>> you just created a much bigger controversy. how did you vote for the guy in the islands? >> reporter: i'm not sure how i did that. it's hard to maintain my fake anger on this one, but seriously, national day of the cowboy? what do republicans have against the national polinator day? what is america if we don't celebrate national thrombosis week? i'm done. >> i'm with you, pete. we'll see you tomorrow, too. parker spitzer starts right now. good evening, i'm kathleen parker. >> and i'm eliot spitzer. it may look like a democratic win, but is it a lasting win? you know what i think but we'll talk about the top strategist, james carville, always an exciting conversation. >> plus, kiss, rocker gene simmons joins us. his desire to replace simon cowell and, get this, he's a fan

of george bush. >> hats off to speaker pelosi. they may call it a lame-duck congress but it quacks and it did something important today. they passed the tax cut for the middle class, only for the middle class, those who are $250,000 below, it's good economics and good policy and get this, 60 plus percent of the public believes it as well. i say congratulations, it's the right thing to do. who is out there dumping all over this? let's listen to what john boehner, the incoming speaker of the house had to say. >> i'm trying to catch my breath so i don't refer to this maneuver going on today as chicken scrap but this is nonsense. we're 23 months from the next

election and the political games have already started, trying to set up -- >> let me tell you what is nonsense. his language is an outrage. people should be furious. just yesterday he's at the white house saying, bipartisan, bipartisan this, he's dumping on something that 60% of the public knows is good policy. i think that was shameful behavior by john boehner. >> you have missed your calling. you need to be on broadway. can you do that imitation one more time for ne? >> no. >> i've talked about this before. i think we're paking a big mistake by demonizing the so-called rich as though they have done something wrong. there is a difference -- let me finish. there is a difference wean the working rich, the $250,000 per household. these are people that have worked hard, paid their bills, have elderly parents that they are taking care of or working out for at least and then hang on to their money so they are not a burden to society and so my position on this is, why not

raise the ceiling on how we define the rich. let's s it at $1 million or fix it as a sliding scale. at least change the tenor of the conversation. >> we'll continue this tax debate conversation with our headliner. joining us from washington, the most influential congressman, barney frank. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> is there perhaps any chance that you can bring in the unemployment compensation as part of the package that has happened here? >> that's part of the conversation. and the vote today strengthened our hand in doing that. the vote said that there is a significant amount of representatives who believe that unemployment compensation and other tax issues that are relevant. yeah. again, we need to be clear about what the right wing is saying. a, we care so much about the deficit that we can't extend unemployment for people who are

out of work. although some of them argue that it's just lace zee people and if you make their children suffer enough, they will stop hanging out and go get a job apparently. because you have to remember, it's the children of the unemployed who are at risk here. >> some republicans, though, have recommended extending and do want to extend the unemployment benefits. >> but by taking money away from funds that now go for other important purposes, like keeping police and firefighters on the street. what they are saying is they can't do unemployment by paying for it but far more the unemployment be added to the deficit if you get people making hundreds and hundreds and thousands of dollar as year a tax cut. what i'm saying is that this conservative deficit is a sham. if you were primarily focused on the deficit, you wouldn't give warren buffett and bill gates the tax break that they don't want. >> i couldn't agree with you more in terms of the very, very

rich. but two income families earning $250,000. that's not hugely rich in an urban area certainly. >> i agree. that's one of the problems that we have, of course, is that you can't vary the taxes for cost of living and $250,000 in some places is much more or less than in others. that's where we have to compromise. if you talk about something higher than 250, you could get there. >> and you would vote for that? >> well, i would. but i don't want to be rude, kathy, but you don't have a vote so i can't negotiate with you. i hope you're not offended. so i'm not going to give you a number. look, we understand that we don't have the votes to do what we did today but we want to make it clear that we don't think they should have the vote so that everybody gets the full reduction, especially after we voted for this under bill clinton and we had 30% top rate that cause economic disaster. instead, we had the best

economic period in a long time. so the answer is, yes, i understand that 250 is too low and some people would be willing to go higher than 250. you don't take the top off and give people making hundreds and hundreds of thousands and -- remember, if you're making $500,000 a year, the total increase tax from what we want is $7500 because it's 3% on $100,000. $250,000. it's less than that. there's no economic government that says if you increase the tax on people making 500,000 by a small number of thousand, that's going to have any negative economic effect. we would be willing to go above 250. >> congressman, we only have a couple moments left but i want to pivot to my revelations about the fed's extension of credit to the wall street banks and other major companies as well in a denomination of $9 trillion in aggregate, numbers that i think

