who wants the job? who can do the job? who can win? fox news reporting the challengers for 2012. from the white house here's bret baier. >> bret: a wave of political

change has swept across america. voter dissatisfaction, fueled by the tea party movement erupted in the midterm election of 2010. shifting the balance of power in congress. making president obama look more vulnerable in 2012. is a second wave building? if so, who is in position to ride it? for months we've been crisscrossing the country, spending time with 12 people who could contend for the republican presidential nomination. we start in the state of indiana. two hoosiers could find themselves vying for the same goal. indiana's mitch daniels, a republican governor with a growing reputation as a hard knowsed budget chopper someone you -- hard nosed budget chopper someone you might not expect to meet pulling into the state fair on his harmly. daniels likes to do and be the

unexpected. when elected as governor in 2005 he took over a state that hadn't balanced its budget in eight years. daniels, who served as president george w. bush's budget director went to work to close the state's deficit. he did so with dramatic and controversial ideas. his first day in office he decertified all government employee unions. in 2006, leased the state's largest toll road. 157 miles of highway stretching from ohio to illinois an australian company. >> we took a toll road losing money because politicians were running it. and four billion dollars, roughly for it. already the toll road is better than it has been. they've added lanes. the safest road ever. >> bret: within a year daniels balanced indiana's books. >> where paying all our bills, money in reserve, without raising taxes.

>> bret: many think what daniels has done for them could work well for the rest of the country. >> my man mitch for president. we are ready to share him with the world. >> bret: most folks believe that in order to do anything on the big picture you have to go after entitlements. >> they are right. >> bret: social security and medicare. >> why are we sending ben shun checks to warren buffet? why are we gonna pay for bill gates' health care. does that make sense? no. maybe we ought to concentrate the resources on the most vulnerable. >> bret: means test. >> that's the washington term, yeah. >> bret: you said perhaps there needs to be a truce on social issues until you get through the economic . that raised some eyebrows. obviously with social conservatives. >> i believe we have a transcendent issue the debt is growing in a terrifying rate. all i'm saying is, it would

help if awareness grew that we are in this together, in this country in a way that we've rarely been apart from wartime. >> bret: the know of a truce on social conservative issues does not sit well a fellow hughes sherr and daniels' potential rival for the republican presidential nomination. >> some prominent republicans the governor of your state say there should be a truce when it comes to social issues. do you agree? >> there are many challenges facing this country. national security threats. we are facing a crisis of debt. in the midst of all of that, insuring that we preserve those values, the sanctity of life and marriage that the well spring of our nation's character, i think is vital and central to our prosperity and our security. breath tpwhraet would be a no?

>> that would be a no. -- >> bret: we caught up with indiana congressman mike pence during the final push before the midterm election. >> i told phil my name is on the side of this bus so obey all traffic rules. >> bret: he spent three days lending support to mostly local candidates, busing around the hoosiers state. pence admired as a fiscal conservative. since 2008 he has been the gop's conference chairman. the third ranking member in the gop house leadership. his main job prior to november 2nd's election was keeping house republicans unified against congressional democrats and president obama. >> after a session of congress that saw every house republican vote against the stimulus bill. every single house republican vote against their budgets. every single house republican oppose their government take over of health care. i believe house republicans are back in the fight. we can reform medicare and

reform social security. and give americans a generation of time to be prepared for those changes. >> bret: pence's vocal fiscal conservatism has made the tea party movement it is up and take notice. >> they are looking for a generation of leaders to reject the big government liberalism that in many respects has characterized the recent past in both parties. >> bret: you think republican leadership gets it? >> i think house republicans get it. house republicans, i believe in the last year and a half have returned to our roots. >> bret: are you distinguishing between senate republicans? >> i think house republicans get it. >> bret: he easily won reelection november 2nd. on november 3rd, pence announced he would not seek reelection as conference chairman. the announce ment has some wondering if pend might try to

become the first sitting congressman elected president since james garrfield in 1880. are you considering a run? >> i have no plans to run for president in 2012. >> bret: haven't ruled it out? >> for me and my house we'll continue to focus on the conservative values that carried us into public service. we'll always ask where can we make the most difference for what is most important us to and we'll let the future take care of itself. >> bret: coming up two gulf state govñ÷

