it and the comfort behind it, 8:00 p.m. on fox business. hello i'm dana perino along with bob beckel, eric bolling and greg gutfeld. it's 5:00 in new york city and this is "the five." he tried to get to the white house in 2008 and again in 2012 but mitt romney has made a decision, he is not going to try again in 2016. he made it official earlier in a conference call with his supporters. >> after putting considerable thought into making another run for president i have decided it is best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee. i feel that it is critical that america elect a conservative leader to become our next

president. you know i wanted to be that president but i do not want to make it more difficult for someone else to emerge who may have a better chance of becoming that president. we believe it is for the best of the party and the nation. >> jeb bush takes the lead in the latest poll. for more on big 2016 news we have to bring in carl cameron. it sounds like this decision was made last week maybe after that meeting that he had with jeb and going into the weekend deciding with his family that he was going to make this announcement this week. >> while he was considering and making lots of phone calls and receiving phone calls from supporters it was a busy couple of weeks on the campaign trail. mr. romney attended the rnc meeting in san diego but the whispers in the hall kays were pretty nasty and largely negative. there was the big iowa candidate forum. romney did not go. neither did chris christie --

excuse me, chris christie did go. in their absence they were criticized and conservatives showed why they weren't that thrilled in 2012 or 2008. it became more clear. insiders say the family and some of their advisers began to see this sort of turning. it was going to be more difficult. while he could raise enough money he said he has chosen to bow out. historically if candidates think there is a chance to win they stay in. >> i wanted to ask you about yesterday's announcement that jeb bush is making a key hire from a senior strategist that had worked for romney in the last election? >> you are talking about the guy who ran the iowa 2008 campaign. and then in 2012 where it was thought on caucus night romney had won it. and then the delegates got switched over to ron paul in the state convention. so he has gone with jeb bush.

a lot of folks have tried to drive a one to one correlation saying the loss in iowa was the straw that broke the cappal's back and got romney out. they had been sort of thinking this through and beginning to have a more tempered approach to it several days ago. cochal is a huge get for jeb bush. it means he out of politics for 15 years can go into iowa with a seasoned organizer big boost for jeb not withstanding the let down it was for romney. >> it's eric. so i listened to that comment that he put out there very classy and nice. he stepped aside. you could feel it was emotional for him, it was a tough decision for he and his family. one of the lines that jumped out is he said i'm stepping aside and hopefully to have a new generation of republicans to take over. a lot of people are saying if he

was stepping aside to make room for jeb bush that might not be the way he would do that. so a lot of other people are saying is it rubio or christie? what did he mean by the new generation? what was he pointing to? >> again there are a number of folks around romney in the last weeks doing a little bit of sniping on his behalf on what would have been his rivals saying while he has been out for a long time, 15 years there was talk that romney would have criticized him for the way he handled a few things when he was governor. jeb bush made enemies in the romney camp in 2012 because he withheld his endorsement of mitt into late in the process. so that may have something to do with it. a new face could qualify as much as it might for markco rubio as ben carson.

more than anything what romney is saying is his withdrawal from the race shouldn't be seen about anything about him as a deficient candidate but he is saying it is important to find somebody to beat hillary clinton. >> i have heard it at least 15 times. we are going to step aside for a new generation when you decide to can out. there has only been two candidates who have run three times for president. he would have been the third. both had strong constituencies and mitt romney did not. and i said this when jeb bush said he was going to think about getting it in, the first people he was going to scare people. one of the reasons he is not going is that he lost two key financial people to jeb bush. >> well it is true that some of his donors from the last time around were going to hang in with him. it is also very true that a lot of them weren't and he knew that. some of the more prominent names

are committed to others. that was a problem. it didn't mean he didn't have the capacity to raise the money necessary but it would have been more difficult. there is another aspect, the idea that mitt romney and jeb bush, two establishment governing type republicans less ideological and more about getting the job done would be beating up each other is the kind of thing that even conservatives in the party thought might not be too good. there is an irony to that too. really conservatives have been cannibalizing themselves in primaries for the right to lose to establishment candidates. there has been an awful lot of glee among conservatives at the idea that romney and bush might beat each other up and conservatives could watch it happen on the other sort of schism in the republican party. this field is far different than 2012 when mitt romney was the nominee. and he would be battling against current governors, a lot of whom have been fundraising capacity on their own.