people are finding staggering. did you and other members know what was being made? >> not specifically. one of the things we did, by the way, was curtail the power that the fed had to do this. in 2008 they began to use this power and will no longer be able to have it. secondly, i think it worked on the whole. i think we stafed off work to death and these moneys are being paid back. finally -- >> if i might just interject for a moment, i've said very clearly there's no question those loans have needed to be made to stave off economic disaster. there was no notice given to people from you to other elected officials and simultaneously, there was never a negotiation about what the banks and other companies would do for reform. >> i appreciate that, eliot but the power under section 13.3 of the federal reserve act to do these things without any restriction is gone. they will still be able to

respond to an emergency but in a much more orderly way. when they were doing this, they didn't know that it would become public. as a result of the bill that was signed by the president over the objection of almost all of the republicans, they will now -- this was not just a one-time revelation. what we put into the bill was tell us what happened in 2008, 2009, and going forward with an appropriate time so you don't affect the market unduly. anything like that done in the future under the new restrictive rules will be made public. the fact that it's going to be made public is a constraint and some of the problems that you talked about. >> there's no question that making it public in the appropriate time frame is critically important. i think it also, however, would have been important and appropriate for tim geithner to reveal these -- >> and we changed the authority to allow them to do that. i wish a lot of things had been different in the past. all we can do and we were not fully aware of these powers but

one of the -- we did all of those things that you say should have been done then and now is a law as a result of the bill that we got pass gld congressman, i want to return to the house notwithstanding john boehner's remarks today, the new republican majority house has decided to extend the olive branch across the aisle and has invited democrats to chime in. are you feeling the love as the republicans move forward? >> oh, spare me. yeah, he's invited us to listen to him call a very serious piece of legislation called chicken crap. this is not the old john boehner, you said. that's true. but the old john boehner was not dependent on the tea party. i saw this in my effort working for scott brown. leases sa murkowski, robert bennett, not simply that they disagreed with them

substantively but they had to work with the democrats. boehner has people that he thinks shouldn't work with us. i wish we could expect more cooperation but this kind of name calling thaw just quoted it, that undermines any cooperation. >> i completely agree with your take. we've seen the republican party in the early stages of control in the house and taking the agenda of this president and congress hostage and taking the agenda that we need hostage. is there any hope and is this a vain hope on my part that the president will make an appeal to the nation, you could get the middle class tax cuts alone through the senate? could he persuade those wavering democrats and a few of the moderate republicans that this is good economics, that 60% of the american public wants it and it's critical to our future? >> i'm afraid not because i think he can move some of the democrats. here's the problem. my republican, including the moderate republicans, are frightened of what would happen

in primaries. the most significant thing that happened this year was a defeat of not a liberal republican but lisa murkowski and robert bennett through mainstream conservatives, the defeat in colorado and in nevada, colorado, and clearly nowhere and not necessarily people wholly implausible. that's what my republican colleagues fear. there was a clear majority in the house and a consensus in -- well, there's a poll from the pentagon, a majority of the senate to get rid of don't ask, don't tell, that deprives the military of good people. every single republican, 42 of them, including the more liberal and moderate ones, signed a letter of the century saying, don't bring it up. we'll filibuster it.

olympia snow in maine -- >> congressman frank, thank you for your time. >> kathleen, eliot, thank you. later on, the most famous tongue in the world will be right here. gene simmons from the legendary band kiss will be with us. stay with us. i think these guys are worried if we continue to have this 9 1/2 to 10% unemployment that it could be -- >> be specific. >> people get lines into very edgy and suicides and people that -- you know, everything. mod trailer insurance... ...as well as motorcycle insurance... gecko: oh...sorry, technical difficulties. boss: uh...what about this? gecko: what's this one do? gecko: um...maybe that one. ♪ dance music boss: ok, let's keep rolling. we're on motorcycle insurance.

vo: take fifteen minutes to see how much you can save on motorcycle, rv, and camper insurance. [ but aleve can last 12 hours. tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. but i knew that i was going to need a day job. we actually have a lot of scientists that play music. the creativity, the innovation, there's definitely a tie there.