>> bret: welcome back. next we head down to the gulf coast. we found two gop governors who have earned high mashes for their leadership in a crisis .

when hurricane katrina battered the gulf states in 2005 mississippi governor haley barbour earned nothing but praise. looking back now five years, what have you learned from all that? >> if you have the biggest natural disaster in american history anybody that thinks everything is going to go right doesn't know what he's talking about. we had good plans. great people on the ground. our first reponders were fantastic. but we were obliterated. when that happens to you. having a good plan helps. it teaches you. don't expect everything to go right. don't expect everybody to get it right the first time. >> bret: there are other aspects of his years as governor he's eager to out to. -- easter to tout. >> when i was elected governor i ran on an agenda. i followed that agenda. everybody knew i feel raising taxes -- we got rid of a deficit without raising

anybody's taxes. the state of mississippi will spend 13% less this fiscal year than two years ago. the federal government needs to learn that you can spend less. >> bret: which is why many conservatives see barbour as a real contender for a possible promotion to the white house. before he was governor, barbour was the ultimate washington power broker. >> he he was one of the premier lobbyists of washington, d.c.. >> bret: larry sabato said that could hurt barbour if he were to run. >> it is difficult to imagine that he would be electricked with that qualification. >> washington insider to some people means corrupt or bad. for other people it means knows how to get things done. can get the ball in the end zone. >> bret: if presidential elects were like football the governor is already trying to move the ball down the feel.

you sent a mailer to iowa republicans. it said, haley knows what it takes to succeed. laying the groundwork? >> what the mailer was for, it went to several states to raise money for my pac, so i can pit money back in to elect more republican governors. >> bret: as part of that effort barbour then chair of the republican governors' association appeared with gubernatorial candidates. >> politics is a team sport. >> bret: florida, iowa and new hampshire. >> this is a place where you will have first primary in 2012. >> bret: all states with vote will have a big say in choosing the republican to face president obama in 2012. you think the next republican president will be a governor? >> well, governors are more likely to get elected president. when you look back in history. >> bret: that not only applies to barbour but also to the man who runs the state next door.

>> we've got in all coming in unimpeded. >> bret: louisiana governor bobby jindal took office after hurricane katrina. but rose to the challenge of the bp oil spill and the tepid federal response that followed. >> i spent months everyday meeting with local fishermen. time and time again louisiana people who know these waters came up with innovative solutions. using pipes or rocks or sand berms to collect that oil. too many times we were met with the same bureaucracy, red tape trying to get permission from multiple government agencies. >> bret: jindal is only 39-years-old. if he were to run in 2012 and be elected he would be the youngest president in history that's why it is so remarkable when people talk about bobby jindal's best selling point, it is his experience. former secretary of the louisiana department of health

and hospitalses. served as assistant secretary at department of health and under george w. bush. former congressman. currently in his first term as governor of louisiana. a state that faced a daunt ago ray of challenges even before the bp spill. >> for 20 years we've been the only state in the south sending more people out than moving in because of lack of economic tunes. we've turned that around. 35,000 new jobs, five billion dollars in capital investment. largest tax cut in our state's history. we are not raising taxes. >> bret: do you think that formula could translate nationally? >> absolutely. in washington you've got an administration that thinks all answers have to come from government. >> bret: his democratic critic say for all his complaints about president obama's policies he's quick to grab federal cash when he can. you took stimulus money but

