room. not as cool as the white house. >> no. >> the white house is cooler. you're a good man. thank you. >> you're welcome. >> sweet guy, nice guy. tune in tomorrow 6:00 p.m. eastern. i'll speak with the cousin of emmett till. he was with him the days before he died. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." up next, "lou dobbs tonight." president obama today blasting television organizations, saying they are inflaming the controversy over his controversial health care plan. president obama trying to play down the impact of the town hall protests, as is the democratic leadership on capitol hill. opposition to the presidential proposal is rising as his approval ratings plunge. one of the president's strongest critics in the democratic party itself is congressman mike ross. today explaining why he disagrees with the president. we'll be joined by three of the top political analysts who will tell us whether the president

has lost the battle for health care legislation. and chaos in california. from fires to prison riots, a wild animal invasion. did we mention california's massive budget problems? we'll have that special report. we begin tonight with the president taking his taee ing he plans to the west. he was at a town hall meeting in belgrade, montana. the president challenged the way in which television news organizations are covering town hall meetings being covered by congressman. president obama says tv loves a ruckus, as he put it. but the president said nothing new about his health care proposals. ed henry traveling with the president reports from big sky, montana. >> reporter: the president's town hall was gentle by congressional standards, but he did get one pointed question about his health reform plan. >> we keep getting the bull. that's all we get, is bull. you can't tell us how you're

going to pay for this. the only way you're going to get that money is to raise our taxes. you said you wouldn't. >> look, you are absolutely right. that i can't cover another 46 million people for free. >> reporter: the president vowed again he will not raise taxes on the middle class to pay for the difference. >> when i was campaigning, i made a promise that i would not raise your taxes if you made $250,000 a year or less. that's what i said. but i said that for people like myself who make more than that, there's nothing wrong with me paying a little bit more in order to help people who got a little bit less. >> reporter: spend a day in the tiny town of livingston, montana and you quickly see why the president's health care push is facing big problems in big sky country. even from those he's trying to help. >> we've got two kids and then my husband is the only one working. >> reporter: sandra

uninsured. she voted for the president and agrees there needs to be reform. but is worried about the details. >> i believe that there is a health care crisis. i really do. i do believe that the government needs to be more involved? no. because i think they just -- whenever they get their fingers in the pot it just turns black. >> reporter: a common sentiment here where a second obama voter told us government is too big. >> we've just spent so much money on the stimulus and tarp, and we're going to add another huge entitlement in the form of the public option. >> reporter: now, in private, top white house aides acknowledge that there is this bubbling anger, specifically directed at the government. people frustrated at the bail outs from t.a.r.p., bank bailouts, auto bailouts and they say this is something they have to push back on much harder and that's why we're seeing the president hitting the road. tomorrow he's going to colorado

for another town hall meeting, lou. >> what is the white house thinking, ed? as the president has gone before the country, traveling all over the country, pushing health care -- his health care initiative, his poll numbers have dropped considerably. opposition to the health care initiatives have risen. that opposition has risen dramatically. what is new in the approach now? did he say anything new today? >> reporter: he frankly did not say anything new that i saw. only pushback of that one question that was really pressing him on taxes. that is one of the frustrations i've picked up on the road, not just here in montana, but other states like indiana and virginia as well on previous presidential trips, where people who even voted for this president and want to see him succeed say they have not seen enough details, in an official obama plan to sort of lay out what exactly he's

for, beyond a broad principle. the bottom line is that the president is reaching a critical stage in all of this. you see some of the anger bubbling up during the august recess. when congress comes back in september, his aides acknowledge the window is closing. he is going to have to make the sale. he hasn't made it yet, lou. >> thank you very much, ed henry, reporting from big sky country. looks pretty nice out there behind you. >> it is. a leading democrat, mike ross, won praise for his constituents. he disagrees with the president and his democratic party leadership on capitol hill. congressman ross is a member of the so-called blue-dog coalition of conservative democrats. he helped persuade speaker pelosi to delay a vote on health care until fall. brianna keilar report. >> reporter: congressman mike ross' town hall meeting got off to a loud start, but it wasn't a