one thing our scientists are working on is carbon capture and storage, which could prevent co2 from entering the atmosphere. we've just built a new plant to demonstrate how we can safely freeze out the co2 from natural gas. it looks like snow. it's one way that we're helping provide energy with fewer emissions. [ male announcer ] an everyday moment can turn romantic anytime. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment's 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. [ man ] don't drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach,

delayed backache, or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, stop taking cialis and call your doctor right away. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if cialis for daily use is right for you. for a 30-tablet free trial offer, go to cialis.com. the bipartisan cooperation over the taxes was apparently a little more than a photo op. republicans seem to be steam rolling the democrats on the issue. >> joining us is cnn contributor james carville. always exciting to talk to you, james. >> why do they always call you out spoken? that seems so unfair. >> you know, i'm so quiet and reasonable and rationale. >> you are reasonable. let me ask you this question. it seems to me that we as

democrats have put ourselves in an impossible situation. we've delayed all of these incredibly important decisions and tax cuts for the middle class, don't ask, don't tell, the dream act, the s.t.a.r.t. treaty, we delay them until the november vote. why did we push these things through when we had the majority? >> kenny rogers says, you need to know when to hold them and when to fold them. we folded them early. so we're having to do all of this now. he make as very good point. legislative strategy is, you know, just get the election over and deal with it. >> turned out horrendously. >> james, i'm going to answer my own question now. you had colorful things to say about the president recently, describing his anatomy in less than -- are you vindicated? they made me ask that, i just want you to know. >> that's all right. they have a way of throwing your own words back in your face. >> well, but to the point.

>> right. >> do you feel like he caved? if so, what is going on? >> if you believe yesterday, the deal was that you can extend the tax cuts and address the budget deficit, we will be taxed less if you let us spend more. 0-2. >> 0-2. >> the presumptive john boehner -- >> rising speaker. >> rising speaker. thought they had a deal and they don't have one. who knows? >> i talk to john boehner's office today and that's what they said. they met, this bipartisan group, they met in the white house and left feeling like they have an understanding about how things are going to proceed and there is going to be a bipartisan agreement and the democratic leadership wants to go run with this. it's a political maneuver. >> look, if you believe as i did, that we have two huge

economic problems that this country faces, one, it's the deficit. i'm not one of these people that thinks it is not an issue. >> it's huge. >> income disparity is a huge problem that we have in this country. if you extend the tax cuts to people making over $250,000, you get to knock 700 billion -- to me it's a no-brainer. >> let me finish this one thought. the republicans would argue, yes, we'll deal, we'll play with that. you can have your taxes. but you've got to cut. we've got to cut. now, i know, eliot, they are not going to do what then they are running for office. >> they are not running anymore and still can't seem to answer the question. >> no, that's not fair. they said they want to cut npr. >> i know that. >> they did say that. >> dick armey said that they are going to cut out education.

>> i want to come back to where the democratic party has failed in my view. i hate to harp on this, but the majority of the americans want to give unemployment insurance to those desperately looking for work and can't find it. why can't they line up the votes and do what the public wants? >> i don't know. to me the democratic party exists to help the unemployed. the democratic party exists to deal with a crisis of an unregulated financial market caused by leverage and speculation. if we can't deal with that, why do we exist? we don't exist to have funding. >> can we just raise the level? what do you think of schumer's proposal to change the definition of rich? a million or somewhere in between. >> understand, if you make half a million dollars, you're only paying the difference between 250 and 500. you're still getting -- as you go higher -- >> an actual dollar?

>> in actual dollars. you may have to do that. i don't know what the effect of going from 250 to a million are. we know that from 250 to ten-year projection is $700 billion. it's a lot of money. we're talking about stuff. this is a lot to add to the deficit. that's 700 billion. so you may have to -- >> it may be what you can get. politics is possible. >> the middle class tax cut passed the house. middle class only. vote was held today, passed the house. when it goes to the senate, give us how do you game it out? is there any way that the democrats can pay the rabbit out of the hat and force a vote on this? >> no. no. >> so the moderate democrats are going to -- >> first of all, you have the -- yeah, you're going to have some democrats that are just not going to go to the republicans and are going to be unified on this. i seldom say never is my motto but it seems very difficult. i would be very surprised.