you have been critical of the stimulus. >> ones that didn't come with strings we used that. we would be much better off today without many of the policies out of washington. obama health care bill will cost my state billions. >> bret: would you advocate repealing it and replacing and with what? >> we need voluntary purchasing pools. who do you want making these decisions? the doctor with a patient making the decision? empower the patient or some bureaucrat in washington, d.c. making these decisions for you? >> bret: if he ran and was nominated jindal would be the first minority on a gop presidential ticket his parents came here from india. you are the child of immigrants. how do you see reform? >> immigration for america has been good when it is done legally and properly. another part of the debate sometimes gets overlooked. assimilation. this is not always politically correct. it is important that people

that come here should want to learn how to speak english. should want to learn to be part of the american culture. >> bret: if you had to choose one foreign policy issue most pressing what would it be? >> this war on islamic terrorism. standing up for freedom. we should make no apologies. we shouldn't think we have caused these terrorists to an talks. >> bret: hard to list -- listen and not come away with thinking he's in a hurry. when asked about a white house run. he said not so fast in 2008 you said i am not running for the white house in 2012. this year your acts of bidding a campaign network, endorsing people suggest otherwise. what are your plans? >> i've got the job i want. we are doing good work here but we've got more morning to do. >> bret: coming up two potential candidates who could demonstrate that nice guys

>> bret: welcome back to fox news reporting. november 2nd, republicans surged strongly in the upper midwest. two of their leaders are thinking hard now about running for the white house. are they presidential timber? south dakota's senator john thune back home for the first day of pheasant-hunting season. before the hunt and in between cups of coffee, he listens to complains about health insurance. >> we want to change, but it is tough. >> bret: thune says republicans like him on the frontlines in the senate have

been battling the obama agenda from the start. to try prevent stories like this. >> decisions get made in washington everybody thinks they are being made in a vacuum. these are hardworking people trying to make ends meet. that's reality for a lot of americans. >> bret: for thune, getting out of washington means open prairies. >> semi-automatic 12 gauge. >> bret: his escape, hunting with his buddies. >> pheasant-hunting with friends is about as good as it gets. >> bret: when you are with your buddies do you talk politics? >> a little bit. >> bret: in 2004 when he beat tom daschle he was dubbed a giant killer. a real political star not only in the state but in the republican party. at home he became so popular democrats didn't field a

candidate to run against him this year. all of this success has lead to persistent rumors this former star basketball player is eyeing a run for the presidency in 2012. if you run would you see yourself as an establishment candidate? >> the word establishment is not a good word. i am a reganesque conservative. right of center republican. who believes that limited role from the federal government. i believe profound fully free enterprise and epidemicship, coupled with individual responsibility. >> bret: -- you voted for tarp could you regret that? >> i regret how it was used. i don't believe anybody had any idea it would lead to ownership of car companies and banks. >> bret: a strategist said of you his problem may be he's too darn nice for presidential politics. can you throw elbows?

>> well you have to. in the modern political world, i describe it as a full contact sport. >> bret: critics point to his time as lobbyist in between his service in the house and senate. then once elected senator, he worked on some legislation benefiting his previous employers. >> work i was doing, while i was out of office, was on behalf of south dakota companies, trying to create south dakota jobs. those are things that i worked on inside and outside of government. >> bret: in the republican field there will be several governors. they make a point of saying this is what i've done this is how i've governed this is how i do things in this state. as a senator, you can't really say that >> i've been in the trenches fighting and trying to stop this obama agenda whether the stimulus or the health care takeover or the massive increase in spending. the cap and trade bill. the real fights have been in the united states senate. >> bret: a governor across the

border disagrees. minnesota's governor tim pawlenty has a compelling story to tell. when he took over in 2003 his state was facing a four billion dollar budget shortfall. the legislature wanted to raise the state's gas, alcohol and income taxes. pawlenty refused. >> i wish i could tell you it was all reaching across the aisle with great bipartisan charm and getting along. there was some of that. a lot of it was a hard slog. we had shutdowns, special sessions, lawsuits, three billion dollars out of the budget myself. >> bret: this past fall one of only four governors in the dry earn an "a" grade from the cato institute which called him a frugal budgeter. you hired a staff in iowa, are you running for president? >> i haven't decided that yet.

