gerri: president pushing for minimum wage increase talked about in the state of the union address, but should the federal minimum wage be raised to nine bucks an hour? here's what you tweeted me. one viewer writes, "no, it causes job loss and raises prices on the consumer." minimum wage was never intended to be a livable wage. make it a tier, nine bucks for 18-year-olds, but they should be in school. we asked this on our website, 6% said yes, and 94% said no. finally, more waste, fraud, and abuse at the department of homeland security. according to the daily caller, the dhs admitted they do not keep track, that's what i said, does not keep track of illegal immigrants on the public dole. only one case was brought in 20 # 12 and it was later dropped. the department of homeland security didn't release the

names of immigrants who entered the country over the last decade. does this mean that no illegal immigrant is on welfare? i would be happy, but then someone would have a bridge in brooklyn to sell me. friday, be prepared to be dazzled as we go behind new york fashion week. i'll show you the hottest designs by two of the biggest labels in fashion. that's it for tonight's willis report. thanks for joining us. have a great night. we'll see you right back here tomorrow. ♪ lou: good evening, everybody, former senator chuck hagel's path to confirmation has just got a lot more complicated and a lot more difficult. for the first time in history, a nominee to be secretary of

defense is forced to clear a 60-vote threshold in the senate to win con confirmation, and ths only the third time in history that any presidential candidate nominee to any post has been forced to win a cloture vote. >> it's the first time in the history of our country that a presidential nominee or secretary of defense has been filibusterde. what a shame. that's the way it is. i ask the concept that under rule 22, the corum be waved, and i asked the cloture vote and ask to honor the rule that the vote occurs friday. lou: hagel, until today, seemed assured of nomination having the support of the entire democratic senate caucus and two republican senators, and then he lost a critical vote this afternoon.

republican senator, susan collins of maine decided she could not vote for him. collins, a long serving republican moderate said, quote, i'm unable to support the senator to be the next secretary of defense because i do not believe his positions, votes, and statements match the challenges of our time. collins noted disagreements with hagel on a number of issues related to the middle east including iran and israel, and the senator called hagel's previous statements and positions unsettled. senate majority leader reid announced after the reveer saw #* sal, -- reversal could not reach an agreement for a hold on the hagel confirmation. reid called for closure to end debate to proceed to a vote on the con confirmation. the senator has been from the outset uneasy about the stance

on iran in particular. the senator from oklahoma defended fellow republican senator ted cruz against democratic criticism questioning whether or not hagel had received money from radical or extreme groups and their supporters such as iran. i just want to make an observation. my friend, senator nelson, i wrote down the words, criticizing our senator there for implying that chuck hagel was cozy with terrorist-type countries referring to iran. only -- not -- i'd say he's endorsed -- you can't get cozier than that. lou: because it was filed successfully, senate rules require 30 # hours of debate before a vote. democrats need 60 votes to end the debate friday if they fail to win those votes, hagel's nomination is effectively in limbo. joining us now is the ranking

member of the arms services committee, member on the committee of environment and public works as well, and, senator, good to have you with us. you and senator reid, the majority leader, failing to come to terms on a whole, collins withdrawing her vote, and we have a 60-vote threshold for the first time ever. is that what you wanted? >> well, first of all, i hope you are right, lou, because the last time i heard, senator collins was going to support senator hagel. if you are right, that makes a difference in where we are today. i want to correct something that you said, of course, you were quoting senator reid. this is not the first time in history this has happened. it happens all the time. on the floor today in the senate, i talked about kathleen sebelius. she did it, the same exact thing happened, and when harry reid, back on the republican side,

he -- one of them that he demanded to have a 60-vote threshold. john bryson, secretary of commerce, he was required to have a 60-vote. this is not a bill buster, but saying you have to file cloture in order to get this on the floor for a vote. that's a 60 vote threshold, and, lou, that happens all the time. lieu -- lou: first time was the majority leader's point, and aside from that, you know, i know you all and the senator are fascinated by the arcane rules and procedures which you must observe. for the rest of us who sit out here, you know, in the vast -- the vast rest of this country, we're kind of interested in whether or not you're pleased with where we are with whether or not you think that hagel was ultimately win con confirmation. >> okay. first of all, let me tell you,

