this is a fox report. tonight, a date has officially been set for iran to begin living under the deal it made with the u.s. and five major countries. what will day one look like? will it be enough to keep the iranians from making a nuclear weapon? and a former cabinet member of president obama's goes on camera to back up the book he's written about what really went on for years in the obama white house. why was i so angry all the time? why did i want to leave all the time? i write, it's just because getting anything done in washington was so damnably hard. >> speaking out about president obama's leadership.

and what went on inside the white house when it came to wars and other matters of national security. tonight, former defense secretary robert gates defends the book he calls an honest account. also, frustration growing in west virginia as people face day four of living without clean water after a chemical spill. families getting by with emergency food shipments, but the damage is not limited to home. fox report small businesses make up 96% of employers in the state, and if they can't open their doors, everybody suffers. and settling political scores. with a little of this and that. former secretary of defense robert gates speaking publicly for the first time since details of his tell-all memoir slamming washington and the obama administration first broke. secretary gates served six years under both presidents bush and obama and now not just in print

but on camera, he criticized the entire culture inside our nation's capitol, calling out congress and particularly vice president joe biden. but one striking criticism getting a lot of attention involved president obama, and his handling of the war in afghanistan. saying the president lacked passion and conviction in his own war strategy. >> it's one thing to tell the troops that you support them. it's another to work it, making them believe that you believe as president that their sacrifice is worth it. president bush did that with the troops. when i was secretary. i did not see president obama do that. and i said, as i write in the book, it was this absence of passion, this absence of a conviction of the importance of success that disturbed me.

>> the memoir is creating plenty of buzz inside washington. but some pushback from people who say they worked in the white house. former white house senior advicar david plouffe argued the president had a plan and kept his promise to the american people. >> the president's job is to ask tough questions and a president's jaw is to make decisions based on the overall feeling of the country. not everybody agreed to the timeline in afghanistan. these are tough decisions the president has to make, and they're consistent with what the american people wanted. >> harris, gates elaborated on his criticism of vice president biden today. he said it wasn't just that gates disagreed with the vice president on military strategy, but gates also asserts that the vp was in the president's ear, trying to pull him away from his military leaders. >> where i have particular problem with the vice president was in his encouragement of

suspicion of the military and the senior military with the president. you can't trust these guys. they're going to try and jam you. they're going to try and box you in, and so on. and that did disturb me a lot. >> the white house has said that the president values the vice president's advice. harris. >> molly, we now are seeing members of congress and former obama administration officials weighing in on the claims gate is making that president obama was not committed to success in afghanistan. what are they saying? >> gates says president obama didn't seem to believe in the mission in afghanistan. but a former white house spokesman contends that the president and his team were concerned about, quote, mission creep. >> barack obama was and i assume, continues to be skeptical of our military ability to solve afghanistan. we have been in afghanistan now longer than we have been in any foreign land conducting a war in our nation's history.

>> but republicans say gates' book reveals worrisome consequences because of the president's approach. >> at the same time that he announced the surge, he also announced an exit date and strategy, thereby inbolding the taliban to weigh us out. our allies see us as unreliable and our enemies feel emboldened. >> gates said he did not wait until after president obama left office to write the book because he felt so strongly about what he had seen and experienced in the white house. harris. >> molly, thank you. in fact, it's molly's making that has people talking about this a lot on social media tonight. how much of what goes on inside the white house should be made public. we'll be talking with -- rart about this with our political insiders coming up. meanwhile, though, you can tweet them because they're online @fnc insiders. and just hours ago, we learned

the date has been set for iran to begin keeping its end of the bargain of that nuclear weapon deal. you'll recall israel has warned this is the worst deal possible for the world, but now it is moving forward. the goal, of course, is to keep iran from bimming a nuclear bomb. the u.s. and five other nuclear powers struck the deal with iran, and it will take effect on january 20th. it's said to be temporary and limits iran's ability to enrich uranium beyond 5% and also requires them to degrade all nuclear material already enriched to 20%, which is just one step away from weapons-grade. in exchange, an easing of some of those money sanctions that would provide some financial relief to iran's struggling economy. president obama is calling this concrete progress and an important first step. chief washington correspondent james rosen following the story on this sunday. he's going to join us by foin. what will actually happen on day one, january 20th? >> for one thing, nuclear