protest. it was a standing ovation. many of ross' constituents are pleased he and other fiscally conservative democrats forced democratic leaders to pare down the proposal price tag and delay a full house vote until september. ross scored points by distancing himself from leaders in washington. >> i led an effort and stood up to president obama and to speaker pelosi and we won. delaying any floor vote on health care reform until september at the earliest. >> reporter: like their congressman, these arkansasians are concerned about the cost of the bill. >> this bill will raise the deficit $65 billion. >> if health care adds a dime to the national debt, i'm voting no. >> reporter: constituents asked pointed questions. >> my family has lied here -- >> shut up -- >> as supporters of the

democrats scared off against opponents, ross played refuse remore than once. >> you all leave him alone. >> reporter: a lot of people were happy with what they heard. there were a couple of people who said they wish he would have been able to kill this attempt an overhauling health care, not just delay it. on that point, congressman ross stood his ground. its not his intention to kill an effort at health care reform. he wants reform, he says it's needed and it's his goal to make sure it's done with common sense, lou. >> what evidence of common sense is there in the specifics of the legislation? that was discussed at the town hall meeting? >> reporter: well, he certainly took issue with certain parts of the bill, and he said that some of the things that he thought that didn't have common sense were some of the concessions that he got in his talks with

congressman henry waxman and with democratic leaders, shaving $100 million off the bill, making sure more small businesses were exempt. he kept repeating to show his constituents, here is what i got when i was also able to slow down this process, lou. >> all right. brianna, thank you very much. the house speaker this week declared that town hall protesters who is congressman ross talked about there jumping up and down, objecting to the president's health care plan are simply "un-american." in an op-ed with house majority leader steny hoyer, the speaker said -- but it was in 2006 that speaker pelosi declared, she supports disrupters as they called them. she was calling about iraq at a town hall meeting in san

francisco. >> advocacy is very american and very important. and i'm a fan of disruptors. people who make haste change. >> quite a contrast then and now. speaker pelosi offered disrupters even more encourage. she invited them to stand at the front of the room with their anti-war signs. still ahead, both sides of the health care debate join us. they're talking about spending millions of dollars on competing television ads. we'll find out what they're going to say and what affect they might have. also, california on the brink in so many ways. wildfires, prison riotses, chaos in a state that some people say is simply out of control. a special report on australia's public health care system. a report you won't see anywhere else on television. stay with us. we continue.

we're examining health care systems all around the world to see what we can learn. as the nation begins to debate a health care proposition. we've reported on nine health care systems around the world so far. we've looked at rates of satisfaction and life expectancy in those countries. 83% of americans say they are satisfied with the quality of our health care system. life expectancy in the united states, however, is only 78.1 years. that's right, i said only. in denmark, 90% of the danes are

satisfied with their publicly funded system. and life expectancy is about the same as the united states. in germany where more than half of the enginehalf of the germans aren't satisfied. life expectancy in the uk is 78.9 year in canada, life expectancy almost 81 years. 84% of the french satisfied with their health care system, life expectancy, 81 years. 46% of the folks in the netherlands say their system needs change. the life expectancy, 80 years. switzerland 'health care system, life expectancy almost 82 years. spain, ranking 17th on the same survey. life expectancy, 81 years. 51% of those surveyed in japan

are satisfied with their health care system. obviously, though, just about half aren't. life expectancy in japan, the greatest in the world. 83 years. tonight, we report on a health care system of australia 24% of those surveyed in the recent poll said the australian system works pretty well. life expectancy in australia, 81.5 years. third highest of the 30 developed nations there is universal coverage and the system is funded most well public money. brooke baldwin reports. >> reporter: australia population 21 million. their health care system is called medicare. same name as in the united states, but much different. in australia everyone is covered. medicare pays for an entire visit to a public hospital and reimburses the trip to the family doctor. most medication is covered under the plan which does require a copay. the system is funded by income taxes, most australians pay 1.5%