senator cruz is a new senator. he's on the arms services committee. i'm the ranking member as you pointed out. all he wants is information he asked for for several weeks having to do with speeches that hagel made to foreign groups and how much money he got from the foreign groups, the nature of the speeches. perfectly legitimate. i don't think there's any person listening to you and me right now, lou, who wouldn't think that's a reasonable request. he's been denied. he's been stone walled. that's all he wants. other members want other stuff, but that's the main thing right now. he's entitled to the information, and the american people are entitled to know what he's asking for. that's reasonable. i have other reasons why i have opposed senator hagel, and i made that clear simple weeks ago. i love the guy, a great man, did a wonderful job in the vietnam war, but he has got problems in there. the global of zero movement,

that's an antimovement which means as all of the countries are developing a nuclear capability such as north korea, look what happened just the other day, such as iran, serbia, all of these countries are doing it. now, it's not like it was back in the days of the cold war when only the ussr and we had that capability. that's when these ideas started. now this great big thing about we want a nuclear free world. well, that's what obamaments. that's what this guy wants too. we have all of these things that have happened in the past where he has been -- does some things that other members have not done. there's a lot of reasons to oppose him. those are my reasons, but senator cruz is entitled for what he's asking for, and we are doing all we can to get it. lou: saint --

he is entitled to what he wants, but are you pleased with where we are now? do you suspect as a result of where we are that senator hagel will be confirmed or not? >> i can't tell you that, lou. you know, we are counting votes right now. you told me something i was not aware of that susan is going to oppose him. that's good news to me because it's going to be a downhill one vote. lou: one vote. do we have the senator's statement here that we can share with the audience and senator inhofe? have you got it? all right. here we go. this is her position now. senator inn hof. i don't know if you why see it, but "i'm unable to support senator hagel to be the secretary of defense because i do not believe his positions, votes, and statements match the challenge of our times." that is her position.

>> what's the day-to-day of that position, lou? >> as of right now. that's just been released to us from senator collins' office. >> you made my day. lou: all right. >> i agree with her statement. lou: now make mine and tell us what it means. >> with her, it could very well be that we defeat the effort to confirm him for secretary of defense. lou: all right. senator, this is a curious time. we have another senator moving towards the hold john brennan threatening a hold, rand paul, he had not put forward a hold. we got what looks to be a political donny brook brewing and capitol hill in the united states senate. do you think that's a correct construction? >> well, i think it is. look, keep in mind, we have a constitutional obligation, not just a right, an obligation to

confirm these people, and we are supposed to do this. we violate our oath if we department do it. yeah, i don't agree, and certainly, in the case of hagel, that time he's spent. you know, he was one of only two senators who refused -- who wouldn't vote for sanctions against iran. he was one of only four senators who wouldn't sign a letter of solidarity with israel. all of these things have taken place, and i think he needs to be looked at closely, and i've been opposed to him since the beginning. lou: right. senator, let me ask you, last night's state of the union address, i would be remiss nod to ask you about the president's reference to climate change, giving the congress a climate change ultimatum, vowing to act without congress if necessary. senator, you're the author well-known and long time critic of the epa, this administration's climate my loss

federal minimum, if you will, your book "the greatest hoax: a global warming security threatens our future." >> read that over again, it's pertinent today. lou: i'll do better that that. what's your reaction to the ultimatum, and i'll do the refresher read a few days later. >> okay. the reason he worded it the way he did is they have tried every since they refused to bring in kioto back in the clinton administration for ratification. keep in mind, he and gore didn't bring it up because they didn't have the votes. lou: right. >> since then, there's been efforts to pass cap-and-trade regulations between $300 billion and $400 billion a year, the largest tax increase in the history of the country, and would not accomplish anything by the administration of the epa director when i asked her on tv. even if we did that -- lou: i apologize, but i have to interject.

