tonight on huckabee, her poll numbers keep rising. michelle bachmann can handle the headache, but can she ham the mainstream media? >> the republican presidential candidate goes one on one with the governor. and our closest ally and under constant threat from hostile neighbors. >> this is a country the size of new jersey. can you imagine 12,000 rockets pounding new jersey cities 1234*. >> do israelis feel we have their back? netanyahu in an exclusive. plus -- they may be small in

stature, but they are big on talent. back by popular demand, the sleepy band banjo boys. ladies and gentlemen, governor mike huckabee. >> thank you. thank you very much. great audience. welcome to huckabee from the fox news studios in new york city. some nut group called freedom from religion has their antenna up because the governor of texas is calling for a day of prayer. now, even though taxpayers aren't paying for any of it, this group is suing to stop it. look, it is one thing to express some cynicism as to whether the timing for a highly publicized prayer event is a precursor to an announcement the governor wants to run for president, but i cannot understand why people who don't even believe in god and hate religion are so afraid of it. if they really think prayer is a worth less and meaning less exercise in futility, then

wouldn't they want believers praying more? it would keep them busy doing something harmless instead of going out to the streets scream ling for pedestrians to repent. let's say i plan on messing them up. i will pray for them. they need the prayers, and i need the practice. another story this week gave me a real headache. they tried to create a story out of the fact she has occasional migraine headaches and takes medication for them. boy, that's a big story. that's the nonsense one has to endure to run for president as i can attest. but it really frys my bacon to think that the worst criticism of michelle bachmann is she gets headaches. good grief, the presidency is a headache. if you watch her in campaign mode, you see a person of -- on failing energy, and she hardly seems incapacitated physically or intellectually.

i get tired of the smug, sniffy self-8 pointed journalism demanding to see the medical records of a female candidate because some staffer who couldn't keep up with her decided to wine she has headaches. it sounds like losing that kind of staff member is getting rid of one headache. the only people i have less use for than somebody who betrays their reveler of nasty revelations of their boss being human was the gum shoe wanna be investigative reporter who thinks he smells a story. what he usually smells is his own foul self. brian ross, the abc reporter who fancies himself a real investigator lept on to the stage to confront congresswoman bachmann to demand she answer his questions, and then got up upset because her staffers treated him like the inconsiderate jerk he can be. i realize that he probably is less the cause of a headache for michelle bachmann, and

more a pain in the other end of one's anatomy. reporters have a right to ask questions, but not to demand an answer and to physically invade a candidate's personal space orie fuse to accept no for an answer. no candidate is required to help load a gunpointed to his or her own head. they are free to write their stories and are not free to force a candidate to give them fouder for it. that's my view and i welcome yours. you can contact me at mike huckabee .com. she has been spenting a lot of time lately and i can't imagine why she would be doing that. i want to get right to the things i was discussing. i want to talk about when the press acts like they have a divine right to demand of you out of your schedule and time,

the frustration of dealing with the fact that you have a campaign schedule and can't always stop and answer 15 or 20 minutes of somebody's questions. >> governer, if anyone would understand it, you would understand it. you say perfectly what the situation was. we knew what it would be like when we got involved in the race. what we have been seeing across iowa and south carolina and new hampshire is the devastation people feel right now. they say washington is not listening to them. they tell me over and over again, michelle, hold tough. don't raise the debt ceiling. and yet they see president obama wanting to go forward with trillions more in debt. that's what people want to talk about. they don't want to talk about the side issues. your introduction was spot on. >> let's roll a little sound from the president. i want your reaction. he didn't give you credit by name for being one of those people not being able to raise

the debt ceiling, but he had stern words for what it might mean. let's take a listen. >> can you assure the american people they will get their social security checks on august 3rd, and if not who is to blame? >> if congress and in particular the house republicans are not willing to make sure that we avoid default, then i think it is fair to say they have to take responsibility for whatever problems arise in the payments. let me repeat. i am not interested in finger-pointing or blame. >> i found it interesting that he said he was not interested in finger-pointing and blame. but he spent 30 minutes doing that to republicans. but house republicans like yourself who have said you are not willing to raise the debt ceiling, is there any condition you would raise the debt ceiling?