>> mitch mcconnell said that the debate is not whether we're going to extend the tax cuts, it's for how long. that's where the debate is taking place. >> right. and you could say -- you could make the argument, hey, let's extend them until november, right after the election in 2012, slug it out over the election to see what it is. and that -- >> let me ask sk this question. if you were advising the president just on this issue, don't bring up unemployment, would you want him to extend it out beyond the 2012 elections or extend it out so that it becomes a problem in 2012? >> i think it was an horrific policy it's an horrific idea to keep them. and furthermore, things could be

worse without them. by the same token, i understand that numbers are numbers and you've got to deal with this. i would rather take it and fight it out in 2012 election. >> i'm with you. >> it's an issue. but we didn't do a very good job of explaining it to people what it is the plurality of americans want to do this. we're one of the americans that are winning. >> thanks so much for joining us. having been in that game for a period of time and i did okay, you do it with a passion and say whether it's wall street, the environment, or middle class, do it with energy and passion and then people will forgive you having an argument. [ male announcer ] sit down. it's ok. you've got preparation h with the only cream

that gives you maximum strength pain relief. and relieves swelling, burning, and itching. preparation h. doctor recommended -- by name. so i take one a day men's 50+ advantage. as a manager, my team counts on me to stay focused. it's the only complete multivitamin with ginkgo to support memory and concentration. plus it supports heart health. [ bat cracks ] that's a hit. one a day men's. sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks.

allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com. sleep well, on the wings of lunesta.

earlier this year, i used my syndicated column to declare myself as a sen trift, someone who is anti-ideological. it seems i'm not alone. today constitutes 42% of the electorate. of course, now i'm wondering can a ceterist movement succeed? >> it's called the magic middle.

cnn contributor who wrote the book what he calls the vital center. welcome, gentlemen. let me ask you what is the middle and how do you define it and what does it really stand for? >> i think the vast of the majority of americans are not trusting the absolute of our politics and polarization of the two parties. the extremes that are hijacked is debate and gomped and a commonsense resentment. >> all of and almost impossible to disagree with that impure concept but obviously you think it doesn't really translate into politics day to day. why not? >> i live in washington, d.c., and -- >> there's your argument right there. >> to hell with that place. but many washington, d.c., sen richl means -- that sounds so noble. it's a practical problem solver. >> it is noble. it's me. there you go.

>> but that's not what they mean by that term in washington, d.c. what they mean is this place -- and there is only -- by the way, the definition i'm going to give you is something that is believed in two parts of american life. one is the sort of pundit high pauk kra see, political science departments of the nation. >> i'm going say something here. talking about cetrism in washington is irrelevant. centrists don't have an ideology because we don't have an ideology. >> the democratic party has been very much in that middle and as the republican party has moved to the right, i want to use one example and that's what is on the table. it's the problem with the mechanics but the issue on the table is the tax cut. the democratic party is saying give a tax cut to everybody below 250. point to 500 and nobody would be

terribly upset. 65% of the american public believes that. the republican party is holding us hostage in opposition. isn't the democratic party where that center is on that one critical issue? >> john, you absolutely have an answer for this and i want to you say it. >> good. they are dominated by the far right. it used to be that fiscal responsibility is synonym nous and all of a sudden supply side no matter what. they have an opportunity here if they own that. the conservative movement, i'm not a conservative. i'm pretty liberal but i admire that and they have this great -- >> somehow i think it's going to be an insult. >> what is a conservative movement about. remember the conservative caucus, his saying way back when, we organize discontent. okay? there is -- that is the attitude that got the mood of the

country. >> that is the attitude and there are people that want politics to be a mirror of that. a lot of folks on the far right say, as you've written in the past, ship, there are people on the far right who believe that, too. >> not in the current context. the 2010 election happened because, as you know, it's a high intensity election. and especially in the economic downturn -- >> here's a way that they got it wrong. the democratic party i so degrading its ideology. it stood for nothing. mush does not win. they stood for such a malcolm of nothing that nobody could stand up and say, i'm supportive because of x. but the tea party crafted an

ideology, as crazy as it may be, they could carry their pitch fork and feel good about it. >> you talk about people being angry. they are also angry about the pitchforks. they are tired of the partisan bickering. they may not be able to talk about an issue but that's the left, i'm not that. they see the sarah palin brigade on the right and they are not that. so it leave this is broad center where they are looking for a place to land, right? >> you go first. you are inching to get in there. >> we have to plant a flag for the center. we need to play offense. but the problem in the whole debate right now is that 93% of the american people in a poll by "the wall street journal" is that there is too much in fighting in washington. >> that's true. >> but the elites in washington seem to think that 93% of the americans are stupid, that they