we're running out of time. i should sharpen by question a bit and ask you this seeking a simple answer as possible given the time constrainted. is it your judgment that congress, that congress has any response that would affect a president moving to executive order or fiat if he cannot win the support of congress? >> well, he will not have and does not have the votes to pass legislation for cap-and-trade. he's going to try food it through the epa, through regulations, and that's something he's been trying to do for a long period of time. we discovered he'd actually spent $68 billion on this issue, and we didn't even know it until we did a lot of plowing around. he's committed to try to do it, and -- lou: do you have recourse? do the american people have recourse? >> well, the american people will, but not until the next election. lou: all right. >> he's going to be sailing through as many of the regulations -- he can't do it

through legislation. that's the key. lou: senator, good to talk with you. thanks for being here. >> thanks so much, lou. lou: more on the president's contentious cabinet appointments, and what i said looks to be the on set of a political donny brook throughout this broadcast. job creation, a minimum wage hike, gun control. we got the president's top five state of the union, what shall we call them? misrepresentations, exaggerations? we'll show you in tonight's "chalk talk." the cayman islands a hot topic as the president's treasury nominee basks in the senate spotlight. a live report is next. ♪ @í

lou: tax shelters, misleading statements to congress, his role in the benghazi attacks among the unanswered questions, questions posed to secretary treasury jack lew today. we'll have the latest report for you from washington, but, first, let's turn quickly to the market. a tax hike taking a bit of a bite out of consumer spending. january retail sales up a modest one tenth of a percent. the first rating on consumer spending since the payroll tax increase took effect. the dow jones industrials down 36 points. sch gained a point. the nasdaq up ten. 3.4 billion shares traded today on the big board. carnival cruise line have a profit warning as a result of the stranded ship in the gulf. stock down 4%. after the close, cisco systems reported its profits and revenue beat targets, but in after hours

trading, stock volatile, prices above gold and oil declining. crude oil down 50 cents, and in the bond market, interest rates higher. the treasury's ten year now yielding 2.2 #%. 2.02%. thompson announcing laying off 2500 employees this year, about 4% of the global work force. that's stock down more than 2% on the day. the boards of amr, the parent of bankrupt american airlines, u.s. airways expected to vote tomorrow on the the proposed therefore 11 billion emergencier. the approval is expected creating the world's largest airline as least as measured by traffic. the creditors already approved the merger. another of the president's cabinet nominees, today, hit resistance, but he's expected, expected to survive in the nomination process. treasury secretary nominee jack lew facing pointed questions from the senate finance committee on everything from cayman island tax shelters, time

in the private sector, tax reform, view on debt and deficits, fox news, chief congressional correspondent, has our report. >> treasury nominee, jack lew, faced heat in the hearing about the time in the private sector working for citi group from 2006 to 2009 serving as chief operating officer of two units including one that did proprior tear trading. the top republican hinted at a possible conflict of grease. >> it would effectively say to financial firms do as i say, not as i did. >> citi group required a $45 billion taxpayer bailout in the meltdown, and lew was grilled about a bonus received. >> explain where it's morally acceptable to take close to a million dollars out of a company that was insolvent and about to receive a billion dollars of taxpayers' support? >> senator, in 2008, i was an employee in the private sector. i was compensated in a manner

consistent with other people who did the kind of work that i did in the industry, and i was compensated for my work. i'll leave for others to judge. >> reporter: chairman max baucus asked about investing in a fund in a well-known tax haven. >> why was the investment in the cayman islands. >> senator, i don't know why it was organized. i was not involved in setting up the fund. >> did you pay taxes on the investment? >> i reported all income related to the investment on my tax forms. i paid all the taxes. > he lost money on the investment, and nevertheless, the obama am cane attacked mitt romney for investments and shelters money. lew urged congress to stop the sequester suggesting cuts pose self-inflicted wounds to the economy. on a second term priority, one said president obama must lead. >> i hear the president talking about raising revenue through tax reform. to me, if you get economic growth, it's new revenue, but

the old-fashioned way. that ought to be the goal. >> conservatives like jeff sessions are angry about lew's testimony in 2011 as budget director. >> senator, i think it's an accurate statement our current spending will not increase the debt. we stopped spends money that we don't have. we just can't wish the debt away. >> sessions so mad, accused lew of deliberate deception with the comment. it might not be enough to stop the nomination in the committee, but could lead to fireworks on the senate floor, lou? lou: quite a statement from jack lew. let alone economists will be going through that one for awhole. the president renewing his calls for immigration reform during the state of the union address. the department of homeland security today add mything, however, it has not kept track of illegal immigrants dependent on welfare after beginning entry. dhs was responding to an august request from four republican