so the idea that he was trying to sort of pick out people that he would favor or disfavor in this process romney will end up in iowa or new hampshire. >> he has gone from the king to be the king maker. i did appreciate romney's honesty. i thought it was unique that he mentioned conservatives were enthusiastic for him. i thought it was an honest one that he couldn't see them getting fired up about a third run for him. i want to build on eric's question. now he is the king maker and will show up in iowa. can you speak to his relationship with some of the other candidates? if you look at the last convention he allowed marco rubio to have that primetime speaking role and introduce him. if you look at his relationships he has had bad blood with chris christie before. can you as our campaign expert maybe see if he is going to be aligning behind one of these

lesser knowns? >> he is having dinner with chris christie tonight. the romney camp has occasionally thrown a few darts at the governor of new jersey. they vetted him out and he didn't get picked. he is very fond of marco rubio. marco rubio campaigned aggressively in 2012. it is arguably true that no other spent more time on the trail. that is obviously something in his favor. don't rule out the possibility that mitt and jeb bush could bury the hatchet. he has acknowledged over time that he made mistakes in 2012. he might have done things differently. he said he was going to do things differently. it's worth noting that he moved back to salt lake city. he is reembracing his mormonism

and promising to be more honest where he is coming from. those kinds of discussions are all to the way side now. the question is who will fill the void. jeb bush is at the top of the poll but it is awfully early. if you look at the fox poll yesterday with jeb bush and chris christie around nine there are like five candidates bunched in. they are all within the margin of error. and wide open without romney. >> greg? >> carl i have a comment, a question and then a text that i will be sending you privately about tonight. my comment is obviously you said he is not running in 2016 but he didn't say anything about 2020 so it is safe to say he is running in 2020 and you hear it first on "the five." if he is not running in 2016 will he lease his hair out to potential candidates?

>> i spent an awful lot of time with mitt romney in 2012. in the total two years of covering him i have almost never seen a hair out of place unless it was intentional for making him look like he was letting it all hang out. >> no fly aways with mitt. >> he is very controlled. >> one of the things that made it seem so unlikely to go through this for years mitt romney and his staffers have been making sure all guys like us understand he is analytical, loves to crush numbers and makes sure no detail hasn't been thoroughly analyzed. >> could you sit with a straight face and call mitt romney a king maker? who is he going to -- what's his constituency? what votes does he have? i don't get it. >> the guy won 60 million votes as the republican nominee.

>> any republican would have won 60 million votes. >> that's not nothing. that's one of the reasons why when he said i will give it consideration a lot of america paid attention. a lot of america did vote for him three years ago and haven't forgotten it. >> you are being soft because you like the guy. >> bob! carl, we are going to let you go on that note. just to confirm we are your favorite show, is that right? >> absolutely. go "the five"! >> thank you. >> we have a couple more minutes. andrea, do you think -- do you think mitt romney will endorse anybody in the primary or try to stay neutral until there is a nominee? >> that is what i was trying to get carl to answer because he had shown favoritism to some of the candidates specifically marco rubio in a big way. it has to be noted that he gave marco rubio that primetime speaking role on the night to introduce him at the republican

convention. marco rubio, i think there is a lot that mitt romney will be doing to help one of the guys that needs his help. i would bet it is rubio. >> do you believe that mitt romney can deliver votes for anybody? >> yes. >> he did it in 2014 mid terms. >> absolutely. >> i think he can help. >> i have been away too long. >> do you realize what kind of lead that mitt romney had prior to bowing out? he was the favorite on the conservative side. >> it is name recognition. >> if he is behind someone you don't think people who favored mitt romney over all the rest -- >> i do know what you are saying. people aren't sitting at home freaking out over mitt romney like i do get -- he can raise some money. >> greg you can talk about anything you want. we talked about what this means

for all the other republicans, but what might it mean for hillary clinton who yesterday her campaign said she is probably going to wait to july. does this change her calculus? >> i don't know that. i think it is important for the republican party to identify their contemporary reagan and those preening for attention because if they don't do that by 2016 you will have a president clinton and five new fox news contributors. this election is about presenting a smaller target. when a republican makes a small gaff it will be transformed into a supernova by the media. if a democrat is caught with a jury giraffe and a box full of sex toys the "new york times" will call them an animal lover. romney would have been a great president. there is no question about that.