of their salaries. those with higher incomes pay an additional 1% and there are low-income exceptions. but the public option isn't the only option as victor, who studies health care systems around the world, explains. >> australia has a medi-gap private health insurance sector, similar to the french which allows coverage of supplementary benefits and some copayments. >> reporter: approximately 43% of australians opt to buy private insurance as well. according to ian butler, an australian doctor currently practicing in the u.s., a primary reason for buy it is that people can bypass long lines for electiontive surgery. >> if you are sick with a heart attack or pneumonia, there isn't much of a problem. but if you want aid hed a hip

replacement, and wanted it done more quickly or expeditiously and by a particular surgeon it would be to your advantage to have private insurance. >> reporter: it covers private hospitals and specialists not entirely covered by the public plan. australia spends 8.7% of its gdp on health care, compared to 16% in the united states. total annual spending amounts to $3,137 per person, compared to $7,290 in the u.s. life expectancy, 81.6 years, versus 78 in the united states. on the whole, 28% of australians say their system works pretty well, compared to 12% in the u.s. on the life expectancy which is two years higher in australia than the average, australia has received remarkable success in reducing tobacco consumption.

they have cut the number of adults who smoke in half in the last 20 years. >> we haven't done nearly so well. >> maybe they are enjoying the great barrier reef instead. >> thank you very much. we also looked at the amount of debt, as a percentage of gdp for each of those countries, based on 2008. australia's debt, 15.5% of its gdp. denmark's debt, 32%, spain, 32.5%. switzerlands's debt. 44%. united kingdom. 44%. and canada's 62% and germany, 63%. france, 67%. the u.s. national debt, now more than 74% of gdp and rising. japan's debt is 170% of its gdp.

we'll continue our reports on the health care systems of other nations and what we might be able to learn from these nations. monday, we begin to examine the state of health care in austria. an interesting system and well worth your xwajexamination. and i'll have a few thoughts on those and a host of other issues. please join me on the radio. go to loudobbs.com to get the local listings and subscribe to our daily podcasts. today, we opened our phone lines to hear what the american people are mostly concerned about for a truly independent view of the american political landscape. subscribe to our podcast and also follow me on twitter.com. lou dobbs news on twitter.com.

up next, millions being spent on television ads trying to persuade americans on the health care discussion. will they have any affect? that is the subject of our face-off debate tonight. and from wildfires to prison riots to budget busters, it's been a heck of a summer for california. we'll have that story, here next.

riots, wildfires, drug

cartel busts, a wild animal invasion it sounds like various plots to summer movies, but in reality, it's just every day life this summer in california. here is this report. >> reporter: california usually evokes images of movie stars, beaches, wine country. but lately the golden state's image has been torched. two wildfires raging out of control. residents are fleeing with animals and guitars. >> we're musicians and they are kind of like our children to us. >> reporter: perhaps the only thing more californian than a wildfire is a car chase. >> this is crazy. >> reporter: a man suspected of making threats against the white house was gassed repeatedly and pulled from his car thursday after an eight-hour standoff outside the los angeles federal building building, locked down most of the day. also locked down, the state prison in chino, after a riot that injured 175 inmates.

>> have you 1,300 suspects or victims. >> reporter: state wide, a court has ordered the release of 40,000 inmates because of overcrowding that doesn't include squeaky fromme who was released from federal prison in texas on friday and a group of 17 suspected mexican drug cartel members were indicted on thursday. the second california-related cartel bust in two weeks. >> this rogue group of criminals, brought the drug trafficking operation across the border of mexico to san diego and set up shop. >> reporter: to the place that made the hamburger a culinary classic, nearly 2 tons of ground beef were recalled on thursday because of possible e. coli

contaminati contamination. this week there, is free medical care for thousands in engelwood. they usually volunteer in places like appalachia and the amazon. >> people can't afford the health care system in this country, unless you're well to do or well sured. >> reporter: medical care is among the services being slashed to close california's massive budget deficit. officials will soon be able to pay bills with real money, rather than ious, neighboring nevada is running ads and trying to pull businesses away. >> they love you. they don't want you to relocate to las vegas. if the legislator keeps monkeying around, you can kiss your assets away. >> reporter: the bear wandered into a suburban backyard this week. california remains one of the most popular places to visit in

