book tv's college series looking at gaffes made by political candidates assessing the impact on their campaigns. this interview was recorded at the u.s. naval academy. ..

>> how does that dominate campaign coverage with issues or performance of candidates. >> host: start with the media. mitt romney 47% and barack obama guns and religion. >> this morning i just ran 47%. how many media outlets? dozen last one day wore one week or one month? guns was relatively short.

three weeks. mitt romney 47% we have not seen the end of it. it is about one month. the stories drop-off but they are drug backend by opponents or events. i am sure coming out of the presidential debate they will wonder if he will respond to that. at issue which gaf we need to pay attention to. represent a character flaw or the incapacity to act? or just normal things? >> if they are hanging out in the public with the internet, youtube distributed more broadly and quickly is the hour

cable -- archival capability we can see what barack obama said 1998. were mitt romney by the way not one bit of coverage of 47% in may. there was a fund-raising event but nobody pulled the story in may. not until the video popped up that came back into the process. >> host: what politicians have made mistakes in the past better fatal? >> working backwards, rick perry wants to be the republican nominee he says i will cut them this way but cannot remember which department he was not ready for prime time.

elizabeth dole came to speak. she did not realize it was a conference with civilians. it was aimed at the midshipmen. she was talking over their head. she misinterpreted a question. she did very good at the republican convention she had restive speech and somebody asked a question if she would send her son to bosnia. to bolster her policy position. you could almost see the regret to that they never had fairchild. she said we have never had a child. the next day they said she

is not ready for the campaign trail she is talking personal then within three weeks the campaign folded. michael dukakis. when he was asked about what he would do to give the opposition to capital punishment but doesn't god have a human side at all? ribisi into the capabilities out for not because of one event but they see real exaggerated he said he helped to create the injured men. not invent. he was important to create the legislation but then the

story him and his wife for the models of the story. then he is a serial exaggerate year. that hurt him in the end. >> host: why did dead gaffe '04 president clinton, a georgia be bush why are those not fatal mistakes? >> what else is going on in the world at the time? >> to ask the question what should we do in iran? he said all my ran. very few people remember that. it was crowded out. i compare that to hillary

clinton being under fire in bosnia. the media would say is this true? then she was greeted at the airport with flowers and the general said no. then obama's started to look at her credibility. it was so dramatic we feel that people like to us. this is as close as the candidate said she lied to us. pushing us is important. to be in sioux falls hilco the they were on the campaign trail. they are exhausted with 12 different stops.

we can pass that off. where they are for what they think they are. >> host: gary hart. >> guest: he had the original sin to challenge people in the media up. people knew that he ran around the remember at a time the media did not look into that so carefully. today politicians have no backstage area. whenever they do would be covered. he said you prove this. a reporter from florida hid in the bushes and saw his go friend coming late at night and leaving the next

morning. it was not hard to guess she was not cooking dinner. you don't challenge the media and pretend to be something you are not. >> host: professor stephen frantzich the most recent book "o.o.p.s." observing our politicians stumble" how many books have the written and what are there topix? >> 17 original few start counting second editions it is 27. time in the trenches last fibrous six books have been more fun type of books. prior to this i had honored guest i profiled that the president's mention in there

"state of the union" address. today that is normal. that was not done. ronald reagan did it for the first time. ronald -- every president has since then to use their political goals. close to home i have done a lot of work with educators. what is brian lael like? he did not want the biography done. i plumped him and finally got a contract. i said what do you think? he said i guess. i cannot say no. i have the station committed to open access information. then he was wonderful. he did not interfere. gave me a list of his friends and that was fun. i did a book that look that

individuals change in natural policy. and elected and appointed individuals that created major legislation. >> host: what do you teach at the naval academy? >> the almost always are the number one. we say we aren't dead value added major technical education plus science i teach media and politics campaigns and elections since oliver north we have required of government course what is going on when oliver north is not understand the military? said that the budget hearings they required us.

we don't talk about 75% but now 100%. it is heavily traditional but also teach ethics of public service. there is extra responsibility. proprieties the good stuff. >> what projects? a book giveaway? >> the one time, of one-shot activity to said bill load of books to an exchange student we will collect a bunch of books found out our county was paying $93 per truckload we had to many for one shipment it took on a life of its own just passed 5.6 million books would get a fulfilled full it full of tractor-trailers'

side-by-side that is about 300. we ship 15 of those breyer library and a box. 25,000 added time iraq, afghanistan and arrangement with the c-span we get books from schools and libraries. we have the largest volunteer base in the world which means we can ship inexpensive labor go there are wonderful organizations they start at $16,000. we bring them in and sort them out and send them off. >> host: to the american troops? and other countries?

>> 40 countries. most traffic an english-speaking but uzbekistan, kazakhstan and those from the south american philippines. everybody wants to learn english. we send a lot of stuff. we sent very basic kids reading books to cambodia. the u.s. military is teaching how to speak english. they will show the updated see spot run. all over the world people want to learn english. >> host: what is your web si