don't know what they want. and that the american people would vote socialist. >> they have not managed to speak up with ferver, excitement, having been in that game for a period of time, you do it with a passion and say whether it's wall street, the environment, middle class, do it with some energy and passion and then people will forgive you for having an argument with the other side because they know that they are with you. that's when they run to people who did. >> partisanship is one of the most disgusting things when you move to washington, d.c., and you have a republican kick ball team and it's ridiculous and fist fights at keg gers. it's idiotic. that doesn't mean that the ideas are bad. the conservative movement did a very good job this time around

of expressing itself in a movement of the disenfranchise and they are like, we are the party of reason. >> here's the thing. we are a center right country. >> ding, ding, i'm sorry we have to go. the debate about cetrism is boring, you have proved that it is not. >> thomas, john, thanks for abolishing the mushy center. >> wrong, eliot. >> you can be mushy. i'm not going to be mushy. >> the front man for kiss, gene simmons. you probably think he's the singer that wears scary makeup. but he's also a political

thinker. >> happy unmarried for 25 years. >> 27. >> don't take those last two away from me. they were tough. >> 27. >> what is the secret to -- >> there is no secret. >> there is. and i'll tell you -- i'll tell you what the secret is. the secret is of having shannon be the teacher to all of the women on planet earth about how to keep a relationship interesting, sexy, and forever changing. the craftsman compact right angle impact driver. powerful torque, greater control in the tightest spaces craftsman. trust. in your hands. slow you down. introducing bayer am. its dual-action formula delivers extra strength pain relief, plus it fights fatigue. so get up and get going with new bayer am, the morning pain reliever.

our next guest is the normal, happy couple. if you live in beverly hills, you're constantly followed by tv cameras and he's famous for sticking out his tongue. >> he's been the lead singer for kiss for more than 20 years and shannon has been in more than 50 films. thanks for coming by. >> very, very sweet of you. >> you all are in your '60s and you have a family tv show called "family jewels." >> gene simmons family jewels. >> sorry. to the point -- >> technically, they are my jewels. >> oh, okay.

okay. so we are being literal. >> i'm not saying a word. >> they are shared jewels now. >> you act like a married couple but you are not. >> that's the first question i have for you, happily unmarried for 25 years. >> 7. don't take those last two away from me. they were tough. >> my goodness, so what is the secret -- >> there is no secret. >> there is. and i'll tell you. >> what's the secret? >> the secret is of having shannon be the teacher to all of the women on earth about how to keep a relationship interesting, sex see, and forever changing. >> you just decided not to get married? but why not? >> the marriage part is not conventional but everything else is conventional. >> increasingly conventional if you look at society out there. >> i guess. i don't plan on defending that part of it. >> were your kids rocker kids -- >> the rocker kids are fine but,

again, full disclosure, i have never been high, or drunk in my life -- >> and neither have my kids. >> that's just a personal choice. that's not a political -- >> do you think that surprises your fans? do you think that would surprise your fans if they heard that? >> initially they did but i've badgered people and -- >> he will make you put your cigarette out. >> i will not be in the same room with anyone that smokes. >> you begin over in amsterdam visiting anne frank's house. this is one of the most powerful diary of anne frank books ever written. why there? >> kiss was on tour around the world and the camera followed us and we met -- we stopped in amsterdam. we met a 13-year-old boy who was so proud of his grandfather who survived the german nazi

holocaust of world war ii. he was interested in my mother who, likewise, survived the concentration camps. and we then were invited to go see the anne frank house and ill tell you initially we went there and i thought it was going to be sort of a sad day and sort of an historical overview but it impacted me so much that i broke down because when i looked at the face of anne frank, a 13-year-old jewish dutch girl, i immediately saw my mother who, at 14 years of age, was herself drived into concentration camps and saw her whole family wiped out and the problem with -- i used to be a sixth grade teacher myself. the problem with history and schools is you think of it as far away. it's in the history books, the holocaust. it's just a phrase. and the truth is it happened

yesterday. it happened to my mother. i never met my grandfathers or grandmothers. the phrase, if we don't learn from history, we're doomed to repeat it, actually means something. and i would urge everybody out there in all seriousness, if you haven't read a book by a 13-year-old girl while she was alive, you must read the diary of anne frank because it's an inspirational book about life. >> we'll be right back. >> i voted for president bush, i voted for president clinton and although i do want my vote back, i voted for president obama. we vote for all sorts of reasons. i would like to think that all of us vote for one reason. we vote our conscience. and, by the way, as a wakeup call to all of you, al qaeda doesn't care what political party you are, they want you all to die. lyunakh ommendeditfe-itit t adwiwiout food al

♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] some people just know how to build things well. give you and your loved ones an expertly engineered mercedes-benz... ho ho ho! [ male announcer ] ...at the winter event going on now. and stay connected with three years of mbrace service complimentary. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] print from any mobile device so your ideas can be there even when you're not.

introducing the new web-connected printers with eprint from hp. another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack that's caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming dangerous clots. ask your doctor if plavix is right for you. protection that helps save lives. certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery.

tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. it might surprise some people to know that you were a sporter of george w. bush and you were behind the war in iraq. >> unlike sometimes it's the democrats get in and sometimes the republicans get in. i voted for president bush, i voted for president clinton and although i want my vote back, i voted for president obama. we vote for all sorts of reasons. i would like to think all of us vote for one reason. we vote our conscience.

and as a wake-up call to all of you, al qaeda does not care what party you are. they want you all to die. >> you supported the war when the president said there was weapons of mass destruction? >> i don't care about that. politicians lie every day. i believe clearly that if you don't deal with a nuclear iran now and don't deal with al qaeda before it gets its hands on dirty weapons and stop the nonsense there, there is going to be nation building. i'm a very conservative foreign policy person. fiscally i'm very conservative. i don't believe in welfare states. i believe in giving jobs. i'm socially lib bral. i want to separate church and state. if you're gay and want to fight to be married, that's all, please. you know, let anybody get

married that they want to and i wish you luck. but i'm socially as liberal as you can get. >> why do you take back your vote of president obama? >> in the back of my mind, i wanted to show the world that america, the land of slaves, the land that tortured its black population for hundreds of years is also the place of hope that they give african-american the most powerful place on the planet. if you look at the resume, you couldn't find somebody, in retrospect, more unqualified. two years in office, never ran his own company. after the fact, i was questioning the qualification.

>> you're so passionate about this. did you ever think of using your music as a vehicle for -- >> it may not be as popular if you start talking about politics while singing. >> in the same way i don't want to hear our president start roblging out to a rock tune, i don't think rockers discussing politics because qualification is most important. >> sex and rock and roll. >> sing what you know about the most, you know. what i discovered, however, by reading "the wall street journal" but by especially seeing all of the pop culture news, i never knew that in america that our foreign policy was actually decided in malibu. i never knew that. i didn't know that sean penn was our foreign policy expert. that is what you want to hear, morons who are movies -- >> you joked about it, running for president. are you going to get into public life? >> as soon as they pay me enough

and -- >> how much money? >> i believe in democracy. >> and that's a no. >> i believe it's a more effective form of government is a benevolant dictator and you're looking at it. >> all right, ya'll are fantastic. thank you so much. the show airs this sunday at 9:00 p.m. on a and e. shannon, gene, thank you for coming. >> thank you. coming up, a few minutes away from our political party. we'll be right back. you're 80 years old, man. you've been in office for 40 years. you've got the president of the united states, the speaker of the house saying, you know what, you might want to step away. you want to be defiant, robust, claiming you're innocent and then go to that and lay the crime before congress? i'm done with him. it's an utter disgrace that he found himself in this position and then to not have the decency to walk away for the citizens of harlem, they deserve better than that. [ sneezes ] client's here.

whoa! that achy cold needs alka-seltzer plus! it rushes multiple cold fighters, plus a powerful pain reliever, wherever you need it! [ both ] ♪ oh what a relief it is! wherever you need it! what are you looking at? logistics. ben? the ups guy? no, you see ben, i see logistics. logistics? think--ben is new markets. ben is global access-- china and beyond. ben is a smarter supply chain. ben is higher margins. happier customers... everybody wins. logistics. exactly. see you guys tomorrow.

