tonight at 10:00 eastern. i'm alison kosik at cnn world headquarters in atlanta. i'll see you right back here one hour from now at 7:00 p.m. eastern. "the situation room" with john king in for wolf blitzer begins right now. you're in "the situation room." mitt romney's beginning his final sprint to the republican convention, but president obama isn't about to let him have this week's spotlight all to himself. also, paul ryan's presence on the republican ticket, just one factor putting his home state back into play. see why we now call wisconsin a toss-up. and smile for the camera. stores now installing new technology that not only knows who you are, it will serve up tempting deals based on what you buy. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm john king. you're in "the situation room."

we're heading into a monster week for mitt romney and paul ryan, as they gear up for the republican convention, now just a week away. to start building excitement, the running mates reunite monday in one of this year's all-important swing states. cnn's joe johns is here to look ahead at what else we can expect in a big, big week ahead. >> that's right, john. it certainly looks like the ryan/romney campaign could be changing its strategy already. last week, paul ryan himself said, and campaign aides confirmed, that the initial plan was for the two men to split up, more often than not, in the few weeks leading up to the republican national convention in tampa. but now, mitt romney and paul ryan are already scheduled to reunite for a campaign stop in the manchester area of new hampshire and the campaign has left open the possibility of more stops together, later in the week. early reports are those stops could be in the midwest. new hampshire was the place where romney originally was supposed to make the

announcement of the pick for vice president they'd planned to do it last friday, but that got postponed until saturday, because of a memorial service for the victims of the sikh temple shooting in ryan's home district. so why the change? ryan and romney certainly work well together. i saw them campaign as a team in the primaries, just a bit, and romney clearly appears to get some pep in his step when he's with ryan. so there's some elevated energy there, for one thing. and the tandem of romney and ryan has also been drawing large crowds, conservatives certainly like ryan a lot, and the romney campaign is going to the try to capitalize on that. but, john, as you know, it's a gamble for the romney campaign, because, obviously, the two of them can cover more ground in those all-important battleground states, if they're campaigning separately, rather than together. >> and so you see this whenever this pick is made. you want them to campaign together, you want people to get the optics, they're a good time, looks like they work well together. you're dead right about ryan

energizes crowds in wisconsin and in iowa this week. but how do they deal with that delicate balance? because in the end, americans pick presidents. it's governor romney that has to step back front and center and say, thank you, paul, appreciate the energy, but if he's going to win, it has to be him. >> absolutely. it's very clear they are walking a very delicate balance there, and i think you'll see it in the coming weeks, that romney is going to establish himself has the man who's running for president, vote for me. ryan is my sidekick. and that's generally the way it works. though so many conservatives out there see ryan as so important now to energize them and get them to the polls in november. >> and when you talk to folks, there's no question this pick was largely designed to give mitt romney someone he likes and can work with and to energize the conservative base. how did the romney campaign deal with the questions of, well, might it hurt you in the middle, though? >> that's certainly a possibility, but romney is hoping that he, himself, can make the case to those voters in the middle and let ryan worry about the conservatives as well. romney thinks he can handle that, and he's certainly proven

that, being a massachusetts governor coming from a state where he had to appeal to both sides. >> don't get any bluer than massachusetts. joe johns, thanks so much. it may be the republicans' turn in the spotlight, but don't expect president obama to lay low during the week ahead. he's also visiting swing states and raising campaign cash with the help of some nba stars. here's cnn white house correspondent, dan lothian. dan, take us into the week ahead. >> reporter: well, that's right. the president will be heading out to nevada. that's an important state for the president. he has been going there quite a bit, talking about what he has done to help those homeowners who have their, those mortgages that are underwater. those upsidedown mortgages. that is a state that has been impacted by the downturn in the real estate market. so the president visiting that key state. also going to the state of ohio. that's a place where recently he had that bus tour. had been spending a lot of time in that state. he's ahead in the polls there, but both of these states, critical to deciding who wins the white house. and the president also going to new york. new york city, as you know, a