inspectors from the iaea will be showing up at iranian nuclear sites for the first of their more intrusive rounds of inspections. they will then make monthly reports on their findings. senior u.s. officials including secretary of state john kerry who announced the deal in a news conference in paris have been reminding listeners this is just an interim deal, that iran and the six world powers over the next six month must negotiate a final status agreement, including the thorny agreement of whether and what conditions iran may be permitted to use its stockpile of 5% enriched uranium, which will continue to grow through this period. >> the negotiations will be very difficult. but they are the best chance that we have to be able to resolve this critical national security issue peacefully and durably. >> as part of the deal, he mentioned sanctions relief. iran will gain access to an estimated $4 billion in

restricted overseas accounts. the first $550 million of which would reach tehran on or about february 1st. >> the backdrop to this is really healthy skepticism around the world that iran would keep its end of the bargain because with their history, people look at it and say, doesn't that tell us what the president of the future would be? but some in congress have said we should keep in our back pocket sanctions ready to go that are tough on iran. what's the latest on that process? >> it's tough to say whether the bipartisan support we're seeing for that in congress will be dimmed by the announcement today. the sanctions bill that was authored by mark kirk of illinois and democrat bob menendez of new jersey, which president obama opposes, that legislation now has enough support in the senate, upwards of 75 votes, such that the measure could survive a presidential veto. congressman ed royce, republican of california, chairman of the house foreign affairs committee said in a statement that congress has many questions and concerns about today's

announcement. that's particularly the case, royce said, as iran has announced in recent weeks it would continue to advance technology needed to make fuel for nuclear weapons. i'mcurb can can concerned, he said, this agreement takes us down the path where sanctions pressure is relieved but iran maintains the ability to produce a weapon. if the iaea inspectors catch iran breaking the agreement or if they can't come to final terms by the 20th. >> thank you. thuns of israelis streaming past the parliament building in jerusalem to pay their respects to former prime minister ariel sharon. memorial services and a funeral are scheduled for tomorrow. joe biden will lead a u.s. delegation to those. sharon is remembered as a man who helped reshape the middle east. conor powell with more from jerusalem. >> with flagged at half-staff, israel mourned the loss of ariel sharon today.

his coffin laid in state in front of israel's parliament building. crowds paid tributes to the legendary former general and foreign minister who died yesterday. he leaves a mixed legacy. he's hailed at a great defender of israel and a military genius, but he also resigned in shame after hundreds of palestinians were killed by israel's christian allies in lebanon following the 1982 war. and despite being an early supporter of the movement to build israeli settlements in the palestinian territories, sharon as prime minister did an about face, championing the disengagement of gaza in august 2005. supporters and opponents describe him as a man who was willing to make tough decisions when tough decisions were needed to be made. he was a leader and many israelis are now saying that's what's missing from politics here. they want somebody to lead. >> thank you. a programming note, you can watch all of it live, fox news will stream the services on our

website. coverage of the memorial service begins at 2:30 a.m. eastern. the funeral is several hours later at 7:00 a.m. eastern. catch it all on foxnews.com. your other news source. right now, help is starting to arrive for hundreds of thousands of people in west virginia. they have been dealing with that environmental crisis that has left their water supply too dangerous to even touch coming out of the tap, let alone drink it. an update on the chemical spill, the fallout, and the relief within reach. and new jersey governor chris christie embroiled in a political scandal, but not alone tonight, as some fellow republicans are coming to his defense. >> the reality is, he said he didn't realize. he said he didn't know. i think it's pretty darn credible. ♪ we're gonna be late. ♪

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misery lingers for hundreds of thousands of people in west

virginia today. for four straight days now, people in nine southern counties have been unable to use their tap water for anything other than flashing the toilet. a dangerous chemical used to clean coal has seeped into the main river which supplies drinking water for one fifth of the population. as a result, businesses and restaurants are shut down, one airport has canceled all flights, and the university of charleston has cancmed classes. today's water test, because they have been testing the water every day, were encouraging, but he did not give a time table for when people might be able to drink from the tap again or bathe or do anything else. 96% of employers in west virginia are small businesses, and they are hurting, too. >> it's impacted us greatly because we can't open, can't serve food. what we're trying to do to offset that is we're opening, selling legal beverages only and chips for the customers, but you know, we have payrolls like any