>> i put forward a bill with congressman steve king, and we said not let's make it political. let's pay the interest on the date so there is no question of default. they are coming to the treasury to pay the interest. let's pay it. let's take it off the table so we can stop talking about default. let's make sure our military men and women aren't political pawns. we introduced the bill. all the president needs to do is get behind the bill, and we can take those issues off the table. what the president doesn't want to do is deal with the spending of priorities. he hasn't offered a plan. it is amazing. here we are coming to august 2nd and the president has no plan other than increasing spending, increasing taxes and increasing the debt burden. when i came into congress, we had over $8 trillion in debt. if the president has his way,

we will be almost $17 trillion in debt. it took us stwo 30 years to accumulate $8.67 trillion, and now under this pst -- under this president, we have now doubled that amount of debt? we can't do this anymore. we can't kick the can down the road. we have to solve the problem today. they are saying stop raising the debt ceiling. >> you know if the government does in fact shut down or there is a de fawltd -- default, and the credit rating is down graded, they will blame the president and he will likely get away with blaming you. how will you answer in essence the accusations you and your colleagues have put america's financial situation in dire straits? >> well, the fact is we have offered a plan. the president hasn't. and the plan that i offered again would take this very simple issue of defaulting on the debt off the table.

the interest on the debt is a relatively small amount of money compared to all of the revenues that come to the treasury. we can make sure without a doubt this afternoon if we want to, that we don't default on our debt. that's like if you have a payment on your car, you have to at minimum pay the interest on the car. or if you have a pows payment, at minimum you pay the interest, even if you can't afford the principal. that's the same with the u.s. government. pay the interest on the debt which is what my bill does, and then we don't have that problem. and then we have to pry your ties spending. that's what the president is saying no to. he doesn't want to cut the spending. the people in the country want us to cut spending. >> congresswoman, stay with us. we will be back with more with congresswoman michelle

congresswoman, i want to

ask about what happens if in fact the united states does not get some type of deal done on the debt ceiling? interest rates could go up, probably will you. what will congress do to counteract that they haven't already done? >> well, again we need to pay off the interest on the debt. i don't believe the president and the congress are going to allow us to go into default. this has never happened before. it should not happen now. we have to deal with this interest on the debt. the problem is the president is insisting on increasing taxes and continuing the same run away spending. we just can't do that. he also has to get to reality. ivan invited them to come with me and travel with me and talk to the people i am talking to. that is not a gimmick. this is really honestly a blessing. >> you be sure and let me know

if he takes you up on traveling to iowa and south carolina. >> i will invite you to go with us. >> i might be willing, but i don't think president obama will go with you to iowa. >> he should. >> one of the questions that has been raised is do you have executive experience ready to put you into the white house? that was one of the criticisms and having not had executive experience, it has hindered his ability to fully comprehend the office. and that will be raised if you are not a governor or one of the other positions, a mayor, so how dowry spond to that -- how do you respond to that when you are asked? >> when it came to president obama, the issue wasn't as much as lack of experience. he was simply wrong on the issues. that's not true for me. i have demonstrated leadership in washington, d.c. the time i have been in office speaker pelosi has held the gavel, and now the democrats

have held. i have done everything in my power to fight the agenda. i fought my own party on the $700 billion bailout. i fought against the trillion-dollar stimulus. i fought against the $1.5 trillion deficit. i have been the fighter against obamacare. that's the leadership i have brought to washington and that's what we need in a president. somebody with a titanium spine, and that's what i brought to the fight. and i will continue to bring that to the white house. >> a lot of the polls show people are a little unhappy with the tea party, even though the tea party was instrumental in they elections. now there is information that says some people say the tea party is hard lined. it is an all or nothing mind set. you have been closely identified with the tea party across the country. >> it is not a political

party. it is a set of ideas. we believe we are taxed enough already. the government should not spend more main than it takes in, and they should follow the constitution. that's a mainstream agenda and the media has been trying to falsely align the tea party. all they are trying to do is bring fiscal santee to washington. -- face cal sanity. the music is going to stop. the nation is going into decline if we don't change our ways. we know how greece is turning out. we don't want america to turn out the way greece is. we have to make a decision today. the problems are today. they aren't five years from now. that's the good thing about the tea party. they are trying to bring this issue of the problems being about today, and let's use some common sense and solve them. >> congresswoman michelle bachmann, thank you very much. we know it is a tough schedule and appreciate you squeezing us in. thank you for joining us.

