we're not doing that. >> that's not what this is about. this is about making sure we have the right person in the presidency in the house and the senate. i believe he's the better -- obviously i believed i was the better choice. but i'm not in the race anymore. >> is he there for the right guy? >> he is the guy that's going against barack obama. it's pretty clear. we need to win this race. >> unless i'm mishearing things, you just endorsed mitt romney. >> you can call it whatever you want. >> am i wrong? >> look. >> karen you know your husband. has he just endorsed mitt

romney? >> not at this point, no. we're working through it. we're talking about it. >> i may be naive to the american political system but when somebody says he's the right guy for the job, it sounds like an endorsement. >> it's clear he's going to be the republican nominee. i'm going to be for the republican nominee. we're going to do what we can to beat obamabarack obama. >> how much of a problem has it been for him that you've pushed him to go more right wing an social issues than he'd like to and now he's going to have to rein back in. now he's competing with barack obama. >> i don't think the issues that we brought to the case -- to the race were right wing. we talked about the importance of family and the family unit and fathers being involved in raising their children. and the integrity of that family unit being vitally important for our economy. that was really that -- if you want to talk about something new

that we brought to the argument. we talked about the importance of two parent families in a strong and vibrant economy where the poverty level is higher among single parent families. and we have unfortunately government programs that create a dependency on government. and many cases, undermine the american family. >> does part of you regret -- maybe both of you on this -- the debate became very loudly about abortion, gay marriage, issues like that. contraception. that was all anybody was talking about. and you became that go-to guy for the i hate this, i hate that, i hate this. you became nanny santorum. do you regret that was the way you were perceived? did it harm your chances of wink the nomination? >> it was funny. i'd give a talk at town hall meetings. i did them all over the country

for a long time. i'd open up for questions. as you know, we didn't sort through the crowd. we were lucky anybody showed up. we'd get every question. and the reporters would come back and i'd give a speech on freedom and opportunity and manufacturing jobs and balanced budget amendments and the integrity of the american family. somebody would ask about a variety of these issues and one thing you suggested. and reporter would say here's santorum talking about these issues again. i talked about all the issues. maybe that made me different than everybody. i didn't have a structured forum. i dealt with people as they came and listened to the voices of the american public. i had an obligation to answer straight up. that sometimes gets you in trouble. a lot of folks in political life pivot when they get those questions. i was a center in basketball. that was the pivot position, but i wasn't good at it. i went straight to the basket every time. >> your husband isn't a natural

pivoter. even when i didn't agree, i respected the fact that they clearly were for a position of conviction and belief. which i didn't always feel about other candidates. are you proud of the way he fought his campaign? >> i'm so proud of him. he did an amazing job. it was amazing what we did. and what i love is that rick answers the questions. if you notice people in interviews, frequently they won't answer the question. and, you know, rick talked about a lot of issues. jobs and the economy. they would report and they would pigeon hole him into thinking he didn't talk about the issues. i thought gosh. were they at the same event? >> hold that thought. when we come back, i want to talk about your highs and lows of the campaign. i have a few lows to toss on the

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in my political career i had the opportunity to read the speech and i almost threw up. >> i do have concerns about women in frontline combat. >> president obama said he wants everybody in america to go to college. what a snob. >> back with rick and santorum. >> my greatest hits. >> let's not say hits, shall we?

of all those, which is the one you most regret looking back? >> the snob one. because i misread his comment. where i thought he said everybody should go to college. and it was what i had read was someone's interpretation of what -- and i used that as a fact. and it was factually incorrect. that's the one i feel bad about. the other ones, i could have framed them better but i meant what i said. >> karen, what was the moment you were most angry with him at one of his gaffes? >> it was the snob comment. i wish he hadn't said that. just any moment he wasn't thoughtful or considerate. >> what did you do when you say him or spoke on the phone? >> you don't want to know. >> would the voices get raised? i mean, you seem such a nice, quiet person. >> yes. >> i can imagine there's a steely side when rick commits a gaffe. >> you know how when you're

married you're always there for each other and you give each other advice. it was during debates we had moments. i think especially the one before michigan, that was a challenge. that debate. and i left early that night, i think. >> what did you say to him after that debate? that was not a good performance. >> it was a preparation issue. and it was just a real letdown. >> i had -- as i did in most my debates because you're a one man band out there, so i didn't take any time off before debates. i'd campaign the full day before the debates. karen on that one said rick, people are now going to pay attention to what you're saying as opposed to the past nobody really paid attention. now you're in the game. you won three states and now you've got to take a little bit more time. i sort of kept the routine. i wasn't as sharp as i should have been. she had every right to say, hey. >> there were moments of the campaign you had much more serious issues involving your

daughter bella. most recently again. it's obviously an ongoing battle you have. within moments when that flared up with her, did both of you think maybe it's not worth it, this. that actually running for president is fine, but we have a sick daughter that needs us. it must have been a conflict for you. >> we're there for her constantly as with all of our children. and we did have moments like that. however, bella really was a great source of the reason why we got into e the race in the first place. she was the reason that when we learned about -- when obama care went through, i think that was really what put the fire in our belly to get in. it was children like bella who were going to be the first kids affected by something like that. and so, of course, there were times when the burden seemed so big and sometimes it felt like maybe it wasn't the right time. i did resist it for a very long

time, but in the end, i did feel it was god's will. and it was obama care that put that -- >> how is she now? >> she's doing great. thank you so much, piers. >> she's been an amazing component of this campaign. we wanted -- obviously she's one of our children so we had her out there in the sense we had a family picture and she was in it. we didn't talk about bella much until she got sick and i had to come off the trail. it was prior to the florida primary. i lost two primaries in a row. i happened to be home that day when we had to take her to the hospital. we were going to be off the trail for a couple days. we had to make the decision, should we announce why i'm going to be pulling off my schedule a couple days at a time when people are saying shouldn't you get out of the race and if you did pull off, they say he's pulling out. we felt like we had to say why we didn't continue the campaign

schedule. and then we sort of had to tell people about bella in much more detail. so we put a video together later that week. it was by far the most viewed thing on the website. she became very much part of the campaign. >> a voice to the voiceless. she was everywhere. it was amazing. at all the rallies an events we had, the one question we got from literally thousands of people was how's bella. >> it's great she's doing well. >> thank you. >> let's take another break. when we come back, my twitter has exploded because, senator, they all believe you have endorsed mitt romney tonight. you now have two minutes to work out whether you wish to make that official or whether you want to carry on denying the obvious.