other business. we have payroll on monday due, so it's pretty drastic right now that we just try to kind of ham and egg it and get through this. >> yeah, payrolls. jobs are hard enough to come by. can you imagine not getting a paycheck rights now? >> one chili's restaurant saw booming business today. this eatery was allowed to stay open by providing its own water supply and setting up washing stations for employees. even the ice machines have fresh water. fema and soft drink makers are now delivering bottled water to those effected. a federal investigative team also arrived on seen by monday to oversee the cleanup and figure out how this whole thing happened. some republicans are now coming to the defense of new jersey governor chris christie. you may know, he's seen tough times after members of his staff targeted a democrat city mayor by messing with the traffic flow in the nation's busiest metro

area. the story goes the mayor would not endorse christie for re-election. the governor has said it was ridiculous. it was a hot topic, though, on sunday shows with members of the gop saying they believe christie when he says he knew nothing about it, but democrats want to see an investigation play out. elizabeth has the latest tonight from washington. elizabeth. >> hi, harris. the chair member of a new jersey legislative panel is doing digging as his team investigates governor christie's office and its involvement in the george washington bridge lane closures. he claims a crime could have been committed, there are more documents to comb through and more players to interview. >> it's hard to believe in the middle of a gubernatorial election, the governor didn't have a discussion about a big problem in ft. lie. >> christie said he and his staff had nothing to hide. the staff members in the know were fired immediately. the mayor of the borough effected said he takes the governor at his world. the reaction continued on sunday's public affairs shows.

some are treading lightly as to whether it could impact the race in 2016 as the story is still developing. other lawmakers support him for handling the scandal forcefully and immediately. >> he took the bull by the horns. he held people accountable, fired people, and i think it's a big administration thdifference administration handled things, whether it's irs, benghazi, you can keep your health insurance. nobody has been fired over that, and what we're seeing is a big difference. if he comes out of this untarnished personally, this may set him up for 2016. >> the possibility of legal action continues to brew. those investigating the team are skeptical of the governor's denial since so many higher-ups in the administration were aware. back to you. >> thank you. is helping low er income americans do better as part of president obama's plan, why isn't it working? a look at the war on poverty, and critics who say we're losing it.

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at a company that's bringing media and technology together. next is every second of nbcuniversal's coverage 0f the 2014 olympic winter games. it's connecting over one million low-income americans to broadband internet at home. it's a place named one america's most veteran friendly employers. next is information and entertainment in ways you never thought possible. welcome to what's next. comcastnbcuniversal. severe weather is carving a trail of destruction through the central and eastern parts of the nation. powerful winds proving too much for some condominiums under construction in north carolina. >> oh, no, look at that! >> winds reaching 86 miles per hour knocking down power lines as well in the raleigh area. thousands of people tonight left without electricity. incredible rescues in new york

state as well. floodwaters overtaking one neighborhood. emergency crews using rafts, obviously, and even a bulldozer to get everybody out safely. officials say an ice jam in the buffalo river is to blame. >> it blocked all the water floe. sense, with it moving, it rapidly rose up the water through the streets and the storm sewers. probably took more than a half hour to get it up here. >> the flood victims headed now to warming centers while they wait for the waist-high water to recede. and heads up in chicago. a january thaw is bringing warmer temperatures, but city officials are urging everybody to look up. the ice is falling. they even blocked off the hancock building with police tape and caution signs for a while. >> in the boon towns and in the depressed areas, our aim is not only to relieve the symptom of poverty but to cure it, and

above all, to prevent it. >> well, it's been 50 years since president lyndon johnson declared the war on poverty in the u.s. since then, many programs have been introduced to help the nation's poor. but critics now say america is losing the fight because the national poverty rate is nearly as high as it was back in the 1960s. president obama hoping to change that with the so-called promise zones aimed at beaooing strugglg cities. tonight, questions whether one major metro plex, the president's own home town, is being left behind. mike tobben has more from chicago. >> laying out his promise zones, president obama left out his hometown. the englewood neighborhood is desperately poor and a vocal point of chicago's violence. part of chicago's south side, it was once represented by state

