in the "after the show" show. >> dave: and get game day gear, model by all of these folks, chef smith could wear this to a game, down at old mis. good looking stuff. >> alisyn: thank for joining you, have a great weekend and see you next weekend. >> clayton: go eagles. ♪ >> eric: the conventions are history and the sprint for the white house has now begun. governor mitt romney and president obama out on the campaign trail today, and they will be shifting their focus, soon, to the fall debates. those could be pivotal in deciding who will finally win the presidential election. good morning, everyone on this sunday, i'm eric sean. >> jamie: hi, i'm jamie colby, good morning to you. thanks for being here. this is a brand new hour, inside america's election headquarters, lots to talk about, because we are now just over three weeks away from the first presidential debate, and, historically, did you know that the candidate who is ahead in mid september, wins

in november, usually? but with the polls showing the candidates are locked in a dead heat could the debates this go-around mean more than ever? charlie hurt is a washington times columnist, joining us this morning. charlie, good morning to you. >> good to be with you, jamie. >> jamie: what do you think? do you think the debates will be pivotal for both president and vice president? >> i think, absolutely, i think that obviously, debates are pivotal in one respect, both campaigns need to make sure no that no gaffes occur and no one says anything incredibly stupid or memorable in a negative way. but i think, that mitt romney, is still somewhat undefined and the obama campaign spent a lot of money and time to vilify him to the point that voters would not support him for dog catcher and mitt romney has a job to do in those debates and also, in this month, to sort of continue to define himself as somebody

who can be trusted on the economy. >> alisyn: did ththat. >> jamie: did that work? and, i've heard reports all over the map, some say yes, and some say no. and the cost, was it worth what they paid. >> everyone would agree on bode sides the bounces coming out of the respective conventions amounted to very little if anything at all. nobody is walking away with this thing, right now. and, you know, you are talking over $200 million, for these conventions, and, the taxpayers paid $140 million, of the tab and the rest of it is covered by the parties and, fund-raising efforts, and, it is kind of hard to justify spending that much money, and, the security hasbec. in the last couple of times. >> jamie: sure. >> even from three conventions ago. >> jamie: charlie, now they'll

go on the trail and we have very little time left. is there time -- they are neck and neck. is there time for a breakthrough for either candidate and, what will it take? >> the way i sort of view it going from here, it will remain neck and neck unless, of course somebody does something disastrously stupid and says something stupid that puts them out of contentious. i think it will remain pretty much neck and neck and well go through the debates and if mitt romney continues to sort of plug away at the notion that he may not be sort of cool and as likable and as hip as barack obama, but, he can be trusted on the economy. and he has an advantage there. >> jamie:... charlie, mitt romney benefitted from convention, i mean, his, you know, his wife, the people that he has known forever, the little deeds that he has done along the way, from his heart, not political, we learned a lot we

didn't know previously and you have been to the track before, to the races, all of a sudden one horse soldiers on. what about coming up with, you say, as long as they don't do anything stupid, how about coming up with something brilliant like fixing the economy, specifically with a plan that is explained in a way that the american voter truly understands, and says, hey, that is good for me? >> well, i think that, you know, i think the mitt romney campaign has been trying to to do that with limited success. they have managed to prevent obama from completely defining him. which is a good thing for them but i really think, actually, if the election were held, tomorrow, the numbers would be a lot different, because, voters in their hearts, you know, when you are talking about the economy and people not having jobs and people looking for, you know, not having the money to pay bills, in their gut, they may say one thing to pollsters and in their gut when they go in and pull the lever for somebody, sort of -- i

think, they would go turn heavily away from the incumbent in this case and i think mitt romney, as long as he continues to sort of press this argument, that -- and, you know, the argument when look at his past record, on economic issues has been a pretty solid -- even bill clinton called his career a stellar career. >> jamie: they have definitely stuck to that issue and we know, with the voters, i have to ask you, it seems to me to be a fair question, the presidential debate, the first one coming up, no teleprompter. okay? talk about favorability and like ability and no gaffes, the president does rely, on a teleprompter. >> he does, but he also, is very good at connecting with people, on a personal level. in a way that mitt romney has not quite been able to sort of figure out and i would argue that mitt romney shouldn't even try to be likable. he should try to be his geeky self and win over the trust of