senators, and they admitted they initiated -- they being dhs, initiated one case against an illegal imgrant on welfare last year, but it was later dropped making it 11 years without pursuing a case. there was a letter released on immigration reform today. fox news correspondent has our report, doug? >> that's right, lou. today's hearing on immigration reform was the first such comprehensive hearing since a bipartisan group of senators for republicans and for democrats reported progress in crafting comprehensive immigration reform. that package is gaining broad support and not a moment too soon. there was an earlful from panelists today describing dysfunction of present immigration policy, and dhs secretary was under special criticism. senator cruck grassley cited documents showing i.c.e. agents

delayed the arrest of a child rapist by the name of abraham sanchez learning such an arrest garners media and congressional scrutiny. >> suspect that a shocking assertion thats u.s. citizenship and immigration service have discretion to grant a child rapist the permission to stay in the country. today, this person is free in the united states. >> they said he is now wearing an ankle bracelet, taking it to mean he has no access anymore to children, but she admitted the immigration system constituted today is broken and badly in need of fixing. >> our immigration system is not just broken, but hurting our country. the time to fix it is long overdue, and the way to fix it is with common sense, comprehensive immigration reform. >> the head of the immigrations and customs enforcement union

described an agency badly demoralized, one that is prohibited by management from enforcing even the most basic of immigration laws. >> new policies require that illegal aliens from a felony arrest or conviction and be qixed of three or more misdemeanors. many are also now untouchable. >> if congress does not pass comprehensive immigration reform by the august recess, in all likelihood, the president will have his own policy, but one that bypasses border security and a lot of republicans, especially conservative republicans, would see that, lou, as a poisen pill. lou: the president, apparently, has his own government over there in which it's hard to imagine why he bothers with the legislative process, but he seems intent on at least making the threat, if not executing the reality. doug -- >> that's why agents, lou,

i.c.e. agents, are so upset with the leadership because they say at thh most fundamental level they cannot enforce the law as it exists. lou: of coursings their leader, secretary janet sitting there in prompt of the senate and house and everybody else. doug, thanks for being with us. >> you bet. lou: fox news correspondent, washington, d.c.. up next, details emerging after an appoint conclusion to the week long man hunt for the fugitive exlos angeles cop, kris dorner. is he dead? the story next. the veer rasety of the state of the union address very much in question. we'll check some of his rather grand pronouncements in the "chalk talk," and you score it yourself. we'll just put up the chalk. [ male announcer ] how can power conmption in china, impact wool exports from new zealand,

textile productionn spain, and the use of medical technology in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. twe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before inveing.

♪ lou: for all about facts, of course, here in "chalk talk," and president obama, well, to be kind, he was not there without bigger things on his mind. take a look here, if you can see this, five of the most egregious, what do you call them? stretches of the imagination, exaggerations? start with the president bragging about, first of all, his jobs record. here he is. >> after years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over 6 million new jobs. lou: 6 million new jobs, i mean, that's impressive, isn't it? there's a little problem. we're not saying the president did it intentionally. it had to be an accident of some kind, but the president started counting, and this is sort of peculiar. months after he took office and months after the recession ended

in february, february of 2010. 6 million jobs if you start then, but since the president took office, private sector jobs have grown by a third of that 6 million. that's only 1.9 million jobs. then you look at the public sector job loss, and you deduct it from january 20th of 2009 when he took office. the overall job gain drops to 1.2 million, not 6 million. 6 million jobs, and the reality is 1.2 million. it may be an exaggeration, perhaps an accident, as i said, but then this must have been another accident. >> after shedding jobs for more than ten years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. lou: whoops! oh, no. 500,000 manufacturing jobs, but,

again, the president is counting from a peculiar date. he chose for that one, january of 2010, and it was a year earlier that he took office since the president did take office in january of 2009, there's been, actually, 600,000 fewer manufacturerring jobs as a result in the economy because of the jobs lost that year, so what we have here is a minus 600,000 from what he asserted was half a million, and here in lines one of those, well, misrepresentations, startling exaggerations, little stretch, well the president may sell the rebirth of american manufacturing, but the reality is there are nearly 3 million fewer manufacturing jobs in the country than ten years ago. aside from that, there was also this rather startling claim about guns. >> police chiefs are asking our