welcome to our political party where we invite steven a. smith to only seems to be four feet tall, he's actually all legs. he has his own syndicated radio show and a former speechwriter for condoleeza rice and looks beautiful in blue. >> well, thank you. >> and sam who hosts the internet radio report. all right. 80-year-old charlie rangel was on the floor of the house of representatives today pleading

for his political life. it was an impassioned statement. let's take a listen. >> i was in korea as a young 20-year-old volunteer in the second infantry division and su subzero weather, we were attacked and there were hundreds of casualties, wounded and killed, captured. glares and screams were heard and i was wounded and i had no thoughts that i would be able to survive. >> all right, guys. does he persuade you? should charlie be shown the exit or has he persuaded you he deserves to continue on fighting for central harlem? >> i'm not going to sit there and say that he deserves to be shown the exit but it's an absolute disgrace that he of all people conducted himself in that

fashion. he was on the ways and means committee. to consider the way that he tried to evade the taxes and pocket the money, he can say he didn't benefit the way but more importantly than that, you're 80 years old, man. you've been in office for 40 years. you have the president of the united states, the speaker of the house saying, you know what, you might want to step away. you want to be defiant and robust and then lay a crime before congress? i'm done with him. it's absolutely ridiculous and to not have the decency to walk away for the citizens of harlem, they deserve better than that. >> i'm going to come back to that thought. >> please do. >> i think he's showing a sense of entitlement, that he's a war hero, he should be off the hook and he did this and that in the korean war. so any returning veteran has the right to commit crimes?

i don't buy it and i think it's very disgraceful. >> he didn't commit a crime. he wasn't convicted of anything and there's no precedent to censure someone in this type of situation. maybe a reprimand. but he didn't commit any fraud, he was open with the committee and open after the fact and so, you know, i don't think it's because he's a war vet. i think it's just a question of precedence. >> i think at 80 yours old, and to be at that point in your life and to be reprimanded and censured, i think less of the man for using his war hero wichl. it's not something that you boast yourself. >> tax cuts, up on capitol hill today, they passed a bill to keep the tax cuts only for the people below 250,000. good move? bad move? do you agree with it? >> it's a great move. what was really offensive is that representative boehner is

talking about -- he called it chicken crap. >> yep. >> he should check with his own district because 99% of the people in his district will receive that obama democratic tax cut. if he wants to go back to his district and say what you've been given is chicken crap -- >> just for the record, i spoke to john boehner's office today. i said you've got to tell me about the chicken crap and i don't like to speak that way, in public, that is, mr. boehner and others went to the white house and sat down with the president and had an agreement going out the door for a bipartisan solution, at least a mechanism for that solution and he felt that they had an agreement. >> they had an agreement to talk. >> so why can't they bring up a vote -- >> this is what he said. >> i believe, at this moment in time, everybody, no tax hike whatsoever, it should be a situation where there's $250,000 and under.

i think for everybody -- momentarily. >> there's no economic reason for that. because the fact of the matter is, for people who makeover $250,000, study after study after study has shown that money does not end up in the economy. it doesn't have a stimulating effect on the economy. >> we've got to take a quick break. we'll continue with this when the party in one moment. as a manager, my team counts on me to stay focused.

so i take one a day men's 50+ advantage. it's the only complete multivitamin with ginkgo to support memory and concentration. plus it supports heart health. [ bat cracks ] that's a hit. one a day men's.

convicted murderer steven

hayes will be executed for the killing of jennifer hawke-petit and her two daughters that died three years ago. tonight on "360," the leadership's top military talks about why they don't ask, don't tell should end. that's the latest. i'm tom foreman and now back to "parker spitzer." >> we're going to pick it up with where we left off. >> bottom line is this, i understand what he's saying but the reality is that perception is reality. this is what we're constantly told. so, yes, you have people making 250 k or less. it's good that they have some kind of tax cut being implemented. but the reality is that businesses that generate more money than that hiring folks if the perception is that you're going to receive some kind of tax hike. that's the perfect excuse not to

go out and hire which ultimately means -- >> 50% of small business income will be taxed at a higher rate. >> i still think that number is way off. >> fine. how big do you want to define small business? >> i want to add another component. >> who cares. >> the other thing that needs to be considered is unemployment insurance. would you extend that for -- >> as much as i hate it because of the national debt and the reality is, you've got to do it. you can't leave people out there hang agency drying and suffering. and not only that, because it's wall street and government that got us into this position. >> i think there are other solutions than extending the unemployment benefits. i think that we can segway into other social programs that we already have existing instead of increasing -- >> how about the proposal that we go ahead and extend the