senator barack obama. >> can wish he would do something major like becoming an organizer and bring agents of the government. >> reverend jesse jackson toured englewood. he said the nation became distracted and greedy. the subprime lending bubble burst, homes are foreclosed and now more than ever, the government is leaving the poor out in the cold. >> all of this cut, cut, cut. this is the war on poverty. >> joseph with the chicago conservative based heartland institute said the war on poverty had bad aim. income inequality only growed with government involvement. >> most is caused because some people are working harder, acquiring more scarce skills and becoming very good at it, while there's another group of people who are increasingly detached from the work force and are working less hours, are less likely to work, are less likely

to complete school. are more likely to have prison records. >> 50 years into it, an estimated $15 trillion has been spent on the war on poverty. in that time, the percentage of people living below the poverty line has only come down a few percentage points. conservative analysts say that shows you government may be able to ease the symptoms but is very ineffective when it comes to curing poverty. in chicago, mike tobin, fox news. >> pope francis the leader of the world's catholics, and today, he chose some new team members. and reaction to former defense secretary robert gates' new memoir. the book criticizes president obama and vice president joe biden, but some analysts say it's hurting more than just the administration. our political insiders are here. some of you have been tweeting with them online. the question for your comments, how much of what goes on inside the white house should be made public? tweet your responses to @

to @fninsiders, and watch robert gates when he goes one-on-one with sean hannity tuesday night at 10:00 p.m. eastern, only on fox. diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. live the regular life. phillips'. l[ mait brings ther what's dieveryone's favorite flavors, new table for two. like savory garlic herb shrimp over wood-fire grilled chicken and chili ginger salmon topped with tangy pineapple salsa nothing brings you togher like table for two. two sala...two entre. plus an appetizer or dessert to share, all for ju $29.99. table for two is too good to miss! so come sea quality, sea variety, sea food differentlyat r. return on investment isn't the only return i'm looking foard to.

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pope francis carries on his crusade against poverty. the pontiff addressed the masses today from his balcony overlooking st. peter's square, announcing his first batch of cardinals. they represent a number of developing nations. that's in line with the pope's

belief that the church must pay more attention to the poor. the appointed men will be for l formalforma formally installed as cardinals at a ceremony next month at the vatican. >> this is the fox report, the bottom of the hour. if you're just joining us, former defense secretary robert gates giving his first interview since xerments from his new memoir went public. the tell-all sending shock waves through washington, with sharp criticism of the president and vice president. he also discloses private conversations on sensitive issues. let's bring in our political insiders and you can join the conversation on twitte twitter @fninsiders. >> john, former congressman for new york, pat caddell, fox news contributor in the middle, and doug shown, former pollster for bill clinton and a fox news contributor as well. gentlemen, we have all of you together with the holidays, one, the other. there three are back. >> we are.

>> your twitter following is tweeting like fools. let's start with former secretary gates' book. i tweeted out earlier, is it too much information now? the timing of this book, doug, your thoughts? >> i think it is information that had to get out. and i think he waited. his publishers waited until there was a lull in the political season, and it's been a firestorm. the thing that made an impression on me is somebody who advised the president and the white house there was a strict demarcation between politics and government and especially foreign policy, and in this instance, it looks to me like political aides have been making foreign policy in unprecedented ways. >> i echo that, because i was in the middle of a major -- we were in the middle of the carter administration, in the middle of a hostage crisis. you know, the lack of what political aides are allowed to do or supposed to, they seem to be inundated. by the way, one of the revelations that has not gotten a lot of attention yet is not

only the white house political aides, the national security staff, all the leaks coming out, his -- he called tom dawn ln, who i have taken on before about being chief leaker, as having poison atmosphere. they were calling four-star generals, people who have never had a uniform. it's unbelievable how political this was. >> john, you know, as this book comes out, you've got one half of people saying, well, maybe it's not one half, but certain people saying, oh, it's a good idea to have all this information. it's not a good idea, it could put us in jeopardy some how. how so? >> first of all, the idea of political people involving themselves in national security issues -- >> for political reasons. >> for political reasons is really the corruption of the system. you never had it before. henry kissinger, i don't like him, but the guy ran foreign policy. he's not over in campaign meetings deciding campaign strategy. there's a wall between it until