lot of money there. so he'll be going to collect some campaign cash to fuel this very competitive race, john. >> new york, more of an atm than a swing state, at the moment for the campaign. how do they view this? mitt romney will dominate, he'll get most of the spotlight, the lead up to his convention and then the convention week. how do they decide in the obama campaign when to step back and let the republicans have their day? >> reporter: right now it doesn't appear they want to step back. they're engaging very much either with the candidate himself or on the air with these very tough campaign ad they've really been pushing this issue of medicare. that's something that has been part of this campaign cycle, but not the key focus. and when paul ryan was brought on as the vice presidential pick for mitt romney, that became a central focus. we saw that from the president when he was doing that bus tour in iowa, and the campaign plans to keep pushing that. saying that under the policy of what mitt romney has, and paul ryan, they're painting them with one brush, that medicare will be

changed, as we know it, will be changed. it will be turned into a voucher program. the romney campaign saying that the president has taken money from medicare in order to fund, quote, obama care. so medicare, a big issue that we'll keep hearing the white house and the president push in the coming days, john. >> and dan, they also for weeks have been pushing mitt romney to release more of his tax returns. he put one year out, says a second will be coming. and now the obama campaign having what i'll call a not-so-friendly exchange of notes? >> reporter: i guess we could call this, let's make a deal. what you have is the obama campaign really trying to push the romney campaign into the corner. they have been asking for more taxes to be -- tax reports to be released, because they believe that the american people deserve to find out more about the financial background of a presidential candidate. and even some republicans have been pressuring romney to do the same, because they believe if romney releases these tax returns, then this issue will ju go away. so now you have jim messina, who's the president's campaign

manager, firing off a letter to pa, "governor ry gn, saying in apntly frshamore he o ers, theoreur campaign will demthat h provid. so i am preped torovide asrancesn just that point. if the governor will release five years of returns, i commit in turn that we will not criticize him for not releasing more." they say he won't criticize him in ads, they won't criticize him in any commentary. but matt rhodes is dismissing this letter, writing in part, "it is clear that president obama wants nothing more than to talk about governor romney's tax returns instead of the issues that matter to voters, like putting americans back to work, fixing the economy, and reining in spending." the romney campaign, they have said time and time again, that this is not an issue. that what mitt romney wants to focus on is how he can go out there and create jobs for the millions of americans who are still out of work, john.

>> that's at least good to know, despite all the nastiness, they can have a nice exchange of notes. >> reporter: that's right. >> dan lothian at the white house for us, dan. thanks so much. a group of veterans, including former navy s.e.a.l.s, now accusing president obama for taking too much credit for the killingover osama bin laden. the group says it's nonpartisan, but a cnn investigation finds close links to the republican parties. let's bring in our brian today who led this investigation. brian, what'd you find? >> john, we have just discovered tom links that this group has to the gop, links that the group has not freely acknowledged. its new web video just rakes the president for his campaign references to the bin laden raid. in a campaign ad, bill clinton praises president obama's courage for ordering the navy s.e.a.l.s to launch against osama bin laden. >> suppose they'd been captured or killed? the downside would have been horrible for him. >> reporter: on the campaign trail, the president emphasizes it himself. >> i promised to go after al qaeda and go after bin laden and we did it. >> reporter: now, there's a counterattack.

>> mr. president, you did not kill osama bin laden. america did. the work that the american military has done killed osama bin laden. you did not. >> that's former navy s.e.a.l., ben smith, in a new video, slamming president obama. the 22-minute film, titled "dishonorable disclosures" features former s.e.a.l.s, special forces members, intelligence officers, skewering the president for taking credit for the marbin laden raid. the president pushes back, saying that the president has repeatedly credited the s.e.a.l.s for the bin laden operation. and they also point to this interview that wolf blitzer did recently with admiral william mccraven. >> at the end of the day, make no mistake about it, it was the president of the united states that shouldered the decision. >> should the president get to credit here? >> he gets the credit for having osama bin laden killed under his watch. and if he's -- if he gave the order, wonderful. but taking all the credit with