the world, even with its problems. 350 million people came to california last year. and presumably, at least some of them managed to have a good time, lou. >> but they did leave, right? >> reporter: most of them did. >> i tell you, what a deal in california. casey, thanks. terrific reporting. we appreciate it. up next, the president blaming tv news organizations for stirring up anger in the health care discussion is that perhaps a wild misrepresentation by the president? we'll examine that and then our face-off debate. we capital inthe escalating advertising battle over the president's controversial health care initiatives and no, you can't. that's the message to president obama about the possibility of a manned mission soon to the moon. by soon, i mean 2020.

supporters and opponents to the president's health care proposals are taking to the air waves with several commercials now. but will the advertising work? that's the subject of our face-off debate tonight. joining me, james martin, the president of the 60-plus association. whose organization has launched a 1$1.5 million ad campaign against the president's health care proposals and ron pollack, executive director of families usa, which includes pharmaceutical companies, launching a $12 million tv ad campaign supporting the program. let's take a look at the ad hitting the air waves if we may. courtesy of the coalition of pharmaceutical, medical and health reform advocates. >> seniors are being asked to sacrifice again. congress plans to pay for health

care reform by cutting $500 billion for medicare. for seniors this will mean long waits for care, cuts to mris, cat scans and other vital tests. seniors may lose their own doctors. the government, not doctors, will decide if older patients are worth the cost. >> well, you know, jim martin, what's the deal there? that's pretty strong stuff? >> well, we're just following what the news media reports to us. i guess it's the blame game as the president said earlier. the fact of the matter is there are massive cuts coming to medicare. seniors are angry and upset about it, as well they should be. it's called save negotiatiing i washington, d.c. that's double speak. they are cut, no doubt about it. you won't be able to cut costs without cutting care.

it's that simple. >> ron, your thoughts? >> that's extraordinarily misleading. if you look at what this health reform does for seniors, it closes the so-called donut hole, the infamous big gap in coverage where senior who's got multiple health conditions have to pay substantial amounts of money it closes that donut hole it provides a new program. >> i have to say -- >> it provides home and community-based services. >> may i interrupt for a moment? >> sure. >> this thing about the donut hole. by the way, i'm a reasonably intelligent fellow. i don't know how a donut hole moved to the center of this constitution. help us out on that. >> you're absolutely right. the donut hole -- >> it's ridiculous. >> you're absolutely right. what it does, for seniors who have multiple health conditions and take lots of drugs, they get some help for the first dollars, but then after about $2500 a

year in expenses for drugs, they have to pay the full freight for the next several thousand dollars, and a lot of people can't afford it, so health reform is going to fix this once and for all. it also provides home and community-based care services so that people can stay at home, rather than going to an institution like a nursing home. >> let's take a look at one of your commercials. this ad hitting the air waves courtesy of your coalition. let's take a look at that. >> what does health insurance mean for you? it means you can't be denied coverage for a preexisting condition or get dropped if you get sick. it means putting health care decisions in the hands of your doctor. it means lower costs, a cap on out-of-pocket expenses. and a focus on preventing illne illness before it strikes. >> what's wrong with that?

sounds pretty good, doesn't it? >> to tell you the truth, i like some of that. preexisting conditions and preventative care. he was cherry picking a couple of good things that everybody can agree upon and i would like to address the donut hole. low-income seniors are affected by that. but until there's a medicare prescription drug benefit passed a few years ago and by the way, fa pharma supported it, there was no donut then. and that was the start to get the donut to help seniors out. >> the problem is that people who really need prescription medicine the most if they wind up spending more than $2,500, then they wind up having to pay the full freight for the next thousands of dollars thereafter. so this fixes that problem, and it's going to help senior citizens. at the same time, that seniors will get home and

community-based care services, preventative care and one last thing, a lot of seniors are worried about the solvency of the medicare program. this legislation will extend the solvency of the program so that seniors do not have to worry as they have been in the past that the program is no longer going to be there for them. so this really is going to help american seniors. >> why -- why was there such opposition to the prescription benefit in medicare when the bush administration pushed it through from some of the very same people who are now supporting the president's health care initiatives? >> well what people were really concerned about was that the people who needed drug coverage the most. they are the one who's really remain out in the cold after a few months of getting coverage. >> so we spent hundreds of billions of dollars to no affect? >> no, i wouldn't say that.