help to get weapons of war and massive ammuntition magazines off the streets because the police chiefs are tired of seeing their guys and gals outgunned. lou: scary stuff if he was correct in the statement. actually, police and federal law enforcement agencies are not outgunned by ar15. as we reported here, in fact, 323 murders committed with a rifle, 323 murders committed with rifles, and in 2011, the most recent year for which those facts are available, that is significantly fewer than the 496 murders committed with hammers, call it, if we may, h and c, hammers and clubs. this is the reality. this 1 the reality. the clubs are outgunning the rifles when it comes to murder in this country, mr. president. i know that's an inconvenient,

and i'm sure it's just an awkward lapse on the part of the speech writer. look at the president's seemingly favorite subject, and that is energy. >> today, no area holds more promise than our investments in american energy. after years of talking about it, we're finally poised to control ore own energy future. we doubled the distance our cars go on a gallon of gas. lou: wow, that's true on paper anyway. from 27 miles per gallon to 54.5 because of a deal with the auto makers back in 2011 to have vehicles with an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon. he didn't double it though, even though it's twice as much because what happened is the 27 -- the 27 miles per gallon is now the deadline for the 54.5 miles per gallon is 12 years

away, just a slight exaggeration , 2025 #, that's when that kicks in, seems somewhat futuristic to say it's already doubled, and, by the way, the car makers will not make the changes for the mileage until 2017 models roll out. again, the president, a slight 12 year, little better than a decade exaggeration, no harm, no foul. finally, the claim on the what caused a stirment the federal minimum wage. >> even with the tax relief we put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. that's wrong. tonight, let's declare in the wealthiest nation on earth no one who works full time should have to live in poverty and raise the federal minimum wage

to $9 an hour. lou: research shows waging the minimum wage doesn't help the poor, and economists who raised wages between 2003 and 2007 found no evidence in a decline in state poverty rate. for one, the majorities who live in poverty, 55% don't work. it's hard to benefit from a wage increase for them, and a majority of those who earn the minimum wage, 56% live in households that are not in poverty. speaker boehner said it well, "government wage controls, the minimum wage, increasing it results in fewer jobs." the president's a great guy. we just wanted to point out a few things that just didn't work out the way i apparently his speech writersmented -- writers wanted to deal with it. you may have heard of marco

rubio and networks and left wing operations are just having a fit over this. last night, senator rubio went for a bottle of water. cnn thought it might be a career ender, and i just -- excuse me a minute, i want to do one thing here. you know, i thought it was inspiring actually. i hope this is not a career ender. that would be unfortunate, wouldn't it? i thought, actually, senator rubio, i thought he handled that doggone well. as a matter of fact, i like him better after he did that because that was about as normal and natural a thing as a man could have done there, and it's nice to see it. you know, instead of all the hitch stuff, tight media trained politicians that we see so much of. we're coming right back. destination israel, the a-team on the strategy behind the

president's timing ffr his first foreign trip of his second term. senator rubio's famous reach for a drink of laughter and reactions good for business. president obama and his liberal agenda, congressman dennis joins us to analyze the state of the union. [ male announcer ] when you wear dentures you may not know

that your mouth is under attack, om food particles and bacteria. try fixodent. it helps create a food seal defense for a clean mouth and kills bacteria for fresh breath. ♪ fixodent, and forget it.

lou: returning to the state of the union, the president proposing that the united states invests to boost the economy last nights, he said "invest" 11 times, and joining us now to give us perspective and reaction to the president's address has -- and what turned out to be the president's never ending campaign, former democratic congressman, fox news

contributor, happy to say, and welcome, good to have you with us. >> hi, lou, great to be with you. lou: congratulations, welcome, and what did you think of the idea that he said over and over he can create all the programs, move all of these mountains, and do so without costing the taxpayer a dime? >> well, there is talk about a tax increase there, and i don't think we can tax our way to prosperity, nor should we think about cutting our way to austerity. we really need to look at what our monetary system is about. if this -- if these programs, we were going to borrow more money, you have the deficit so we have an underlying problem here, lou, and we have a debt based monetary system, money equals debt, and the more we try to get out of it, you know, if we need things, we got to borrow money from japan, china, south korea. we're going in the wrong direction, and you got to go back a hundred years to look at