the i, i, i, me, i, i about it and using us as a political ad is wrong. >> reporter: the film also blasts the obama administration for allowing classified information on the raid and other security operations to become public. >> we had tactics, techniques, and procedures that were compromised. we even knew the name of the dog that was on the operatn. >> reporter: the obama team denies taking part in any leaks and says the republicans are resorting to swift boat tactics, a reference to the blistering 2004 attacks on john kerry's vietnam war record. >> john kerry cannot be trusted. >> reporter: this new ad was made bay group called opsec. cnn found many links between the group and the gop. the president of opsec, a former navy s.e.a.l. named scott taylor who appears in the video, once ran for congress as a republican.

a spokesman for the group has done similar work for the bush administration and republicans in congress. ben smith, that former s.e.a.l., told me he's an independent voter, but says on his facebook page that he was once a spokesman for the tea party. and opsec lists its headquarters as being in this building in a certain suite. also in that suite are two strategy groups and no other groups. we were not allowed to film inside, but told by someone in the suite that opsec doesn't have much more than a desk there and no one from opsec was there to talk to us. an opsec spokeswoman told us where they're located has nothing to do with the message they're trying to get out. >> reporter: could that message hurt president obama like swift boat damaged john kerry? >> it could hurt obama in the sense that it's a very competitive election, it's going to come down to 20,000 or 25,000 votes in handful of states, so we don't know how what's going to move those voters, but national security is a very sensitive issue for many people. >> and opsec is now one of three groups of former special operations members coming out

with campaigns against the president over the security leaks. neither the pentagon nor the cia would comment on this latest video or confirm the military experience of those in the film, john? >> so brian, this is one of those stories where the old watergate rule applies. follow the money. >> that's right. >> can you follow the money? where are they getting it? >> if you could follow it, that would be great, but you can't. the group is not disclosing its donors. it's set up as a special kind of nonprofit under the tax code where you don't have to disclose their donors. they did tell us they have about $1 million at their disposal and plan to run ads in swing states in the next couple of weeks. we'll see if they do it. stay with us for a death-defying drive. ben wedeman and his crew drive to the city at the heart of syria's civil war and run out of gas. also, candidates going negative. it's been happening for centuries. we'll take a look at 200 years, that's right, 200 years of campaign mudslinging. and the battle for the state where barack obama scored his first big victory in 2008 could put the romney/ryan team in the white house in time.

one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly

producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. well another great thing about all this walking i've been doing is that it's given me time to reflect on some of life's biggest questions. like, if you could save hundreds on car insurance by making one simple call, why wouldn't you make that call? see, the only thing i can think of is that you can't get any... bars. ah, that's better. it's a beautiful view. i wonder if i can see mt. rushmore from here. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye.

syria seems to be sinking deeper into civil war by the minute. with united nations now reporting the humanitarian crisis affects an estimated 2 million people at the heart of the fighting, the country's largest city, aleppo. this past week, cnn's senior international correspondent, ben wedeman, took a death-defying drive inside. >> reporter: we made it. we left our safe house at 11:00 in the morning. it's ten minutes past 10:00 at night, and we finally made it to aleppo. >> all right. we're now going in the direction of salahadine where all the fighting is taking place. we're going to go to a neighborhood adjacent to

salahadine. there we'll get out and make our way slowly and cautiously towards salahadine, which the rebels say they've largely retaken. but if you have to take everything they say -- everyone says, with a great big sack of salt. [ gulps ] [ speaking foreign language ] he's saying at the intersection, go faster. okay, we're going through an intersection where he says to drive fast, so, time to get on the gear. [ speaking foreign language ] >> just put your foot down, mate. >> so we're just going through this intersection.

>> keep going! >> okay. now we're good. we're good. it was just that road here. [ speaking foreign language ] >> okay, he's saying, here's there a sniper that's shooting. [ speaking foreign language ] okay, he's saying you want to go back and drive fast through the intersection, because there's a sniper. he says get down. >> get down, mate. >> there's a sniper. >> get down. get down. get down. >> just plug it, mate. >> i can't go any farther.