the first dollars are helpful to america's seniors, but if you really have -- >> every poll i've seen shows great satisfaction with the plan. >> i think people are satisfied that they have krdrug coverage r the first time, but they are not happy when they fall into this huge gap which will now be fixed. >> i would like to add that the drug benefit is -- you know, 30 million seniors can't be wrong. they have signed up in droves to get that. the medicare program, they mentioned earlier about the problems. let me tell you this. 44 years old. signed into law july 30th. seniors have paid in for 44 years, and they have paid their dues, they are now concerned about the massive cuts that are facing this program. >> gentlemen, we are really out

of time. i apologize. i'm sorry. go ahead, ron. real quick. >> it's hardly misleading. there's waste in the system. >> we got the part where you disagree. we appreciate you being here. ron pollack head of families usa. james martin, founder of 60 plus association. gentlemen, thank you. i wish we had more time. let's go for an update of the other major stories of the night. brooke. >> never enough time, lou. we want to start with michael vick's return to football. he was signed by the philadelphia eagles less than three months after being released from prison. the former atlanta falcons quarterback spent 18 months in prison. is he grateful for the second chance. >> as we know in the past, i've made some mistakes, done some terrible things, made a horrible mistake and now want to be part of the solution and not the

problem. >> vick signed a two-year deal with the eagles. he was reinstated on a conditional basis. he won't be able to report until the 6th of october. and the faa has suspended an air traffic controller who was reportedly talking on the phone at the time of the crash over the hudson river. and the supervisor has been suspended, who was not in the building as required. while they did not contribute to the accident, their conduct was unacceptable. nine people were killed. and police in sturgeon bay, wisconsin, looking for a teenage driver who survived this close call on an open bridge. the girl was trapped in her car for about two minutes when the bridge was up. the bridge was prematurely raised while the girl's car was stuck between the gates. surprisingly, the car did not fall. driver apparently just drove away once the bridge was

lowered. those are the stories we're following tonight. lou, frightening, can you imagine? >> that's something else. at least a happy ending. an independent panel appointed by the president is telling nasa no, you can't, whether it comes to a manned return to the moon by 2020. the panel found unless nasa were to receive much more money, a moon mission is simply unrealistic. >> reporter: nasa doesn't have enough money for a lunar landing by 2020. that's one of the signals being sent out after a presidential panel reviewed the agency's human space program. a dark scenario for some scientists. >> there is this perception, and not just among the public, but also in the science community that the moon is sort of a been there, done there world. i couldn't disagree more. ith a fascinating world and in many ways, the key to understanding the solar system. one of the big reasons to go back and probe the moon it

tellses you what the nature of the primordial nature is like. >> reporter: the budget to do this falls short by tens of billions of dollars. >> liftoff. we have liftoff. >> reporter: during the apollo program, the budget was 4% of national spending. today it's less than 1%, or $18 builton a year. >> for human space flight, half of that is human space flight. of that between $3 billion and $of billion is for new exploration. there is a choice of priorization nah the administration has to meet. everybody has to agree where we're going and how much it takes to get there. >> reporter: the committee outlined a series of options. one known as deep space strategy. manned missions to nearby asteroids and orbiting one of mars' moons by 2030. the current shuttle fleet is