this administration. >> you think this is something the american people should know? >> it is, also, the american people should know that president obama himself, and secretary clinton, both acknowledged to secretary gates that politics had had an impact on their decisions about the war in iraq and how to prosecute it. that's very sad. i hope as we go forward that doesn't happen again. >> i want to put some words up on the screen from the interview with robert gates. one quality i missed in obama was passion, especially when it came to the two wars. in my presence, bush, very unlike his father, was pretty unsentimental, but he was passionate about the war in iraq. on occasion, at a medal of honor ceremony or the like, i would see his eyes well up. i worked for obama longer than bush and i never saw his eyes well up. end quote. your thoughts. >> i think it explains the president's relatively distant, particularly when it comes to the military. he didn't want these wars. but there is an anti-military

bias in the white house. i think that reflects the president. it's not a passion. i think he supports the troops, but i thought it's a devastating comment to say even in private that you never saw the president emotionally involved when people on his command are out dying for you, the country. >> one of the troubling things for some people, john, is the fact this could hurt the morale of the troops. >> there's a question whether this book should come out at all. a guy who just was in there, who received the presidential medal of freedom should be ratting out the people he worked with and revealing all this. >> let me just say, pat, because we're political insiders. politically, i think this thing hurts the democrats, hurts the feeling in america towards politics in general. ah, god, they're all dirty. then you add in the chris christie thing, which we're going to talk about.

no wonder so many people now say i'm not a republican or a democrat. i'm an independent. i don't like any of them. >> you know what, why didn't gates -- when is someone going to resign over principle? >> he did leave. >> but he didn't resign and didn't say i'm leaving because i'm disgusted with this behavior. >> let me play devil's advocate. maybe he knew he was going to write a book. >> that's not heroic. >> i don't know that, but i'm saying maybe. in the interview, he was asked, did you ever think you might have a government job down the line. he and his wife made eye contact, and he said, no that's why i wrote the book now. i can say what i want. >> my problem with this guy is throughout the excerpts, none of us have read the whole book, obviously. >> not yet. >> he is crying and sniveling, i hate the job, i go home, i have a drink, i get up, i hate the job, i hate the job. we don't need people in these jobs who hate the job. we need people who want to do it and do it well. and i think it's self-serving to

make it -- >> dud he hate the job because of what was going on around him? that's what he said. >> he might have, but you know what, harris, the job of the defense secretary is to make policy, lead the country, and do what is right, reasonable, and responsible. there's an element of griping here, john, you're absolutely right. this does degrade in a certain sense, our party system, our political system, but ultimately, we have to take away something positive, which is you can be bipartisan, you can put the country first, and right now, what's going on doesn't do either. >> james on twitter says gates released the book to save soldiers from a commander in chief who does not care about the military. i served 20 years. again, i speak to the morale of those who have served the country and whether or not they want to know, and this information is really about them in some instances. >> i always think you have to weigh these people in office have to weigh between what their obligations and responsibilities, as doug said, and what their obligations are. sometimes whether when it's gone

too far, to leave on principle. no one leaves government because no one leaves politics on principle. everybody is in this game. the country believes it, they're in it to feather their own nest. gates wants to write a book. other people want political power, whatever. we seem to have lost the idea of politics as something where you owe the country first. >> in the meantime, we have all this information coming out. i want to move on to new jersey governor chris christie getting some support from republicans, john. >> some. but not much, i might add. i think that in the four days since the revelations, the biggest story of it is how muted most republicans are. both in new jersey -- >> why? >> in new jersey, they don't like him. okay, even the republicans don't like him, and they're afraid of him. he has steam rolled over a lot of republicans. >> isn't the, john, they're seeing a guy who embraced president obama during the last week of the election, during their hurricane cleanup. he's a moderate republican, and

this is bottom line payback? >> yeah, that's a big part, but i think in new jersey, republicans have had a tough relationship with him. >> pat, does this matter to anybody outside of new jersey? >> matter pres dengsally. what bothers me is let's talk about politics, the democratic party is going after christie with -- >> the department of justice. >> they're talking empeachment. this is from what the wall street said, not to belittle it, it was a terrible thing, but compared to benghazi, the irs, and the other scandals, i watched bob woodward this morning saying everybody should investigate all of these things. what have you people been doing? the republicans play like they're in little league. >> can we talk about the defense of -- governor christie said i didn't know. you hear karl rove and others saying he didn't know.