>> that's already, you're fine. >> come down. just get down. even if it's uncomfortable, just get down. >> it's not because it's uncomfortable. >> okay. we made it past that one. okay. maybe now's a good time to get out, get our bearings. wait, what are you doing? okay, he's going to take us between the buildings. probably will park the car there and -- >> ben wedeman and his team doing some heroic reporting inside syria. so you have a better sense of just what's happening in the middle of that crisis. ben will be with us throughout

these terrifying days ahead. thanks to ben wedeman there. a lesson in political mudslinging for the 2012 candidates from our founding fathers. just ahead, why negative campaigning is a big part of political history. and companies may be able to recognize you from facebook and track you with the blink of a camera's eye. ♪ ♪ ♪ every mom needs a little helper. that's why i got a subaru. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. ♪

(train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities.

throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+.

oh, we hear plenty of complaints about how negative this presidential campaign is, but really, it's nothing new. what we're seeing this time around, actually, pretty mild. cnn's early start co-anchor john bermans dug up some of the ghosts of campaigns past. >> reporter: mitt romney. the ad implies he was more or less responsible for a woman dying. >> and she passed away in 22 days. >> reporter: a stretch, to say

the least. barack obama. the ad says he wants to end welfare reform. >> you wouldn't have to work. >> reporter: not really true either. no, mitt romney and barack obama do not agree on a lot. but they do agree this campaign has become positively negative. >> there's so much negativity and so much cynicism. >> what's different this year is that the president is taking things to a new low. >> reporter: different? different than, say, mitt romney's campaigns against rick perry, rick santorum, and newt gingrich? >> are you calling mitt romney a liar? >> yes. >> reporter: or for that matter, barack obama's campaign against hillary clinton. >> shame on you, barack obama! >> reporter: if history has taught us anything, it's that every campaign in history seems like the most negative in history. >> 2010, likely to have the most negative campaign ads ever. >> the most negative campaign in memory. >> the most negative campaign any of us can remember. >> reporter: yes, negative

campaigns existed even before lyndon johnson implied barry goldwater would start a nuclear war. grover clevela accused of having a child out of wedlock. mama, where's my pa? andrew jackson, accused of killing a man and having a wife who was a bigamist. john quincy adams, it was said he procured prostitutes for the russian czar. thomas jefferson. john adams supporters once said his election would result in murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest. so until we get charges of robbery, nuclear war starting, or prostitute procuring, maybe this will have to wait. >> the president is taking things to a new low. >> reporter: they might be mean, cruel, and cynical, but negative campaigns are not blights on history, they are our history. if there is one thing that does seem different this year, it's not that the negative

campaigning has started earlier, it's that the complaining about negative campaigning has started earlier. john berman, cnn, new york. >> and if you're wondering, perhaps the last presidential election that didn't go negative, well, 1820. president james monroe ran unoopposed. where an easy win in '08 has become a big campaign battleground. and look who's watching your every move. is new facebook technology pushing the bounds of privacy? producers are committed as to safely and responsibly providing generations of cleaner-burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self-contained well systems. and, using state-of-the-art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment. we're america's natural gas.

they buy all their groceries right here, but let me ask you, did you ever think of walmart for a smartphone? no. let me show you something. walmart has the latest technology on the biggest networks. i mean look at these smartphones. whoah! will you show them? absolutely. we've got great 4g lte smartphones like this droid razr by motorola from verizon. wow verizon? you bet. you love the price. he loves the phone. let's dance! get unlimited talk, unlimited text and shareable data with verizon's new share everything plan. and now get the droid razr by motorola from verizon for only $89.88 on america's fastest 4g network. now at walmart. this is the plan that revolves around you. introducing share everything. unlimited talk. unlimited text. and a single pool of sharable data that powers up to 10 devices. the first plan of it's kind. share everything. only from verizon. add a smartphone for just $40 monthly access.