the federal rereceiver taking over the ability to issue money that was a constitutional privilege of the government. we're stuck with rising debt. you could cut the budget in half and put all the deficit -- or to the deficit, and you know what? you'd have a rising deficit because of the exponential growth of compound the interest on the debt. we have to change the direction to get control over the economy. lou: doesn't sound like you brought to president obama's plan then because precisely what he wants to do is precisely that. there is not an alteration by one dime in the president's program, and his vision of the future here. he's going to spend, the debts will rise because the republicans are not beginning to exceed to tax increases. where we should we be headed? >> i'll support a minimum wage increase. the truth of the matter is if there's a minimum wage tied to increasedded inflation, that's something about $10.20 an hour. now, you know what the minimum

wage in china is? averaged out according to u.s. dollars, we're looking at something like, at tops, a buck and a half an hour. lou: 1.36. >> thank you, lou, you are pinpointing. this are we going to be like china, less democratic, people work for nothing, good-bye american dream? no. look at not just a solid wage in the country, but beyond that. get america back to work. if you want to replenish the coffers of the american government, get the people working, but to the people who are working, don't tell them they need to pay more taxes. ten million americans are not working, and 10 million and more are underemployed. that's easy for the economists to say, but it's not easy for millions of american families who are finding it's difficult to make ends meet with at

diminishing standard of living. lou: dennis, you are saying something, that, if i may, ben bernanke is not saying that there has to be a high level of unemployment. in fact, he is saying he'll commit to an accommodative monetary policy until unemployment is at 6.5%. it is this president -- it is this president, this congress, this senate, that are saying to hell with 23 million unemployed, under employed americans, and the millions of americans who have just begin up. this president didn't talk about those folks last night. he's supposed to be the big liberal. >> well, look, this is not about ideology, but practicality. when you have millions of people out of work, you got to get them back to work and the people who are working have a chance to be productive in a society. we have to reject the idea of trying to make, let's say, 6%, the acceptable level of structure structural unemployment. we cannot do that.

america can want remain a free country if we're going to have millions of people who will never be back in the labor force. lou: i think people would be surprised how much we agree on certain aspects of this economy and public policy, but i think we've also got to be honest, do we not, dennis, and say without a discussion and a real debate and dialogue over the public policies and the business practices that we are pursuing and permitting, we can change nothing, no matter what the legislation, what the executive fiat, we get to change the way we do business in this country and understand the impact and the consequences of some of the horrific decisions that our government has made for us over the course of the last 20 years. >> well, look, lou, i was with you on protesting what went on with nafta and the general agreement on tariff and trades and wto. we lost our sovereignty, our ability to control our debts with respect to wages and working conditions and rights of

workers and human rights and environmental quality principles, and now we're trying to export that to europe in a european trade deal telling the europeans, you know, if you want to trade with us, you have to buy cattle or cattle products treated with hormones or gmos. these are huge europe, and people resist that. with are, instead of having the highest standards in the united states, we're trying to lower the standards, trying to accept china standards. look, china, you know what the trade balance, as you know, in 2011, what, 295 billion dollars? china's outstripping us in trade with the world. what are we doing here? lou: dennis, with that question, we have to say great to see you and talking to you. started with a broad abstraction with simple answers for the first appearance october broadcast. thanks for being with us. >> thanks, lou. lou: earlier today on the lou dobbs facebook page, aasked for the thoughts on the president's

request to raise the minimum wage to $9. hellen says, "no raising the minimum wage, it's not meant to be a living wage, but an entry wage." >> mike says, "next they want to give pay raises to the employees because it hurts the feelings of the less productive." joining us now, the a-team, extraordinarily productive and achieving pulitzer prize winner, judy miller, former clinton adviser, democratic consultant as well, doug shone. great to talk with dennis, a fire breathing liberal, and amazing how many of the economic views are rational and pragmatic. the idea of a minimum wage, what took this president in that direction? >> well, i think we were talking the other night, lou, about the president's desire to do something basic about the economy, and this is about as basic as it can get. this is a country in which the