he was a lousy campaigner, but if you look at him and listen to him he is a good man. if you have had a crystal ball and showed 2016 president romney the entire country liberals included would breathe a sigh of relief and say finally an adult in the room. but couldn't make that argument himself. >> good point, though, about going back to the media. did you notice hillary clinton when she made that comment about corporations that don't make jobs. didn't we go through that already? they immediately jumped on her. i think they believe that jeb bush is going to be the nominee. they want to keep a low profile while the republicans go at it. >> they thought in 2007 they thought rudy giuliani would be the nominee. next on "the five" as the white house plays down the threat of the taliban the terror network claims responsibility for an attack that killed three

americans. a major development regarding the bergdahl trade all coming up. it rushes through the scratches in the floorboards. dances up the height marks on the door. it wraps around your favorite family photos. it helps this place tell a story all your own. it's what's there in the air when you've made your house a home. air wick home is in the air

just seven months after one

of the worst deals in american history one of the taliban five swapped for bowe bergdahl has been caught trying to return to the fight and reconnecting with the taliban. the pentagon is trying to down play the news. >> we had a good security partnership with the government of qatar. they have provided assurances. ei can tell you we are comfortable at the defense department that we can mitigate threats posed by individuals in terms of terrorist activity. >> and the administration tried to convince americans over and over again that these terrorists traded for a likely desserter weren't a threat to us. >> the monitoring give us confidence that they cannot and in all likelihood will not pose a significant risk to the united states. >> we believe this is not a security threat to the united states. we would not have undertaken this if we did not -- >> i wouldn't be doing it if i thought it was contrary to american national security. we have confidence that we will

be in a position to go after them if infact they are engaging in activities that threaten our defenses. >> so let's go around the table. they said don't worry this is all going to be okay. >> in some ways it was like kirby might know something we don't know. maybe they know that they have a way to track them and maybe they want the phone calls to happen to get more intel. it seems he was saying we got this. if that is not the case then i thought that it was a little too assured and arrogant instead of staying we understood there was a possible risk. if i try to be responsible and where think back to the montage. i can't advise these people. >> don't worry about it. it's all okay. everyone knew what these guys were going to do. they weren't going to join the

circus or build houses for habitat for humanity. this is a swap. it is a crime with accomplices. you have a media so obsessed with american injustice that allowed for the ignorance of the real threat. it was never isis. it is police officers, frat boys and islamophobia. we have a nation that is fighting phantoms and we are getting anileiated by reality. to obama a pipeline is worst than a terrorist, coal is worse than a car bomb. >> quick thought on this? >> it is disturbing that kirby said we should trust the qatarys. if you look at recent -- for al mari they say he was reformed. you look at how they treated the american couple they jerked around this country and that american couple for a really long time. remember the bergdahl swap.

obama stood in the rose garden and he thanked the amir of qatar. they didn't call up and say this guy is trying to dial the taliban. our d.o.d. followed them. we can't trust them at all. what did we think they were going to go back and do? become water ski instructors? >> they didn't get let off for good behavior or demonstrate reason to believe they were going to be upstanding citizens. >> i want you to respond to this last night. >> in the defense of the bergdahl swap the president told us this is what happens at the end of a war. you try to get your people back. lieutenant general says the war is far from over. >> the war is not ending against radical islam. we may be pulling out of afghanistan. when they talk about leave no one behind we leave no honorable person behind. we leave deserters behind.