i'm open it to. but i haven't rule it in or out. >> bret: in august he and his wife went to the state fair. he's done more than campaign with local candidates. pawlenty has three separate political action committees that donated to a staggering 160 candidates nationwide, leading up to the midterm elections that's 160 favors equal in, if pawlenty decides to run in 2012. do you think the mind set for american voters has changed in two years since 2008's election of barack obama? >> no question. i think the 2008 mindset in terms of the election was one of change for change sake. i don't think we were thinking about some of the things that unfold beyond 2008 that we needed a different kind of leadership for. since then, the public clearly has said president obama and the pelosi-reid led congress

has overplayed their hand. obamacare is one of the worst pieces of legislation in the modern history of the country. it is going to increase spending not decrease it. inflate the deficit not decrease the deficit. >> bret: pawlenty has been compared to ronald reagan. mostly because he has stuck to governing conservatively in a liberal state. many analysts say he lacks reagan's charisma and star appeal. political scientist -- scientist said this is not a fellow who is going to come across as strikingly charismatic. smart, competent, but not much sizzle. >> we've seen sizzle in the current president. i think there's a time in history where sometimes entertainment or you know drama is more important. there's other times when substance and track record and results are more important. i would say look at the results. judge me by what we got done,

what we stood for, not what we flapped our jaw about. >> bret: if voters are looking for confidence over charisma, pawlenty will likely be there. coming up, two men of the south who can just about call iowa home. after the break. wi the capital one venture card we get double miles on everyurchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the who gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a maze, a ord, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it coulbe?! what's in your wallet?

>> bret: welcome back. our next two potential

challengers began their careers in the south when they left publish office they both became fox news -- they left public office they both became fox news contributors. can they make the leap back into politics, presidential politics? every four years iowa holds the first in the nation presidential caucuses. newt gingrich's visit to the iowa state fair in august prompts an obvious question. where are you in your thinking on 2012? >> if i decide to run it will be because i think there's a real chance to win and help the american people reorganize this country to get it back to success again if i just want to make noise. i can make noise without being a candidate. a lot less expensive. >> bret: his noise-making can be lucrative. since gingrich left congress in 1999 he signed on as fox news contributor.

written 15 books, produced six documentaries and made hundreds of appearances on the speaking sir rut many a sprawling idea con glam -- con glom produces advice and strategy for any republican who wants to listen. >> they have to take up repeal of the obama health plan. because their base demands it. they have to take up spending cuts. they have to stop the tax increases. >> bret: gingrich has the experience to know what he's talking about. he's credited with engineering one of the greatest gop victories in modern american history in 1994, gop house candidates signed gingrich's contract with america. gained 52 seats and a house majority. gingrich became the first republican speaker in 40 years. what have you learned from back then? >> my lesson is almost the opposite of the washington establishment.

confronting president clinton, insisting on a balanced budget, being prepared to fight over that convinced our base we were serious. >> bret: several conservative analysts say he's a solution-driven guy, has big ideas. every once in a while he's a grenade-thrower and goes too far. >> you have two extremes party with no ideas and a party with a lot of ideas. a party with a lot of ideas occasionally does things that don't work. >> bret: if he does run gingrich will have to deal with uncomfortable questions about his personal life. he's been married a couple times before that is going to cause some problems with some. >> there are some republicans out there who say you have too much personal baggage. >> it depends on what the american people want to focus on. if you think the country is in trouble. if you think we need to go back to first principles in terms of the constitution. people may say newt has been

around a long time he can fix it. >> god bless you newt gingrich. >> next time i talk to you i will be addressing you as mr. president. >> how old are you? >> i'm 67. the same age reagan was. >> seriously thinking 2012? >> is the potential to serve your country, sufficiently big opportunity that you are willing to take the heat as harry truman put it or do you need to get out of the kitchen? >> more people know me from fox news channel than ever knew me from running for president. >> bret: mike huckabee has been busy since finishing second to john mccain in the primaries. hosting a show on fox, starting up a political action committee and writing three books. his knack for communicating to