middle class has been losing ground over time. middle class income has been falling. i think it was a natural for him and surprised he didn't think of it earlier. lou: by, golly, are you as excited, doug? >> i'm not. i think it's class based politics, one of the issues that tests out about 75% in the polls. it's popular, but in terms of an overall economic policy, i think it's, sadly, about the last thick thing we need now as much as it is that i agree with judy that poor people should make more money when they work. i wish they would, but that's not the way to do it. lou: what do you think, hank? >> pure politics. take the house and senate back, hold the senate, take the house back in 20 # 14. that's what it's about, nothing else. lou: at this right, i'm sort of startled by the lack of imagination that we heard from the president last night. i didn't hear a new initiative in foreign policy. i didn't hear a new initiative

on domestic policy. i heard 20-some odd programs that won't cost a dime, sounded like a candy rock mountain to me, which i learned does not exist. were you surprised? >> that was a new proposal at least, but i'm not surprised or disappointed. i think -- lou: i love a happy american. >> he's doubling down on a liberal agenda should not be a surprise to anybody, especially you, lou. lou: well, i maintain my unanimity, objectivity, and, always, my hope, of course. we're going to change the subject very quickly. we're going to come back to why is the president, why did he decide to make israel -- interesting, the first trip, first foreign trip of his second term? the a-team has some skeptical outlook, i would say, critical judgments they apply on these

things, well, judy does on foreign policy,nyway, not necessarily the minimum wage. back with the a-team in moments. stay with us.

lou: back with the a-team, and i do want to turn, first, to the response. senator rubio, as i pointed out in "chalk talk," the idea they made this, the left wing media, the cnn nonsense, career ending, come on. take it down a notch. what do you think, hank? >> i think it was dumb, just dumb. these guys cannot get out of their own way. someone with a trap in front of them, they fall into the hole. rather than coming up with prague -- pragmatic ways to create and

create friendships, they find a way to slap them in the chops. >> i remember back to the 88 # convention, lou, when bight did a stem line that went on and on, and his career was supposed to be over, went on carson and laughed about it, four years later, he's president. ridiculous to hold him accountable. lou: effectively, this is the way they prefer, brook, if you wouldn't mind, let's show our audience how apparently the left would like to see a bottle of water. can you see rubio being presented a bottle of water? it would -- thank you so much for being a part of this. i am parched, and i'm particularly appreciative. thank you very much, brook, we appreciate it. this is the nonsense people are doing, and they don't talk about the rubio response. >> which was good, i thought. >> terrific. he's going to be a leader. that scares the hell out of those people, and everybody understands, understands what

the message is from the left, and cnn playing that game tells you, critically, they are scared to death of marco rubio. >> uh-huh, who gave the speech in english and spanish. >> we live in a culture of gossip and entertainment, and there's nothing more entertainment of a guy reaching for water. that's more of what people want to hear about. >> it's demonizing him before he gets started. lou: that's what i'm saying. you agree with me. that's what they are trying to do. i think it's reducing them to pitiful. >> at least marco rubio has a foreign policy we can call it poland spring. >> that was good. >> i like to add arab spring in cuba. lou: tern to obama spring. judy, he's going over an march 20th, my wife and i have an anniversary to celebrate with

the president in jerusalem. what in the heck is going on? why his first trip of the second term? >> well, i think the israeli proposedded agenda says it all. this is a kind of beginners federation tour of the state of israel. you learn about the holocaust, you do all of those things that first timers in israel do, but what they are saying to him is, mr. president, now that you're here, learn something about the country. i think they are right. >> i think the president, ims himself, may be trying with israeli politics to undermind president benjamin netanyahu trying to put together a coalition who may have a right wing coalition, hank knows more about this than i do. i think the times is not auspicious from the israelis' point of view. lou: if benjamin netanyahu puts together a right wing coalition, i think he would be, at this point, thrill. >> doug is right, though, lou,

an attempt to undermine benjamin netanyahu, and try to control the government. it's a serious military moment, and, by the way, doing that is not helpful right now. lou: well, thank you. we're going to be taking up the issue to explore the motivation with judy miller, hank, and doug shop as we approach the takeoff date for the president. >> of course. lou: i'm sure excitement is building in the white house as well. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thank you. lew bush thank -- lou: thank you for being with us. the cohost of the five tomorrow, the new york observer, says she's the new fox it girl. juan williams will be with us. thank you for being with us. good night from new york.