we did that in korea and have done it before in our history. i would not have brought a deserter back for five four star officer equivalents. >> i think the press conference is ridiculous. can we put this in some perspective? the defense department released in 2008 the people who had been released 36 of them had gone back. >> can we stay on this? that's your defense department. i read the study today. the point is you can expect these people will fall by where they came from. i'm not surprised. they have been some of the greatest con artists of that part of the world for a long time. >> why are we releasing them? >> why did we release during the bush administration? it was the right thing to do

because it had to get done. >> i think there is a distinction between released and swap. >> i agree with you on that. that doesn't mean the people released -- there have been a history of people going back to terrorism. >> we call this a swap and it was a home invasion. they came and took everything and we were left with sucker spray painted on our front lawn. >> they also just released al-mari saying he is reformed. this is a high level terrorist and saying he is reformed. he is out on good behavior. >> at some point today i remembered this "rolling stone" article from 2012 and highlighted an e-mail that bowe bergdahl sent to his parents from 2009 before he walked off the base. "rolling stone" is very far left. bowe bergdahl literally in his e-mail said i am ashamed to be an american and i am sorry for

everything. the horror that is america is disgusting. right before he walks off the base. i'm not sure we should have traded five well-known bad guys -- >> my friend here we left a lot of deserters in vietnam and tried to get them back. it wasn't just korea. he is making this point about bergdahl which is a good idea to have the swap. the other thing is they found out about this phone call this guy made. they are tracking him. i think that there is no chance the guy will get back in afghanistan and do anything. >> has his dad shaved the beard yet? >> he is selling pieces of his hair. >> it's a good question. has he shaved the beard? remember what the beard was about? >> if you released 1,000 democrats and god forbid back into the world there is going to be a certain percentage that become operation wall street. >> why would you do it? >> you cannot keep going --

>> you just -- that is the strangest comparison ever. >> i was trying to make you feel better. >> it wasn't justified. going back into the battle. >> why do it at all? >> try them, bob. give them a terror try. put them in jail. lock them up. don't release them. we spent millions of dollars trying to get them in the first place. >> let's have this discussion. if the guy performs a terrorist attack. >> wait until people are dead. >> what do you want to do? >> what i want is not to trade five bad guys for a guy who clearly hates america. >> it could be -- >> giving them back to their homelands. >> i just think that when it comes to bowe bergdahl we don't know enough. whether he might hate america but he might have had some other

sort of troubles or ptsd or something that required some care. >> i am going to keep talking about this. tom brady said he didn't do it. >>

♪ california may join other stupid states in harshly regulating e-sigs after a report claims they emit cancerous compounds. the report has more holes than a wine rack as critics accuse the authors of cherry picking studies to support their bias

assumptions. i agree, poke the research slightly and watch what happens. seriously, i have done better reports on winnie the pooh in second grade. first they claim there is no evidence that vaping helps people quit cigarettes. wrong. there is a comprehensive review showing that. you stupid fools. they say vaping contains toxic chemicals. they say vaping contains harmful metals failing to note they are lower amounts that permitted in other products and claim

nicotine is as addictive as cocaine. where do these idiots get their degree? a ball pit at mcdonald's. this report isn't just propaganda. it scares people away from quitting real cigarettes enabling more debt, they state the opposite revealing the only toxic vapor in this report is their deadly hot air like a foul flattuleance. if this is science then i am alert einstein. >> unbelievable. >> i have to give a tip to dr. siegel and leonard gilroy. we have been looking at this for a long time. this about a loss of tax revenue. the government is addicted to the tobacco tax. if every smoker in l.a. quits the country would lose $60 million peryear, the county. >> a terrible way to fund your

government is people's habits of what they consume. for example, in colorado the education budget is based on marijuana sales. that doesn't seem like a healthy and good idea in the long run. they are happy because they have like extra $250 million in the bank. if you are a parent and you know even if you don't want to admit it that your kids are sneaking cigarettes at school you would rather have them smoke an e-cigarette. e-cigarettes are going to be banned and it will be easier to get real cigarettes. >> whenever you demonize something it becomes romantic to people who are young. >> you are right 100% right. tax revenue so there is no interest in that so the studies are funded and very conveniently funded by certain lobbiests and groups. i'm the wrong guy. i don't smoke and never smoked.

whatever the issue is going there is going to be both sides. the bottom line is you are going to see tons of lobby money going towards both sides. i wonder who is stepping up for the people trying to quit. >> they are small business men. this is about control. somebody doesn't like what you do so they want to enforce their lifestyle on you. >> if that stuff is as addictive cocaine and i was doing cocaine i would hijack the trucks. that is the most ridiculous comment. if you can save ten lives by this and there is no evidence none that this stuff is hurting anybody and there is reams of evidence that smoking is killing people. anybody stopped to say these studies, who does these things? >> exactly.