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wac back with me now. we left a a cliff-hanger. everyone assumes you've endorsed mitt romney tonight. senator, just spit it out. >> all i said was the obvious. which is mitt romney's going to be the nominee and i'm going to support the nominee whoever the nominee is. period. >> that's mitt romney.

>> well, that's what it looks like yeah. >> he won all five states tonight. on the assumption he is the nominee -- >> i will support the nominee of our party. >> you've just endorsed mitt romney. it's not going to be ron paul. >> okay. could be. who knows? he's >> he's working the delegates really hard. i can tell you that. >> can i put it this way to end this debate. if mitt romney is the nominee, you will endorse him? >> if he's the nominee i'm going to do everything i can to make sure he defeats barack obama, absolutely. i mean, that's why i got into the race. >> you will endorse him? >> i'm going to support the republican nominee. >> you're being a politician -- >> i'm not being a politician. >> you're a -- >> i'm a straight talker. i'll do everything i can to help him win. >> including endorsing him? >> absolutely. >> that's all i wanted you to say. thank you very much. >> okay. >> let's play the little clip from former vice president cheney about advice for choosing a vp. >> and i think the single most important criteria has to be the

capacity to be president. that's why you pick them. and lots of times in the past that has not been the foremost criteria. >> i mean, he's being honest. look at what -- >> absolutely. that's what i said when i was asked that question during the campaign. i said the first and foremost is the person has the capability of keeping the promises that i made to the american public and be a good president. >> who is the most likely of all the names? i'm assuming you wouldn't want to be in the running or would not rule it out? >> look, i'm not interested in any position. i'm interested in winning the election. >> if you were mitt romney who would you be looking at in a favorable way? >> i'm not going to comment on that. that's really his decision. >> if mitt romney rang up and said he wanted rick to be his

vp, what would you say? >> oh, i'd have to talk to rick about it. we'd need time to think it over and pray about it. you know, consider it. i'd be very surprised. but he's a great guy. >> on a technical point in relation to mitt romney needing a certain number of delegates, will you be releasing your delegates? >> i think the way that the law comports is that once you're not a campaign, your delegates are effectively released. so i think states have been going through the process right now. we have been sort of trying to understand how that works. but this is my first go round in this. once you're no longer a candidate, state laws become operative. a lot of states they effectively release your delegates and other states you hold them irrespective of if you're in the race or not. >> what's next for rick santorum? what would you like to do? >> well, we'll be announcing some themes in the next week or two what our plans are. >> you can tease them. we're amongst friends. >> we'll be active and engaged in the political process and on the issues that we brought up during this campaign.

some of the things that we talked about tonight. this is -- this was a -- like i said in the speech when i got out of the race, we tried to listen very hard to the people across this country and i think we picked up some tones that need to be resonated. >> i'm going to give karen the last word, 20 seconds. what was the best moment of the campaign? >> winning iowa was great. we walked up on the stage and i said to the children, soak it in, enjoy this moment. every time we got on the stage we said that. >> i'll agree with you, it was a wonderful moment. we'll always have iowa. thank you for coming in here. good to see you. coming up, the exclusive interview with the dalai lama. you never have seen him like this. do you ever feel temptation when you see a woman? >> oh, yeah, this is very nice. but then i'm thinking, it's a real job. too much of a problem.

dirty things like that. >> really? >> really. even my dream. some sort of dreaming some woman like that. i never dreamt in my -- in my dream i'm the dalai lama. i'm a monk. >> as i said, a candid dalai lama as you probably never heard him before. that's tomorrow night. coming up next, only in america. we're lifelock, and we believe you have the right to live free from the fear of identity theft. our pledge to you? as long as there are identity thieves, we'll be there. we're lifelock. and we offer the most comprehensive identity theft protection ever created. lifelock: relentlessly protecting your identity. call 1-800-lifelock or go to lifelock.com today.

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america, the attack ad after all time. it won't be just the most expensive ever, but one of the nastie nastiest. as ugly as the commercials are, they pale in comparison to the commercial ever made, known as the daisy girl. it ran once in 1964. it shows a young girl, harmlessly picking daisies. here's what happened. >> eight, nine. nine. >> eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. >> fantastically tasteless. the message was unmistakable. vote for barry goldwater and your child and you will die in a nuclear explosion.

the woman is all grown up now and we've tracked her down. welcome! >> thank you for having me. >> you survived the nuclear explosion. had you got any idea -- you were 2 years old. did you have any idea what was happening in that commercial? >> no, i didn't. >> when did you finally realize how you'd been used? >> probably a good ten years ago or so. growing up, i knew of the commercial. we didn't talk about it a lot in our family. it was a little touchy subject with some people. >> but it was spectacularly tasteless. and inappropriate. i mean, if it happened today, i think which ever candidate tried to make an ad like that, let alone actually air it, they would be drummed out of office, wouldn't they? >> oh, i agree. >> do you feel the whole nature of attack commercials in politics is wrong? it's fundamentally un-american? >> i do.