middle america is paying off. he received the highest favorability rating among 2012 con tenders in a recent poll. came in second in the values voters summit presidential straw poll. and named by likely gop voters in iowa as the favor win the republican nation. you are leading in a number of polls that people take about republicans who have a good shot against barack obama. does that factor in two years out? >> it is not going to be the determining factor. you can base it on opinion polls that doesn't put money in the bank in your campaign it dent recruit volunteers up and down -- it doesn't recruit volunteers up and down america. >> he is well thought of by a lot of conservatives. he has a good sense of humor. i saw him woo crowds with his wonderful personality. >> bret: huckabee's ability to woo crowds and exude a sense of authenticity comes in part

from his background as a baptist minister. as governor, huckabee was a model social conservative who supported pro-life and traditional marriage legislation. >> every human life has intrinsic worth and value. >> bret: giving him a huge amount of sue d'brickashaw support from evangelical christians. he got failing grades for increasing state spending and raising taxes that makes him fume. >> huckabee is a big government guy. no i want. i governed in a state where we had to balance the budget. i inherited a rogue system that had to be rehabilitated. pwhaoeuf that as important as it is to keep taxes low, it is also important to -- also important to pay for what do. i don't believe in deficit spending. >> bret: what is the most pressing foreign policy issue

facing the. >> is? >> i think it is how we are going to view our role in the world? whether we are going to be the world's policemen and patrol every street in every country. or whether we are going to focus on securing our own borders and growing america here and abroad from attack. >> bret: in the end the question is whether his popular appeal and the new audience he's gained since 2008 will give him enough traction in what is shaping up to be a contentious race to 2012. >> it is more about the money than the message. because it is more process focused and policy focused we end up not necessarily getting attention to the people with the best ideas but giving attention to the peep with the machinery and the money. even if their -- message doesn't sell. >> bret: if you ran would chuck norris be on the campaign again? >> i hope i would hate to run without him. >> bret: both hailed as

conservative governors in deep blue north eastern states. one courted by the tea party.

>> bret: welcome back. we move to the northeast. two republican governors have bucked the . their styles could not be more different.

>> i said you punch them, i punch you. that's what we're doing in new jersey. >> bret: that tell it like it is attitude helped get new jersey governor chris christie elected in the first place. >> i need to show you what new jersey is all about. here we go. >> bret: headlining this indiana state republican dinner last month, i christie was hailed by his political best friend mitch daniels as bigger than bono. >> i said if you want a real rock star you gotta get chris christie from new jersey. >> bret: judging by reaction of the crowd he added a few hundred staunch republicans to his rapidly growing fan club. when he took over as governor he inherited a 2.2 billion dollar budget deficit. impounded full amount in spending by executive order and told the democratic legislature to cleanup the mess without raising taxes.

>> they started calling me names. started calling me julius caesar and napolean, all those great leaders of the past. man -- machine i deeply admire. >> bret: seeming to mind words has -- mince words has maiden minds of the teachers union. >> i said if you make that deal, freeze your pay for one year, contribute 1 1/2% towards your health insurance we will be able to balance off these cuts and have no teacher lay-offs. the answer was no. in fact, they called our plan the greatest assault on public educating in the history of new jersey. >> bret: one of the local union presidents prayed for christie's death. >> they said they didn't intend it to be public. so private prayer for my death would have been okay. >> bret: while he rarely talks foreign policy or national security threats he dealt head

off ---on with the threat of radical islam. investigating arresting and prosecuting the group of men found guilty of terrorism charges for trying to attack fort dix. >> the philosophy that supports and encourages jihad around the world, against americans, came to live here in new jersey. and threatened the lives of our citizens through these defendants. >> bret: christie's tend stand up to the liberal establishment has ignited a grass roots following. privately tea party leaders say he's the politician they most want to draft in 2012. >> they would love to see him run. christie has appropriately concluded for the time being it is not in his interests to do so >> i said i don't want to. i'm not going to. zero chance. i don't feel like i'm ready to be president. i don't want to run. i don't have the fire in the belly.