when the president does that, nobody even questions him. he didn't know. he didn't know about the irs scandal. he didn't know. >> the contrast is this. the fury with which the democrats are going after chris christie in four days, like that, they have committees going, subpoenas flying all over the place. we're nine months into the irs scandal. we're a year and a half since benghazi. we have 179 republican congressmen saying please, speaker boehner, have a select committee to get to the bottom of it, and by the way, it might hurt hillary, and they don't do a thing. >> the democrats play for keeps. the republicans play bean bag. >> they play bean bag and this is the best example. also, they have the press mainstream media playing it with them. >> i was going to bring up the point about the irs scandal. it's on all of us to keep pressing the questions, but it's kind of hard when the answers are the hand. let's talk about gop committee and taking advantage, if you will, politically of some of the failures of the administration.

critics are saying, and i know you're among them, not enough is coming from republicans when they could take shots. they're not taking them. we have a lot of response on twitter about this. some political strategists see democrats as vulnerable after the botched obamacare rollout, weak jobs numbers, scandals within the administration, but the insiders here say the gop response has been pretty quiet. too timid? the fox news insiders are coming back. tweet us at @fninsiders. [ me announcer ] this is the story of the dusty basement at 06 35th street the old dining table at 25th and hoffman. ...and the little room above the strip mall f roble avenue. ♪ this magic momt it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those o believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world'great stories. that began much the same w ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment

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new concerns the gop is just too timid. republicans appear to have a clear opening to go after democrats on some key issues like the lagging economy and the affordable care act/obamacare, just 74,000 jobs added last month. that's far below what's needed to keep our economy afloat.

like 200,000 plus they need to do every month, and the buzz surrounding the obamacare olout has died down despite no new numbers on how many people have enrolled or are getting the cancellation notices. our political insiders are back. john, pat, and doug. let's start with the jobs numbers. you're shaking your head. >> there's no republican narrative on what an alternative set of policies are. there are no systematic attacks on the democrats. there's no sense of how we deal with issues like the minimum wage, unemployment insurance. it's all attack, compromise, and rhetoric that doesn't amount to much. bottom line, harris, the republicans are not addressing the fundamental concerns of the american people and the polls show it. >> all right, michael ackerman on twitter writes, gop never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. that's why i'm a registered nonpartisan. no entitlement voter, me. >> look at the numbers of what's happened in gallup for the year.

what they show independents are the highest level. they skyrocketed in the fourth quarter. i don't know if we have those numbers, but it's amazing. >> let's pop them up on the screen. >> this is really what the american people are reacting to. look at this. in the fourth quarter, the first quarter of the year, 37% were independents. look at the fourth quarter. >> 46%. can i ask you a question about that? it doesn't mean they're undecided. it means like this gentleman on twitter who has decided he doesn't want either one of them. that's a decision. >> the political class and political parties in washington are not for them. >> so does that mean those voters are up for grabs? >> yes. we have the vastest chasm, opening here, like the grand canyon for someone to come in, both with real progress and programs and also to stand up against the corruption, phony capitalism, and this political self-serving government which people overwhelmingly believe. >> if democrats are losing ground on some of the issues via

obamacare and others, john, did you hear what pat said? you have the grand canyon opening? >> but not for republicans, i don't think. >> why? >> they could have, and they could. >> they made a wrong turn. harris, they have no agenda. they have no ability to either empathize or do what ronald regan did, what jack kemp did, which is to outline a pro-growth agenda that speaks to people's concerns about jobs, health care, the economy, and fairness. >> if you put those numbers up that we looked at, the gallup thing, what happened was in the fourth quarter, it was the month of october when the republicans shut the government down. they went down in that month to the bottom they have ever been. and then obamacare rollout took the democrats down. and they're both down in nowheres platteville, and people said i don't like either party, i want something different. >> what is the something different? >> three of us for the last two