♪ [ male announcer ] its lightweight construction makes it nimble... ♪ its road gripping performance makes it a cadillac. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with advanced haldex all-wheel drive. [ engine revving ] it's bringing the future forward. wouldn't it be nice if there was an easier, less-expensive option than using a traditional lawyer? well, legalzoom came up with a better way. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together you get quality services on your terms, with total customer support. legalzoom documents have been accepted in all 50 states, and they're backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself. it's law that just makes sense.

less than three months now to the presidential election, and some new states, smaller states, are becoming prime battlegrounds. in the race to get to 270 electoral votes, tiny places like new hampshire, four electoral votes, wisconsin, ten electoral votes, and iowa with six are becoming big battlegrounds. this past week, i spent some time out in iowa. >> we go through probably about 3,000 an hour. >> reporter: choices, choices, choices. the iowa state fair is a test of diet discipline. >> take a kernel of corn, stick it in a jar! >> reporter: and all in the spirit of farm state fun, proof this time around iowa is a competitive presidential battleground. president obama stopped by the fair during his three-day spring and pall ryan has his solo debut. it was a very different feel from four years ago when the president won iowa by ten points. >> we have a real battle going on here for the heart and soul

of the people of this state. >> reporter: republican governor terry pran stad says the gop base is fired up and he predicts the president will lose a good chunk of his 2008 o coalition. >> reporter: obama had a real following here four years ago, but people feel betrayed. >> reporter: four years ago, democrats had a significant voter registration advantage, but now republicans have erased that edge. visit an obama campaign office like this one in davenport, and you see the competition up close. >> can i count on you to vote by mail? >> reporter: have you been out-hustled here? >> i think we still have an organizational edge in the state and we've done a good job of registering new voters, so i think we're building that back up. but i don't think we're going to be out-hustled on election day. i don't think we're going to be out-hustled in the next 85 days. >> mitt romney's middle class tax increase. he pays less, you pay more. >> reporter: the tv ad war is bruising. $6 million in just the past month. the obama campaign outspent the

romney campaign almost two to one in that period, but add in party and super pac spending, and the pro-romney forces had the edge. >> 41 straight months of unemployment over 8%. almost 4 million fewer jobs than president obama predicted. >> reporter: iowa is a great test of the ryan factor. the president's team says his policy views will trump his midwest roots. >> he may hail from wisconsin, but he is very much a product of the right-wing washington think tanks, and that vision is not a good vision for this country. >> reporter: but governor branstad says ryan helps with critical catholic voters and is in tune with iowans' biggest worry. 1 million people attend the fair, so both campaigns are working hard, signing uh new voters, new volunteers, and leaving the fun to others. joining uh now at the magic wall, "new york times" national political zeleny. 237, strong or leaning for president obama, 206, strong or

leaning for governor romney. let's look at iowa. the president won in a blowout last time, but it is truly a toss-up state. >> without a doubt. look at 2000 and 2004, al gore won in 2000, george w. bush won in 2004. the result in 2008 is a bit of an anomaly, not much of a ben benchma benchmark. what both sides are focusing in, and this ryan pick, without a doubt, has energized these conservatives, who were a little unsure about mitt romney. >> so then you look at wisconsin, we moved it tos toup. ten electoral votes. if governor romney can put that in place, puts iowa in play, you have a very different midwest than you had four years ago. >> without a doubt. that is one of the places that governor romney probably thought was out of his reach before this. it at least now makes it competitive. and it sends a signal to all these outside super pacs to start spending money there, right now. it's going to ensure that the obama campaign and democrats are going to have to spend their limited resources there as well. >> so let's take a hypothetical here. let's move iowa to the republicans. let's move wisconsin to the