voters. they don't have to like him. they just have to trust him. >> jamie: trust, right. >> as long as he stops trying, it is when he tries and fails that everyone cringes and is like, you shouldn't... don't try to be chummy and don't try to be... >> jamie: thanks for covering both sides, you have covered a lot of ground and i can't wait to watch the first one, coming up here on fox. >> thanks. >> eric: the presidential debates will not be the only one, president obama and mitt romney focusing on debates but so, too, vice president joe biden and congressman paul ryan will face off in a few weeks and today, congressman ryan is getting his first full day of prep work, we are told, the g.o.p. vice presidential nominee meeting with aides in oregon during his west coast swing there. we are told he is looking through some of the topics and answers an counter points and all he'll need to go head-to-head with the senior biden and, there will be a study break so the congressman can watch the packers game, of

course, the green bay packers from his home state. president obama is looking to turn the spotlight to medicare as he wraps up the bus tour in florida today. he'll be in melbourne, west palm beach. the president has been focusing on the medicare issue in the heavily senior citizen populated state. he's expected to highlight a new study on the rising costs of medicare. the study was conducted by a harvard professor, who served as mr. obama's health care advisor. during the 2008 campaign. later on we'll be going to florida with a live report, in our next hour. >> jamie: quite a surprise after large parts of the u.s. are left to clean up today after a deadly storm system ripped across our country, at least four people were killed including an infant in oklahoma. in new york city, that's right, new york city, two tornadoes touched down, knocking out power and toppling trees in brooklyn and queens and slammed the d.c. metro area, too. more than 20,000 customers still

in the dark without power and national weather service is trying to determine whether a tornado tore, also, through a part of pittsburgh, and neighbors say whatever it was, it sure gave them a good scare. >> first, the rain wind and the swirling, terrific swirling. like i have never seen anything in my life. >> i thought my roof was coming off, it was so loud and i ran downstairs and by the time i got my cell phone to call my daughter, it was gone. >> jamie: crews worked through the night to get a handle on the downed power lines and fallen trees. i hope everybody there is okay. ♪ >> eric: hillary clinton acknowledging deep differences between the u.s. and russia, when it comes to the continuing crisis in syria. but, she says that she'll continue to try and convince moscow to try and back increased

international pressure on syrian president bashar al-assad. this is one day after russia rejected her call, for a new u.n. -- for new your opinion sanctions. >> first, with respect to syria, i made the international community's case again yesterday, to both the foreign minister and the president, that we have to bring more pressure to bear on the assad regime to end the bloodshed and begin a political democratic transition. >> eric: the russians remain in assad's corner, meanwhile, mrs. clinton says, if russia refuses to go along with any new sanctions, the u.s. and the allies will continue support for the syrian opposition. >> jamie: violence in iraq, 58 people killed in attacks there including a car bomb near kirkuk. the bomb strike, a group of police recruits were hit, they were waiting to apply for jobs, 8 people died, and, more than a dozen others were injured.

all of the recruits were sunni muslims. a senior police commander blames the attack on al qaeda but did not provide any further specifics. >> eric: in pakistan a leader of the haqqani network now saying captured u.s. soldier, sergeant beau birgdoll will not be harmed, they deny they are holding the american, who went missing three years ago, saying a splinter group has this sergeant but the commander warned the u.s. and nato can expect stepped up attacks in afghanistan, in response to the obama administration designating the haqqani network a terrorist organization. how could this affect or relationship with pakistan and impact the war in afghanistan? joining us now as he does every sunday, this sunday, at this time, former ambassador to the u.n., josh bolton, also a fox news contributor. >> good morning. >> eric: he has been held there