>> you are always the best. thank you, governor. our country has a great friendship with israel, but if anything should threaten our relationship with one of our strongest allies, it could threaten our national security as well. coming up in an exclusive interview, i talk to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu about the importatataa

i update the news and provide commentary with insight. it is each day on 600 radio stations across the land. if you want to sign up, go to mike huckabee .com and click on the huckabee report. two months ago benjamin netanyahu got a huge reception while speaking to a joint

session of congress. israel's leader made his case for why any peace agreement between israel and the palestinians should not include a return to the borders, but does he feel our full support? i traveled to jerusalem for a wide ranging exclusive interview. >> why does israel matter to the typical american family? what difference does it make? >> i think most americans see a parabalance -- pairable of the struggle of mankind and humanity to lift itself up to a brighter future. it is the people of israel, the jewish people. we were left for dead, sthroan out of our land several how years ago and thrown into programs and we come back from

the dead and we rebuild our life. our life in our ancient homeland. we build an enterprising economy. it tells people there is hope. there is hope for a free people with enough guts and with enough courage. there is hope for everyone. americans in tan tane yusly identify with them. it is one that struggles for the better future. it is a future that all-americans and instantaneously understand and uh uh-huh appreciate. i think it is the bond of the value and hope and courage and hope and freedom and the future. >> israel and the united states have not an organizational, but an organic relationship. are there ways in which you think there are cultural, military, financial,

political, historical connections and unique relationships that you see as you think about the relationship between the u.s. and israel? >> well, you have -- it is very practical but very idealistic. practical because you are you and you are us. we cooperate. we build high-tech economy and free enterprise economy. all of these things are sound and they have practical implications the west is under attack and we will always be pro american. there is no question of that. through changes government and through changing governments, we are there for you, and we feel you are there for us.

but at the same time, there is something deeper. america was an idea of something deeper. it is the city on the hilly. this new birth of freedom, the city on the hill. well you are on that hill. this is jerusalem. welcome to jerusalem. i hope all of your viewers come here too. if you haven't been here, you should come here. >> i will agree with that. i want to ask you about the incredible reaction you had at the joint session of congress. and overall in your most recent u.s. visit. >> israel has no better friend in america, and america has no better friend in israel. >> were you even surprised at the extraordinary accolades that you got from congress?

i think it was 29 standing ovations. i never got anything like that. i was impressed. i don't think i would get that kind of reception. >> i had an inkling of that. i think my wife and i went for a walk on the potomac park. they actually let me out. my security is tough. your security is tough, but a little more understanding. even though i respect our guys. they really have a mission to protect the prime minister of israel. now we are walking in potomac park, and i am going through the tremendous memorials that you have for lincoln and jefferson and roosevelt and the korean war. they are all very moving. but they are americans there. i notice that -- as i walk,

quite a few recognize me. i saw the reaction. in that sense. -- in that sense, they are representatives to the american people, and i felt that they represented something broad. not support from me personally, but for israel and what it represents. i think it is very deep in the united states and i think it is a very important element in our national well being. the connection is of supreme importance to us. >> july 26 there will be a debate at the united nations regarding palestine, the possibility of an independent state. to a lot of us it seems a surprise. does this seem like a

threatening move to israel to start watching the arab league push for this? h. >> the hope for peace is a negotiated peace. the u.n can decide the earth is flat and they can decide anything, and they have. they can decide anything they want. what really decides the future is what happens here between us and our neighbors and to get peace we need to negotiate the peace. i think to the extent the resolutions are passed and the anti-israeli resolutions are front loaded in the u.n and that pushes them back. it tells them you don't even have to try. you don't have to negotiate. you will always get the approval of a large number of countries. you don't have to make the concessions that you will have