republicans. again, it's a hypothetical. if you do that, 237 to 222, but what the democrats would tell you is, ryan puts medicare front and center. what happens down here? can governor romney win 29 electoral votes in the state of florida? if that goes blue again, can governor romney win? if president obama kept what i had before and gets florida, he's knocking on the door. >> he can win, but he would have to put one of the democratic states in play. he would have to win a michigan, he would have to win a wisconsin. and what the romney campaign is going to have to do, probably after labor day, is make a choice between trying to make a vanity run in michigan, which is, you know, sort of in governor romney's blood, or go for a michigan. but if florida is -- becomes out of reach for republicans, we don't know, but if it does, they have to run the table, absolutely everywhere. >> that gets interesting. if that one goes blue, governor romney's essentially got to win all these. let's switch maps. this is what strikes me. this is 2008. and you see this right here. president obama just owns it. he just owns the industrial midwest, the heartland of the

country. but if you look at 2010, these are your senate races. and these are your governor races. and i talked to governor branstad when he was here this week, and he made this joke, indiana was already republican. he said if you look at what happened in the governor's races, illinois, that's obama's guys there, but he made the point that we've got them surrounded. does it matter? do the republican governors matter when it comes to this presidential election? >> i think it matters in terms of the infrastructure. i think if there would be a recount in one of these places, as we saw in florida in 2000, who controls the levers of government absolutely matters. but i don't think it matters as much in 2012, because 2012 is not the same electorate as the midterms in 2010. and there is some, sort of a backlash to some of these republican governors' policies, like in ohio, for example. john kasich, not as popular as he would like to be at this point, as mitt romney would like to have him be at the head of the republican party. >> so it's a better question after we get through both conventions. but as we prepare to go to the republican convention, and you look at this map, i'll turn these states back to where we

have them in our real math. if you think there's one state where jeff zeleny is going to spend a lot of time in the final days, is there one? >> i don't think there is one. there are several states. i think you have to put virginia up there in the mix. if president obama can keep virginia in the winning column, that makes it difficult for republicans to win here, but ohio is always a good place to keep your eye on, because if governor romney cannot win ohio, it's tough for him also to reach the white house. no republican has done it. >> math almost impossible for governor romney without ohio and the state of florida. jeff zeleny, appreciate your time. we'll be going through the map a lot in the weeks to come. and the obama campaign now says it wants to make a deal with romney if it releases more of its tax returns. how team romney responds to that. and a camera that knows your face and tracks your shopping habits thanks to facebook. is it a deal or a danger? the all-new cadillac xts.oduci available with a patented safety alert seat.

when there's danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities.

mitt romney stirred the debate over his taxes again this week, revealing new information about how much he says he's paid. >> i did go back and look at my taxes, and over the past ten years, i never paid less than 13%. i think the most recent year is 13.6 or something like that.

i've paid taxes every single year. >> the obama campaign's response -- prove it. joining us to talk more about all of this and where we're going from here, "washington post" national political reporter, nia-malika henderson and "the times" deputy bureau chief, michael crowley. how much does this matter? governor romney trying to say, of course i paid some, harry reid saying he had paid none. he's trying to give information, but you have the letter already from jim messina, the obama campaign manager, "you release five years of returns, i commit in turn that we will not criticize him for noteleasing more." >> and we know at some point he's going to reece, i guess it's 2010, the full tax returns. he's obviously hoping to put this to rest. i don't think he will. i don't think most voters care about this single issue. i think what democrats have been pretty expert at doing is trying to paint mitt romney as somebody who doesn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else. and that's what they're -- that's the case they're making in the adds that you see about mitt romney. >> so democrats say, rich guy

who's hiding something, and the romney campaign in turn says, it's clear that president obama wants to talk nothing more than governor romney's tax returns, instead of the issues that matter to voters. like putting americans to work, fixing the economy. did the romney campaign become their own worst enemy by having him talk again, or did he need to say something? >> he kind of invited that follow-up. they had to know it was coming. evidently they weren't -- they did not think he was going to be talking about at taxes at that particular event, when they were wanting to focus on the whiteboard. the one that's interesting here, you see the romney campaign trying to claim the high ground. one thing they can do with the ryan pick, paul ryan is obviously divisive and controversial in many ways, but they can say, it's a campaign about substance and ideas. and paul ryan is looking at the budget, 10, 20, 30 plus years out, and this is where we want to have this campaign and the obama campaign is coming at us with negative attacks about our tax returns and things we've