since 2009, 26 years old from haley, idaho. most importantly, how do you think we can free him? >> well, i think obviously, his location is something that the haqqani network keeps a very close hold on but i think it is interesting, that as i see now, filing belatedly, the haqqani group is about to be put on our list of foreign terrorist organizations and hasten to assure us that he'll be okay. they are obviously worried and i think it demonstrates if we had done what was clearly warranted years and years ago, by listing the haqqani network as a terrorist organization we would have gotten their attention a lot more than through our negotiation efforts, with them and the taliban over the last three years. >> eric: do you believe in your view, there is obama administration foot-dragging that in effect kept him captive? >> i think that is the only conclusion you can reach. you know, the media were filled with stories, over these past weeks of opposition within the

administration, to designating the haqqani network as a terrorist organization for fear it would disrupt their negotiation with the taliban. this is key to the obama view that the war on terrorism, is effectively over. that we won and we can come home. the taliban love that narrative, because, that is the route through which they'll take over in afghanistan. >> eric: what do you think would have happened if the administration had designated the haqqani network a terrorist organization, two, two-and-a-half years ago? >> or even if the bush administration had done it five years ago, of course it is a terrorist network and has been killing americans and nato forces in afghanistan, and the issue is whether we continue to have the national will to protect our interests, making sure taliban don't use afghanistan as the base for terrorism, as they did before 9/11. and, pakistan nuclear weapons don't fall into the hands of radical islam cyslamists and th

not the approach of president obama and will lead to us being put at risk. >> eric: why didn't the administration designate them a terrorist network. >> there is no good explanation for it. i think folks ought to be on or off the list, not based on political considerations but based on what the facts are, let the facts fall where they may and haqqani, a terrorist organization, supported by the inner services intelligence director, of the pakistani military and is one of the reasons why our relations with pakistan remain as difficult and tense as they are. >> eric: it is unbelievable. what you said, that the isi, the intelligence service of this exposed ally, the one that kept bli bin laden and didn't know anything about it. they support the terrorist group. >> they supported the haqqani and haqqani network going back to the days the soviets were still in afghanistan and we

supplied isi weapons they in turn distributeded to groups like this. so there is' long history here and this is nothing, particularly, new and it demonstrates, i think why it's so important to make sure that these groups don't continue to increase their power inside pakistan and lead to the potential that this already very difficult government in pakistan will fall and be replaced by another one, that is even more overtly hostile to our interests. >> eric: ambassador, it seems time and time again we are rewarding bad behavior, you know, how do we stop this? is there anything we can do? >> there is one thing we can do and that is defeat the taliban and the haqqani network. president obama has not done that, in the past three years, and we have had the great success of killing bin laden and that doesn't mean the war against terrorism is over and anybody who believes the narrative is right to have a bridge sold to them. >> eric: ambassador john bolton

from florida, this morning, thanks for joining us, as always. >> thank you, eric. >> eric: of course, jamie. >> jamie: thank you, ambassador. a u.s. group now applauding the release of a christian pastor who was jailed for three years, in iran. it is the u.s. commission of international religious freedom, and they say it really welcomes iran's decision to free the pastor and they are urging iran to release all other prisoners of conscience. he was awaiting execution for refusions to renounce his christian faith, and he had reportedly converted from islam as a teenager. iranian officials claim the 35-year-old father of two had actually been jailed for rape and extortion and we'll have more on that story in our next hour. >> eric: coming up, the economy, is front and center in the campaign and, coming up, chris wallace will give us a preview of his conversation with governor romney's top advisor, and, plus he'll talk to a former top advisor of president obama about the major issues. >> eric: we always give you the good medical news and today we