to make in order to make peace. typically it is what are the concessions that israel makes. you need concessions from both sides. a one-sided u.n resolution would harden the palestinians' positions and there by push peace away at the end of the day, the beginning of a real day of peace, peace has to be negotiated .'s -- negotiated jie. is the united states giving assurances they will do whatever it takes to block any actual action in september? >> they can't realistically block a general assembly vote. >> in the security council it is very likely the u.s. will -- >> likely, but not -- >> i don't think they will try and be a diplomats. >> i would be surprised if something passes through the u.n security council. and i am not just speaking in a hypothetical way.pt

powerful name in news, fox newschannel. june 29, 2009, it said people have a right 20* exist, maintain and strengthen cultures and traditions. a lot of israelis believe that could speak very well to israel. >> we are an indigenous people. we have only been here 4,000 years, that's all. about the time of -- when abraham came here and the sons of jacob, one was called benjamin. it has only been 3800 years. we are pretty indig jus -- indigenous. >> israel should be in a pretty good position. is it a useful tool that israel has internationally and globally to be able to point to the u.n's own rules? and the resolutions to say if you go by that definition, israel has a right not only to

exist but to have some level of absolute security. >> the proof of the puding is in the eating and what they are doing -- they are not really recognizing these principals. when it comes to israel there is a -- i call it a triple standard there is an acceptable double standard in international relations. one standard for the dictatorships and one for democracies. when it comes to israel there is a triple standard. there is a third standard for the democracy called israel. you never expect other democracies to accept what israel has gone through. can you imagine another democracy with 12,000 rockets pounded under cities and they are asked to take special care, special caution not to take action against the

offending enemy's rocket tears. that's what israel does. it is a country half the size of belgium and new jersey. can you imagine they have 12,000 rockets pounding new jersey's cities? trenton, you know? where was frank sinatra born? >> hoboken. >> how did you know that? pretty good. no, i knew that. that was a trick question, but okay. so all of these cities are pummeled by rockets. what do you think the people of new jersey would do? they would do anything and do everything. >> it wouldn't take 12,000 rockets, mr. prime minister. i have been there and looked at the extraordinary cash of rockets that are stacked behind the police station scpi. often said it wouldn't take several thousand. it would only take one. >> not only the american people. i say the same is true of any

european countries in the world, true of russia and true of china. israel is held to a standard. >> it seems very illogical that israel would be asked to sit back and take another few thousand rockets when no other nation on earth would tolerate that. >> a lot of people say they recognize israel's right to exist. but they don't give israel, they don't recognize israel's right to defend itself in order to exist. and that's where we begin to see these -- this criticism of israel. i think it is unwarranted and unfair. where does that come from? i can give you explanations of the numbers -- numbers of arab countries. a lot of the arab governments

really want israel to be able to defend itself against the rising tide of islamic radicalism that threatens them too. i think there is a deeper explanation. i have asked myself this question. it is obvious they are being attacked by terrorists who are terrorizing the citizens and firing rockets into the cities and calling for the annihilation. and tearing pieces to shaw reds. and yet israel is accused when they take action. and i think this has partly to do with some historical habit. for thousands of years, the jewish people didn't have a state. we were helpless. we were the perfect victim. the jews were slaughtered.

they were masacred. they were pitied. and we could do no wrong. we couldn't do anything. now we have a state in which we act to defend ourselves. you have a state and an army scpru to consider when to stop and attack on your borders. you take action and it is messier. it was a cleaner, perfect world when the jew was the perfect victim. well, we don't want to be the perfect victim. we don't want to be perfectly dead, so we take action. there is a historical time in which nations that used to look at jews in that way as sort of the helpless object and have to adjust to the idea we are no different from them. we want to live the way they do. and therefore we have to take actions to protect ourselves as they do and we will be living in a good world when the triple standard is

replaced by the double standard that applies to all other democracies.

how close do you think iran is to weapon nighing nuclear material and being prepared to act upon it? >> it is getting a lot closer, no doubt about that. >> how close? months? years?