>> we will say where is your expertise? >> i am afraid what you would want to study. >> if you want to talk about drugs i would be happy. >> you know the corporations pay certain firms to set up groups and give names like concerned citizens for american lungs of america and funnel money. >> patriotism association. >> freedom to breathe lungs.com. the tax code as you point out never designed to be a punitive measure to influence behavior. and the same department of health that is pushing this out saying e-cigarettes are bad in california, the same people that are pushing for pot legalization. so they are very skitso on this. >> it is what kevin williamson said people going after this are the people that don't do it. they don't mind. if i don't do it i don't care even if it is more government

control. >> maybe we mandate everyone do it. >> that vaping thing i might try that. >> it is fun and helpful. i haven't had a cigarette. >> that is great. >> 14 months. >> as a father -- >> and you have grown three inches. >> if he came home with cigarettes i would prefer e-cigs. >> aren't there bigger threats than e-cigarettes. i'm thinking maybe terrorists. seattle seahawks richard sherman is about to become a dad for the first time and it could happen on super bowl sunday.

♪ the super bowl is 48 hours away and nobody has a harder call to make than seahawks cornerback richard sherman. his girlfriend could go in labor in any moment with their son. here is what he told reporters. >> i think he is going to be a disciplined young man and stay in there until after the game. he is going to do his father his first favor and stay in there another week or two. i did not know it was a topic of national debate. i would not like to miss the birth of my first kid but thankfully and hopefully and god willing we won't have to cross that bridge. >> what does his girlfriend think? >> no kidding. you see richard heading to the locker room in the fourth quarter don't be surprised. besides that i'm not going to let him know.

i told him play the game. and it will be a good story to tell. >> that's exactly what i would say, bob. >> play the game and then you can -- >> that is nice of you to do that. >> it's a big game. >> i asked if i could go to a bar and my wife said yeah because she wanted me out of the room. >> that is a great story. heart warming and exactly the same comparison. >> eric would you play the big game? >> as long as she said what she said there i think he definitely should be playing the game. i love the fact that he is contemplating not however this is the super bowl. >> is that why you are wearing that? wow. i just noticed you are wearing a jersey. >> my wife said you should come to the delivery room what would you do? >> i'm talking about your wife? >> my wife --

>> modern medicine greg they can delay the birth or speed it up. >> technically i am still unborn. here is the thing. when you are a kid this is the greatest response you can ever have. if you are in class and somebody said my dad was present when i was born where was you. he says my dad was in the super bowl. twerp. >> that would be a great halftime show. you are with katy perry. >> i think playing the game would be great as long as she is happy with it that is good. >> do you know that durks bentley is in the pregame show. that's your entertainment there. >> and then have the operation. >> i am with you. >> i have a feeling you will want to watch katy perry. she says nothing will be deflated during her performance. our super bowl predictions

are next on "the five."

♪ and is in the super bowl there has been a confession on

deflate gate. >> kind of a pain. he is 8 years old and hacking up a lung. i take a football. i don't want to squeeze all the air into his lungs because i don't want to ruin the football so i take a little air out of most of them like 11 out of 12 of them and it does the trick. >> i deflated the balls. i'm the perpetrator. >> it was me. >> it was all me. >> it was totally me. i am the locker room guy. >> it wasn't brady unless he deflated those footballs with his piercing baby blue eyes. >> our super bowl bets here on "the five." >> i will pick the same team i picked last year and that is the seattle seahawks. i think they have a strong defense and i bet sean hannity the same bet. loser cooks dinner for the other one on air.