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>> eric: the flagging u.s. economy now front and center on the campaign trail. president obama and governor mitt romney both pushing plans to try and jump-start economic growth. because of the new disappointing attention after friday's bleak jobs report. there are dramatic differences between both sides in how to approach tax policy. >> i can't imagine an argument that says that raising marg-- marginal tax rates on high income people, many of whom are business owners is the recipe for economic growth, one can debate fairness arguments but i'm not aware of an argument that would suggest getting back to the growth we talked about in the previous question is fal stated by raising taxes, not tax reform. >> i do not believe that having the rates go back to what they were in the '90s will have any negative impact that is significant on the economy and you can use the money for things that are important, like cutting taxes, or businesses, that hire people, rather than cutting taxes on the estates of

billio cutting taxes for mitt romney's horse, which is count as a business under their small business definition. >> eric: mitt romney's horse? joining us is the anchor of fox news sunday. chris wallace. you have discussed a billion different tax policy interviews over the past number of years. >> yes, that was interesting and it is interesting, because, i think you saw sort of a different focus there, on the case of the romney campaign and they say raising taxes, that is what the president would do, let the bush tax cuts expire for any family that makes more than $250,000 a year, it is a position, incidentally, that barack obama took in 2010 when the economy was growing at a faster rate than it is now, he said it's not a time to raise taxes, because it will hurt the recovery, but, now, the obama camp has decided on its position

and it has a lot to do and that is why romney's horse came into it with fairness and they are saying we're on the side of the middle class and they are for protecting the rich. and, it may be less an economic argument, and a growth argument than it is a fairness argument. >> eric: we saw it during both different conventions and how do you think it will play out the next few months, 60 days... >> man, if i do that i go to las vegas and quit my job. look, the interesting thing is... we'll have to see how it plays out. the latest "gallup poll," a 7-day average shows the president increased his lead. it was one point three days ago and, it didn't reflect the latest jobs report. but, romney has to find a way to get over the top and is having trouble doing that and is particularly having trouble doing that in the key swing states like florida, like ohi

ohiohio, and he has to win those states, i don't think there is any path to victory without florida and without ohio and my guess is, oddly enough, even though i talked about the white house pushing the fairness argument, he has to find a way to do it in terms of fairness and has to somehow say my plan is better economic but here's why not rich people but people in the middle class, if you follow my plan, you will be better off. >> eric: how do you think he makes that argument? over the next few weeks? what is the best way that he could do that. >> somehow he has to make the connection, because, the obama campaign has been very successful with the millions of dollars and they'll be out spent the next two months, because they vastly out spent romney the last two months and gave the sense that romney is just concerned about the rich and the tax cuts the tax reforms will end up benefitting the wealthy and hurting the middle class. there is an argument against that but romney has to make it more effectively and say i'm not just looking out for bain

capital and business executives. this is why if you are a working, middle class american, this is why my plan will be better than the -- more of the same from obama. >> eric: looking forward to the detailed explanation and debate. >> very entertaining debate and interesting and you really see the fault lines in this campaign. i hope people will watch serving fascinating and so important, chris, always good to see you thank you. >> thank you, eric. >> eric: for more of chris's interview with the romney campaign senior advisor, clint hubbard and former chairman of the white house chairman of economic advisors, austin goolsbe, fox news sunday, important issues of the economy and what to do would you it. >> jamie: thank you so much, as they always do on sunday morning, the doctors will be in for "sunday house call," and they'll talk about lung cancer, more people who don't smoke are getting it. we'll find out why and what you

need to do and there are a number of prescription pills now giving patients severe side effects. we'll look at whether or not the medicines that you are taking, could actually be making you feel worse. we'll be right back. those surprising little things she does

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>> eric: sunday morning means time for "sunday house call," joining us as always, dr. david samadi, vice chairman of the department of urology and chief of robotics at the mt. sinai medical center. >> jamie: wait, you get a second opinion, dr. marc siegel of the nyu langone medical center and author of "the inner pulse, unlocking the secrets of sickness and health." >> eric: good morning, doctors, have you heard the study about lung cancer and finds cases of lung cancer are on the rise and are increasing mostly among people