scheduled to retire next year. the committee suggests extending the international space station life span and involving the private sector to develop the new fleet. also off the option list? landing on mars. the committee presented the administration officials with preliminary findings, and the final report will be released at the end of the month. until the report is out, nasa won't comment on any of the options. >> there is literally nothing brilliant in nasa's future right now. $60 trillion in unfunded liabilities. $2 trillion in federal budget deficit. you think about the glories of that program, the heroes of the astronauts of the apollo program. this is -- >> reporter: and what this does to the science community as well. scientist who's really want to see this program go forward. >> it is an american tragedy to think where we've come in 40

years. thank you very much. up next, the president is pushing health care proposals out west, and he faced a couple tough questions. >> i believe in our constitution. and it's a very important thing. i also get my news from the cable networks, because i don't like the spin from thaw comes from them other places. >> you have to be careful about those cable networks. >> what do you think the president meant by that? stay with us.

a lot happening in washington. joining us, chief political columnist for politico.com, roger saimon and james peferrat and kelly goth. good to have you here. did the president -- let me say first, our white house correspondent ed henry reported that the president traveled all the way out to montana and didn't say anything new. is this an effective way for him to campaign for his health care plan? >> who doesn't love montana this time of year? >> look, didn't mean to suggest that he wasn't enjoying the trip. >> well, no. in all seriousness, especially when you look at the polls, his message isn't effectively connecting with a wide swath of americans and some of them live

in montana. you have to take it beyond the beltway and people that agree with you. >> i dunt see the montana meeting, but i saw parts of the new hampshire one. he said two things that were disruptive. one, when he compared what he wanted to do with the health care system to the postal system. postalization, is that really what he wants? >> do you think we'll hear the president make that comparison again? >> i hope so. >> maybe the dmv. that would be better. >> and the other one was he made this sort of glib comment about pulling the plug on grandma, to which the audience responded with laughter. it was rather creepy, and it allowed sarah palin to win that debate. >> do you agree? >> it doesn't matter where you are, as long as you're on tv when you're president of the united states. he wants to get to taway from t

east coast and to what many people consider the real american. the crowd was politely and respectful and clearly impressed to be in the same room as the president of the united states. >> that final question was quite something, wasn't it? an ode to mr. obama, i believe. the question about taxes, kelly. saying that he wouldn't be taxing anybody under $250,000. yet we have seen the congressional budget office say not so fast. arguing that there will be costs associated with this. that there won't be the efficiencies that he suggested. and thirdly that preventative medicine actually will cost more under his program. these are not happy things, are they? >> i hope you're not suggesting that a politician might actually have to stretch one of the proms he made on the campaign trail, i'd be stunned and shocked to hear such a thing. in all seriousness, if would you asked me two days ago and ask me who was winning the debate on

health care, i would say the democrats are losing and the president is as well. but the behavior at some of these town halls. something that happened to me in the last 24 hours, i received an e-mail from a friend of mine who happens to be white who is my age who said the behavior the last week has convinced me that i was a little bit naive about race nicism in the country. i think that this is really starting to swing the pendulum in the other direction. i don't support the plan, but i sure don't support this type of rhetoric from these crazies. that was their language, not mine. >> crazies talking about the assassinating the president when bush was president as well this is an unfortunate part of politics these days, and i deplore it as well. sure we did we saw people comparing bush to hitler,

swastikas and the anti-war demonstrations. go back and look at the media report. >> do we have these? we'll bring these up, we were referring to them earlier this week. >> we didn't hear people threatening to kill the bush girls. if you would asked me four days ago, i might have inclined to agree. i'm not sure how i stand on the health care plan, but i think the language is getting scary. to see somebody yank a rosa parks poster out of somebody's hand and rip it, i don't feel comfortable staying in that room. i don't think we can say that's not part of the situation. >> that is absolutely deplorab e deplorable. >> i mean -- i'm sorry, go ahead. roger. go ahead. >> i'm sorry.