years on this network have been saying this was going to happen. >> right. >> a revolutionary moment was coming. i think it's here now. >> yes, it is. >> where a plurality of people heading towards a majority, want something different. i think what they want is we don't want any bs, i don't want any negativity or personal attacks. i want to know what's going to get me a job, what's going to make my health care work better, what's going to take the fringes out of running a country. >> pat does not agree with you. why not? >> it's not that i disagree with pieces. you must start with something that says i'm on your side. these people are not on your side. and when you start with that, then you can begin the program and say there are ways to do this that appeal to everyone. but you know -- >> one point. put the country first. >> that's what i was going to say. >> instead of about politics first, everything is about politics. >> we are americans. we put america first. domestically, and harris,

internationally. we can't be weak. we have to pull together. we haven't done that. >> you know what's interesting about what you just said? that was so simple. like, i can now tell somebody if they ask me, what is doug's foreign policy? i can say, well, put america first. that was so simple. i can tell you, though, with the obama administration, it's been very difficult as a journalist to try to get just a few-word answer about that question. doc washburn is critical because he thinks what we're seeing here at this desk is why it doesn't work in d.c., because the criticism and not the fix-it. pat? >> first of all, we're analyzing what's not working. we're also saying there is a better way to do this. there's a strong way. but look, you cannot ignore the fact that like obamacare, the republicans sit there and let it go by. they don't have a substitute proposal that the party supports. we don't have something arguing that the people's interests are not being taken care of. and that's -- that's the problem. >> all right, i've got to go.

i want you to stay longer, but the conversation can continue real quickly, jobs numbers are bogus, according to paul on twitter. what about people who stop looking? that's a very important number. they outnumbered the amount of jobs that were built. we'll be back. i have diabetic n. it's hard to describe, because you have a numbness, but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point i knew i had to do something. once i started taking the lyrica the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet.

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before we scooted. >> reporter: before we scooted to comrmercial, i mentioned the jobs. 74,000 created last month, but many more people just stopped looking for work. >> the work force participation is at 68.2%, the lowest in 30 years. there's no political narrative to create jobs on either side. that's really the problem. >> you talk about people leaving the work force and just giving up, very sad. >> absolutely.

>> very sad. >> we can continue the conversation at twitter,@fninsiders. sam wanted us to mention him, so there, are you happy? at 10:30 eastern, li livefoxnews.com, you can watch them and communicate at the same time. pat, john, doug. happy new year. growing violence and bloodshed across iraq, where america spent so many lives and resources helping the people of that country. now their government is in an all-out fight against al qaeda-linked militants. over cities the u.s. military fought for and controlled. now developments tonight as the iraq forces are looking to their own citizens for war help. it's our top story as we go around the world in 80 seconds. iraq, a series of car bombs targeting bus stations, killing at least 13 people across

baghdad. this as the fighting for fallujah and ramadi, two cities only miles to the west, intensifies. mass gunmen open fire on a military helicopter flying over fallujah. iraq's prime minister said the military has the city surrounded but won't try taying it back from al qaeda by force. instead, it's calling on local tribal leaders to expel the terrorists who gained control of the key cities more than a week ago. germany, a twisting crash to the ground for a small jet that hit the earth near a landfill. the cessna, which was traveling in thick fog from england, was not far from the airport where it was supposed to land. it flipped a power mast on a railroad line and went down and burst into flames. the pilot, co-pilot, and a married couple all died. no word on what caused it. turkey. members of the country's

parliament get out of control in a heated debate. one lawmaker even climbing on a desk to kick another man in a face. a witness says water bottles, bolders, even an ipad were being thrown. politics, they're brutal. that's a trip around the world in 80 seconds. the world prepares to say good-bye to ariel sharon. details in our fox fast forward. ♪ should not all those presents make the cut ♪ ♪ no need to chuck, donate or burn them ♪ ♪ juspack them in our flat rate box ♪

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president's plan is designed to balance the rights of privacy for everyday americans with the need to protect the nation from terror. >> it has been a lively hour with the fox news insiders. glad you were along. thanks for tweeting. tonight on huckabee, republicans attacking members of their own party. >> don't focus on the people in office. focus on those you would like to replace. >> wisconsin governor scott walker with his solution to the gop infighting. >> and -- >> the war in iraq is over. al qaeda has been decimated. >> but now al qaeda flags are flying in fallujah. soldiers who fought and lost brothers in iraq tell us how they feel to see the iraqi cities back in the hands of extremists. plus, he says if good guys have guns, the bad guys will stay away. detroit police chief james craig tonight.