>> we know because it is over four metric tons which means 4500 ky los of low enriched uranium. it is part of reenriching at a higher rate. it can make stuff like the ballistic metals. they can carry the medical isotopes, right? we know what they are there for. everybody knows. 15 years ago when i spirs spoke about this, i spoke actually before the u.s. congress. i was just elected for the first time. i said the greatest thing was the arming. a lot of eyebrows were raised.

now there is great support not only among the senators and the congressmen, but leaders understands that. the world understands that iran is getting closer and closer and closer to nuclear weapons. i think this will have devastating consequences for everyone, first of all for the middle east and of course for us. if iran has nuclear weapons it would turn into an iranian winter and so so much is at stake. the security of my country and the future of the middle east and the control of the world oil supplies and the direction of where the arab world goes. does it go to democracy or to the iranian-style dictatorship. a lot lar determined by the acquisition or development of weapons by iran.

this is a terrorist regime killing americans and helping to kill americans and fostering terror worldwide it means that nuclear terrorism becomes very, very real. and that is a place none of us want to get. >> it would be an immediate and direct threat to israel. a lot of people in the united states don't understand how it would be. you have been clear that you have no intention of letting iran get to that point. would the u.s. be supportive? would they be a part of the operation to ensure that iran does not get to that point? >> president obama has said they are determined to prevent iran from getting the nuclear weapons and that's the right policy. there have been strong saptions -- sanctions where the president lead in the united nations security council, and even stronger saptions that were uh --

sanctions that were adopted by the u.s. itself. these have taken a bite out of the iranian economy. and that is important. but i think the only thing that will get iran to actually stop the program is the combination of strong sanctions and the knowledge that if saptions -- sanctions fail, the international community is prepared to take credible military action. it is the combination of the two that will make them work, and will make the military option unnecessary. if israel feel itself has to act unilaterally, are you prepared to do that even without the blessing and the support of other middle eastern neighbors and the u.s.? >> have i said that iran is a threat to everyone. it is a threat to israel and the arab world and the united states and europe obviously and to many others. and i think this is an

international threat that requires an international solution. the right solution is strong sanctions backed up by the kind of clarity that says, look we are determined to prevent you from getting nuclear weapons, and we will take whatever action is necessary. that's what president obama has said. i think that's the right approach. >> in the middle east there has been a lot of people in libya, egypt, syria and tunisia, is israel in a safer place. it hasn't turned out quite that way yet. >> we will be in a safer place and we will be in a less safe place if it moves toward an iranian-style.

look what happened. lebenon six years ago there was a revolution that was millions poured into the streets and millions actually. that's like 20 billion egyptians huge numbers. and they were demonstrating for a free lebenon, free democratic progressive lebenon. five years later they were iran-controled lebenon. that hope was dashed and the question is where dot other arab countries go to? where does iran go to? it all start thread in tehran when the ayatollah regime stole the regime. millions walked to the street and they were butchered quickly and silenced.

there is a yearning in the middle east for this new people. most people left to their own devices, but they are not left to their own devices. the people with the guns and the superior organizations, they deprive them their freedoms as they did in lebenon and iran. we would like to -- i think we all would like to see the triumph of democracy. if democracy triumphs, we will have peace. in a genuine democracy, most people don't want their sons and daughters to go to battlefields or to die from bombardments. they don't want war. so if we have peace, genuine democracy, we will have genuine peace. the jury is out where this thing is going. let's hope it goes toward the right direction and let's work

to make it go in the right direction. >> make sure to tune in next week for more of my exclusive interview with benjamin netanyahu. first, we got so much positive reaction from the sleepy boy banjo band last week, we decided to bring them back, and this time i will be joining them. stay with us.

a lot of people didn't believe me when i said a trio of young brothers could play bluegrass with the best of them, but seeing and hearing is believing. we decided to bring them back for an encore. welcome 9-year-old johnny, 12-year-old robbery and 14-year-old tommy, the sleep me man banjo boys.

guys, welcome back. this is the first time ever we have had such a demand for a musical guest that we brought them back the next week. tommy, did you feel like did your friends watch you on tv last week? >> they did. >> they are still your friends? >> yeah. >> how heavy is that banjo? >> it is pretty heavy. >> i think it weighs more than you do. >> probably. >> and robbie, are you ready to play with us? >> i am. >> i am getting ready to play with you today which i am pumped up. we are going to do a classic bluegrass and we will dedicate it to earl sc ru ggs. ♪

>> the banjo boys. don't forget to get their cd. the website is up. by the way, we will be back next week, and we will have a great show for you. we will close it out with one more little piece of the sleepy man banjo boys. let's hit it, boys.

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