yet everyone thinks he has left the door open. >> bret: he was set to sit down for an interview with us. but pulled out, perhaps to make sure that no one can accuse him of even looking like he's considering a run. >> short of suicide, i don't know what i have to do to convince you people that i'm not running. i'm not running. >> thank you. welcome to the nancy pelosi, harry reid, president obama farewell party. >> mitt romney is certain to run. of all the candidates he's the most certain to run. >> bret: in 2008 mitt romney was running second before dropping out when it became clear john mccain would be the nominee. he has republican presidential politics in his blood. his father george, auto executive was governor of michigan who ran for president in 1968, but lost to richard nixon. after amassing a reported 200 million dollar fortune on wall

street, mitt in 1994, unsuccessfully challenged massachusetts incumbent senator ted kennedy. in 1999, romney took over a scandal-plagued salt lake city olympic committee and turned the 2002 winter games into commercial success. the next year he ran for massachusetts governor and won. his signature achievement as governor, legislation that extended health care coverage to everyone in massachusetts, by employing an array of financial carrots and sticks such as tax penalties if you didn't buy insurance. romneycare one of his main selling points when he ran for president in 2008. >> getting our free market able to allow all citizens to have health insurance that's something we did in massachusetts. breath it has turned out to be more and more expensive and less and less popular. when the passage of obamacare caused a nationwide uproar in 2010, romneycare appears to

have become mitt romney's biggest liability among republican voters. >> massachusetts has the highest per capital health care costs in the nation jail >> and it did before the bill was passed too. >> isn't it supposed to bring the cost down? no. >> bret: romney declined to sit down with me for this series but he has appeared on a number of fox programs in recent months. >> we solved our problem on a bipartisan business, we had the business and health care community come together. breath what could hurt him is -- >> bret: what could hurt him is his position on abortion. >> i've always been personally pro-life. what should government do in this setting? pwrelt pwrelt -- >> bret: as an result he has chained his position on abortion, twice. >> republicans didn't see him as authentic. who is he? conservative, moderate? >> bret: romney would much

rather talk about something else. >> we are going to make changes necessary to main the spirit of entrepreneurship. >> bret: his plan to turn around the economy. >> romney's greatest strength is economics. if we are still having economic dislocation in 20 of -- 20 telephone, excel his experience as businessman, saviour of massachusetts, he fits the bill. >> we are going to keep the american dream alive and well. breath the midterm elections revealed the power of the tea party movement. the big question now for 2012 is which republicans are best able to harness that power? two of the top contenders, two of the top contenders, after the break. when my doctor told me that my chronic bronchitis was copd... i started managing it every day. i like to volunteer... hit the courts... and explore new places. i'm breathing better with spiriva.

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>> bret: so far we've visited 10 republican leaders in five regions of the country. our last two come from just about as far apart as you can be in the u.s.a.. but they represent the same state of mind. tea party country. . >> i'm provide to be called senator tea party because i feel like i'm giving a voice to people who are very frustrated that washington is not listening. >> bret: jim demint started to earn that moniker before the tea party was a household name. elected to the house in 1998, then to the senate in 2004, demint quickly earned a reputation as a pork buster. >> they are fed up they've had enough of government spending and bailouts. breath breath this 2008 he stepped forward -- >> bret: in 2008 he stepped

forward voting against tarp what turned out to be president bush's bank bail out. a vote many cite as the moment of concept of the tea party movement. three months later demint led the crusade against president obama's trillion dollar stimulus package. that effort failed. but left demint more determined to chain the culture in washington. >> it is like blasting rock. it is not graceful. >> bret: your critics would say perhaps you don't work well with others. how do you respond? >> change comes hard. i have found the power here is so ingrained so built around the earmark system. a few people throwing out bread to urchins is the way the place looks i'm committed to changing it. i'm here to stan with you and thank you for supporting ken buck today. >> bret: endorsing and