>> so i like to seahawks. and i think i have a bet with you now, bob. >> i will get around to that in a second. >> and by the way lee majors said he wanted the patriots. we have dinners going now. >> i am consulting an expert. i think we have a photograph of a decision that is being made. and i am going to wait to find out what he chooses. >> he is looking at patriots. >> this super bowl in particular is disgusting. what kind of would want to beat a seahawks. i have no plans, no television. i am asking our viewers in the new york area if you are throwing a super bowl party in the area facebook me. my conditions are four bottles

of petite. you cannot look me in the eye at any time during the game. i may be bringing a guest depending on who answers my craigslist ad. >> have you bien around a bunch of seahawks when they fly over head? >> i change my opinion on this because eric and i need to have a bet here. i am going with the patriots because my brother says the tight end for the patriots is going to make the big difference in here and will have a tackle eligible type. i think there is a chance if brady doesn't break down again like he did the first part of his game against green bay, it's a possibility. >> cheaters never win. it's like too pc against the patriots. >> i don't have doubts that they deflated the ball. that happens all the time in football. that doesn't bother me. what bothered me was watching

him get -- first of all, he won that game 45-7 or something? >> talking about the game again? >> can we end this week? >> wonderful conservative believe everything basing it on one play that gronkowski will block a defender. >> i think that there is a much better defense. >> this is the pregnancy. this is an overdue baby. have the stupid game. >> it's an excuse to eat nachos. >> i eat nachos for breakfast every morning. >> how many people love this? >> the game should have been played already. >> my back was out. i'm sorry. >> i want to tell greg the super bowl has happened already.

one last thing eh, you don't want that one. yea, actually i do. it's mucinex fast-max night time and it's got a nasal decongestant. is that really a thing? it sounds made up. i can't sleep when i'm all stuffy. i take offense to that. i'm not going to argue with a talking ball of mucus. i think you're being a little hasty... he's not with me. mucinex fast max night time. multi-symptom relief plus nasal decongestant. breathe easy. sleep easy. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this.

it's time now for "one more thing," bob, you are first. >> i want to thank my brother, graham, who is here. he is an actor and his new movie is out today. it's called "the loft."

>> the actor who is apparently unbelievable. did i get that right? >> thumb's up. good job. welcome back. >> it's friday and usually fool of the week. there is an abundance of fools this week and michael moore and the guy from nbc saying foolish stuff about chris kyle. texas governor greg abbott declared this coming monday chris kyle day in honor of chris kyle killed february 2, 2013. let's say thank you to texas for honoring a real hero. and by the way, the best way to do that is go see the movie. it is awesome. i am also going to do a tribute to chris kyle tomorrow morning. >> did you eliminate the music for the fool of the week? >> yes.

>> it's not gone for good. >> greg gutfeld? >> bob beckel's brother [ inaudible ] on rush limbaugh today he was talking about something and apparently became very distracted. >> i just got distracted again. look. that's dana perino. look at her hair. she looks like she just got out of bed, but it is styled that way. it's kind of -- look at -- i don't know. i'm going to have to turn everything off here. i am being distracted. >> i didn't notice your hair. i thought your points about the nevada caucuses were very good. >> i'm glad somebody was listening. >> he was flustered. >> did she look different? >> i can see her brain.

>> that's exactly. >> i think i'm flattered. >> andrea save us. >> i'm sorry dana. you are just so sexy amazing. >> my sister calls me last night and said go to the facebook page. somebody found this old picture of our family's first restaurant. look at the picture from the '70s. it brought up so many great childhood memories and comments from people who had eaten there. one woman recalled a story about my dad who said he would work for 20 hours straight and go to the basement and sleep on a bag of potatoes and then do it again. that is just these comments really brought back a lot of memories. >> do you own it still? >> i am going to be on fox news

panel on sunday. tune in to see what my hair will look like. that's it for us. have a great weekend. "special report" is next. s a duke alum. see you there, schultz. go orange! mitt romney drops a 2016 bombshell. >> i decided it's best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee. >> so how does this effect republicans running for the white house? comprehensive analysis. speaking of 2016, will bill clinton's association with a convicted pedophile come back to haunt his wife hillary? >> some of what people have described as his racist tendencies towards iraqis and muslims and he was going on some of these killing sprees. >> and a "hannity" exclusive the brother of