i didn't say anything, but agree with kelly that extremism is helping the president, and actually i think one of the things he was looking for at the montana meeting, where he called on people that clearly were going to be critical. he called on a guy wearing an nra jacket and thought he was going to get a much hor heated question than he got. he looked good in comparison to the opposition. and when the opposition goes over the line, regardless of how much other presidents have had to bear this, it helps the president. because he looks reasonable in the face of extremism. >> in the face of extremism, and i'm curious, you seem to paint this, if it's only on the extreme right. >> oh, no. there's been extremism in american history -- >> no, i'm talking about current affairs if i may. you make it sound like it's only on the right. do you see any signs of extremism on the left? >> of course. >> there is extremism on both

sides, and the median unable to divert our eyes from the car wreck gawk at it. but -- when you were mentioning earlier how the president criticized cable tv, i don't think the president is upset to carry his news conferences live. he knows how to use tv rather effectively and knows that, you know, he is winning this battle when it comes to the battle of the television screens. >> one would think certainly he might even consider an embrace of at least one outlet. we'll be right back. stay with us. (announcer) take your time to find the right time with cialis for daily use... a clinically proven, low-dose tablet for erectile dysfunction you take every day so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

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we're back. i mentioned to kelly and james had mentioned to kelly there, are plenty of instances of the swastika used in anti-war demonstrations during the butch administration and while it is obviously horrible that they are being used today, apparently in health care debate, the examples of it being used before. you brought up the issue of race. race, you know, a number of people have said is a code word. one person said socialism is a code word for a racial epithet.

>> race is moving to the front here in a peculiar way. i think from sort of unusual quarters. what do you think? >> there are two sides of it. on the one pand, people have prejudices that they express in very ugly ways. kelly is right. and we all deplore that, and the vast majority of americans who see that are repelled by it and increases their sympathy for the president, although perhaps not his policies. on the other hand, when people say socialism is code word for race, i think there is an element of using it as an excuse as well. >> roger, the last word, quickly, please. >> i think people are overlooking in the exuberance over the last election that obama didn't win the white vote, he lost it by a landside. 12 percentage point. some people are uncomfortable with that. and i think obama will eventually probably win them over. >> thank you very much.

roger simon, james ferrato, kelly goth. and john roberts at the top of the hour. >> tonight, we're going in depth on a story you mentioned earlier. michael vick back in pro football. has he paid a high enough price for his crime? plus, i'll talk to one of president obama's biggest supporters on the push for health care. and three of rock's guitar legends share their secrets on the eve of the anniversary of woodstock. and up next, our weekly salute to the men and women who serve in nation in uniform. shopping online can help save. doing it with bank of america can help save a lot more. up to 20% cash back from over 300 online retailers with our add it up program.

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and now heroes. tonight, marine staff sergeant logan cortez. he was ambushed. honored with a bronze star for his bravery. brooke baldwin with his story. >> and the next thing -- >> reporter: staff sergeant logan cortez is a martial arts instruction for the combat skills training skill. >> sometimes when you are in iraq and you are in the santd, are you not always shooting. sometimes are you in close combat, and you have to defend yourself. >> stop. >> reporter: in 2005, cortes was in the second battalion marines

regiment. >> we were making sure that the weapons -- any insurgents in the city. >> reporter: just one week before returning home, while clearing the city, his team was ambushed. >> there was activity on one house, three insurgents, and we went to investigate it. >> reporter: second platoon arrived to the home first and found not three insurgents, but more than 30. >> reporter: i was about to set up the wall, when a couple of them came out and torched the house. so they started running, and there was explosion. and there was insurgents popping all over the place. >> reporter: one marine was dead. and another inside the house was wounded. cortes went in after him. >> his last words prayed, so i had to drag him out of the house. >> reporter: after pulling that

marine to safety, cortes ran through the fire fight again to reprieve more ammo for his machine gunner. >> once we pulled everybody out, they started raining on everything, the mortars. we called for a medevac, and medevacked everybody that was there. >> reporter: seven marines died that day. cortes awarded the bronze star with valor for his bravery. >> on that day, i don't think i did anything different than anybody else. >> reporter: he has proudly served for six tours over the last 14 years and plans to serve his country another 6 years before retiring. brooke baldwin, cnn. >> he shared with us something that he has not told anyone else. he was wearing a knee brace on the day of that fire fight, and he tells us he was more afraid than falling than being hit by enemy fire. he's