donating millions from his pac to conservative senate candidates including some who challenged the gop establishment, ken buck, marco rubio, rand paul, sharron angle and christine o'donnell. >> i've taken my plea and message to the american people to help me change the people that are here. it has worked better over the last couple years. >> bret: that made him less than popular with his republican colleagues. >> our oath is not to friendship, our oath to a constitution. if we don't believe it we are going to run our country into the ground. i can almost feel the ground sinking there's an earthquake election going on. >> bret: deminute's efforts to elect tea party conservatives had mixed results. still there's little doubt that the tea party created huge momentum for the gop. if it continues demint would seem to be one republican well positioned to ride the wave into 2012.

>> he probably didn't enter this election year thinking he was going to run for president. you look at how this tea party has taken off in america. he's got to be thinking, i would be crazy not to think about a can -- about becoming a candidate myself. >> if you had to put your chips on i could be persuaded to get in or i'm totally out? >> right now i'm totally out. i want to look at the candidates standing up and telling the truth. i hope it is somebody other than me. >> bret: the only thing that matches the size and enthusiasm of the crowds sarah palin draws seems to the antipathy of political opponents who think her not only unqualified for high office, but even dangerous.

>> you choose one path you get sarah palin, extremism. >> bret: star power on the one hand and constant attacks from the left on the other endure. the combination makes the former alaska governor's decision whether to run for president in 2012, one of the most important milestones in a race that is just beginning. where are you on the 2012 run? >> gosh, i still don't know. there are others out there who are principled and hardworking and willing to make the sacrifices that you need to make as a candidate, i want to get them elected as president. if there is nobody else that i think wants to do the job and is willing to maybe the tough decisions, i would be willing to make the sacrifices and run for office. >> bret: the 2008 vice presidential nominee's base includes large swamps of the tea party movement to believe the government has been hijacked by the governing elite. palin hears them. >> americans are saying we can

keep doing business as usual in d.c.. the voters expect a smaller, smarter federal government, more states rights, more individual rights. >> bret: you talk about cutting the federal budget. what one program would you start with? >> we need a spending freeze and hiring freeze. tell bureaucracys you are not going to get an automatic increase in your government program because it is a new fiscal year. >> bret: can you cut enough to make a dent? >> look what we just did with one trillion in stimulus. all that stimulus package actually stimulated was tea party americans saying no more. look at the three trillion dollars that obamacare is gonna cost. we repeal that, we don't fun that. we start looking at real marketed oriented patient centered reform for health care. trillion here, trillion there, going to start adding up. >> she is in a good position

to win the nomination. not in a good position to win the presidency in a general election. >> bret: even karl rove citing palin's new mini series on tlc, questioned whether she has the gravitas to be elected. karl rove had a quote recently, i'm not certain how that fits into american calculus that helps know see you in the oval office. >> i don't know how ronald reagan was ever seen in the oval office having come from a career in television hmm karl. >> bret: do you see a connection to reagan? >> reagan was criticized for being an ideologue. for being too superficial, too idealistic, too optimistic and a bit too independent. i see perhaps a comparison in many some of our record. but nobody can be compared to ronald reagan. >> bret: palin only promises this much, if she does run, expect the unexpected. >> my run would be

unconventional. i've never had polls conducted before i jumped in. i've never had an exploratory committee tell me what i should or shouldn't do. if i believe in my gut it is right i'm going to do it. >> bret: politics is full of uncertainties. not everyone profiled in this hour will run for president in 20 : many say -- in 2012. many say they aren't going to run, some mean. others are likely to pop up. the race for 2012 has begun. whatever happens, fox news will be there first to help you understand the whole story. that's our program tonight. from the white house, i'm bret baier. thanks for watching. captioned by closed captioning services, inc.