litigated. so it's interesting to see them try to take the high road, but the high road often does not succeed in american politics. i think the obama campaign is on to a winning issue, but we'll have to wait to see how it plays out. >> this is that odd period in every presidential race where we meet the new running mate. he gets a week or two of attention, and who knows if it matters come election day. but we did meet paul ryan. i tried to ask him this question at the iowa state fair. let's watch this brief encounter. >> they're already calling voters here in your state and here in iowa, saying, ahah, this is proof they're going to take away your medicare. what do you say to that? >> we'll play all these issues later. we'll play stump the running mate later. but our job is to strengthen and protect medicare. that's what we do. president obama, they're raiding and ultimately rationing medicare. we'll deal with these issues later, though, okay, john? >> the ryan pick is without a doubt, has without a doubt put medicare front and center. but what's fascinating about this, the romney campaign says,

we're thrilled. we've raised more than $10 million. this is great, it energizes the base. the obama campaign says, this is great, we're thrilled, it energizes the base and we're going to raise money and put medicare front and center. are they both right? >> they're right. we've seen this play out this week since he was announced. very similar to the palin pick lastime when you saw so many people energized, people going and flooding those phone banks and making calls. but i think it is -- i don't think we expected that we would be talking about medicare so much. this was a campaign, the romney campaign, very much focused on where are the jobs, that john boehner slogan was very much the centerpiece of their argument for gaining the white house. and so now we're talking about medicare, but i think the republicans have very much been on the offensive on this. they had a campaign ad out. now you obviously see obama on the defensive, an odd place, i think, for the democrats to be. >> it's an incredibly odd place, michael. and if you look at karl rove, look at the editorial page of the "wall street journal." they think maybe there's a

tipping point. they're trying to make the case, and maybe it's all they can say, but they're trying to make the case, if they actually have a policy debate about medicare. after a few years in which every american has made tough choices, maybe they can turn this issue in their favor for once. >> the karl rove position is that, in the past, you have not had democratic legislation that took any money away from medicare, and the obama health care bill did take some money away. now it's mostly to providers and not beneficiaries, but republicans feel like for the first time, they have sort of an in, that they never had before. i still think, john, that most likely, you know, they might be able to fight the democrats to a draw on this, but i'm not sure it's really where they want to be fighting. i mean, as you just said, what they're not talking about, when this medicaid argument is -- medicare argument is happening is, job creation, people who are unemployed, whose cousin or spouse might be unemployed, they're not saying, we're going to get you back to work in a few months. they're talking about the next generation, solvency of the program. they are hitting democrats on

cuts for seniors, which they allege are coming in the shorter term. but i think the winning argument for the romney campaign is near-term job creation, and this is taking them away from that issue. >> so how important is this next week? the republican convention is a week away. there's been a lot on paul ryan last week, that's how it works. but governor romney in the end will have to be front and center. only governor romney can beat president obama. paul ryan may help or hurt, but it's romney and obama. how do they do it next week? what's the challenge for governor romney? >> i think the challenge is he's got to reintroduce himself to the american public. you've seen all summer where the democrats again have been pretty expert at focusing on bain, focusing on the layoffs, they're taking away his main argument, which is that he's a job creator. i think that's a challenge there. you obviously see ann romney there. they'll try to humanize him with that lavish video about his bio. i think that's a challenge. really having a message that people can -- that resonates with people. >> i think humanizing is so important. my sense is that a lot of american people just don't feel like they know mitt romney that well. he's a little bit of a cipher.

he doesn't want to talk about his time as governor, doesn't want to talk about bain, even his religion is a little sensitive. they really these to introduce him and personalize him and humanize him. that's the thing that's really hindering him right now. zblooib >> thank you very much. a surveillance camera that knows your face and tracks your shopping habits. is it a big deal or a sign of dangerous times to come? we investigate next. and the late chef julia childs like you've never heard her before. joeanne moos is ahead. ♪ ♪ with a subaru you can always find a way. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills.

triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches. ooo no. the hotel lost our reservation. nonsense! you book at travelocity, your reservation's guaranteed.

well, i did not book with travelocity, okay?!? [ female announcer ] get the travelocity guarantee any way you book, including our new app. you'll never roam alone.

another new kind of computer technology now raising questions about your privacy. the camera that recognizes your face and can track your shopping habits through facebook. our brian todd is looking into that for us. >> reporter: and you thought ads targeting you were pure fantasy. well, shoppers, meet nority report. a new service called face deals uses cameras set up in stores, restaurants, bars. facial recognition batches up your image with your profile and pictures on facebook. then can send your a customized offer from that store. but only if you give permission before hand. face deals uses facebook's open platform but is not otherwise connected to facebook. it was developed by the firm red pepper, which uses this video to take you through it. log into facebook, grant permission to image you. verify your likeness.

says, dynamically optimized. that means your face is read, matched up with your facebook like history. then it delivers your customized discount. it has laser-like efficiency and concerns the heck out of privacy advocates. mark rotenberg is with the electronic privacy information center. there's a surveillance camera in this store. what's wrong with using a camera for marketing? >> people will find that their personal information will become available to the stores they're visiting. >> reporter: what's wrong with it if they sign up for it? >> people would need to know how much of their personal information is being made available. on facebook, for example, it would be their network of friends, their likes and interests. a lot of that information would become available and i don't

think people would agree to that. >> reporter: i ran that by red pepper's ceo. >> we're not going to be pulling all the data. not to mention applications that we do for retail companies around the country, all that kind of stuff. people allow apps, applications all the time. it's allow this app. that is essentially saying that we can have access to your network. i think that's sort of a line and a comfort line people are moving towards, as long as that information is not misused. >> reporter: what does facebook think of this? it's a big part of the process and that face deals logo looks a lot like facebooks. a spokesman told us the company is not xaenltsing on face deals. it just wants to make sure people make informed decisions about the apps. the ceo says they have been in contact with facebook and when this camera is set up in stores, the name and logo will be different. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> fascinating stuff. the officials of the company developing the camera say it's

being beta tested in three stores in nashville but hope to roll it out nationwide. julia childs like you've never heard her before. jeanne moos just ahead. new you know, ronny... folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy.

and how happy are they jimmy? i'd say happier than a bodybuilder directing traffic. he does look happy. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah.

one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'.

the late julia childs would have turned 100 this week. so lots of people are cooking up tributes, including jeanne moos. >> reporter: eight years after her death, julia child is back and she sounds hungry. the woman whose "new york times" obit called her the french chef for a jell-o nation has been

audited for a youtube nation. pbs commissioned john boswell to commemorate her. >> use the magic voto tune to bring her to life in song. >> reporter: julia child didn't mince words, she minced ingredients. if you went searching on google, maybe you stumbled on the google doodle cooked up in her honor. these days everybody is a foodie, but not everybody gets portrayed by meryl streep. >> bon appetit. >> reporter: and an ackroyd on "snl." nothing finger licking good about his chicken. >> must stop the leading. >> reporter: the real julia may have liked things rare, but not that bloody. she used a blow torch to melt cheese over a beef tartar burger for david letterman.

>> ever cooked something that turned out awful? >> yes. >> what do you do then? >> i give it to my husband. >> reporter: no wonder he died first. her autotune resurrection is the later installment of pbs icons remixed icons like mr. rogers. ♪id you ever grow anything in the garden of your mind ♪ >> reporter: certain lines are favorites. ♪ bring on the roast and the potatoes. ♪ >> reporter: the video even made some people cry. it's not because she's cropping onions. one wrote, every time she mentions the smell of something cooking, reminding her of home, i tear up a little. oh, hell i cried full out when i first listened. the woman who