>> sean: welcome to this special post debate edition of "hannity" of the tonight five remaining g.o.p. hopefuls duked it out on stage in what was a make or break debate for candidates ahead of the primary in this all-important state. over next hour you'll hear from mitt romney and rick sabt santorum. first, debate reaction. mr. hunts. how are you? >> good, thank you. i've never seen it in a debate. and a standing ovation in the middle of the debate. remember, there is only five candidates up there. not only.

and he got a standing ovation and he did so fighting with your juan williams over the welfare issue. >> sean: interesting line there. get a job, a better job. and juan is asking about the issue of jobs in the welfare president, etc.. how many people on welfare. and saying only the elite supposed of making money it just lit up the audience, they continued to applaud into commercial break. >> speaking of lighting up the audience we've got what sounds like fire works here in south carolina. all right. now, who in your opinion won the debate tonight? issue now is different between who won the debate and who wins in south carolina. >> we ask you that question every time we asked you on. does it come with an answer every time. >> more of the sound bytes talking about defense poll

says sounds like it's blow blowing up out there now. >> sounds like a grand finale. >> this is live television. >> yes. this is live television. >> gingrich on several occasions talks about how 99 weeks should be able to find a job within 99 weeks and talks about the best part of the debate is that andrew jackson had a good idea on what to do about enemies, killed them. that propelled gingrich to the wleerd of the pack in z.now, i think you'll see movements in this debate. >> sean: now, mitt romney has about an eight-point lead if you look at the average. and there is -- how much do you think? >> issue for rom snee is that he was attacked on the first is a minutes on bain. i think this would have a long term negative consequences and i think mitt romney a's right to say be care whafl you say.

with economic freedom you start to undermine principles of capitolism, you're undermining reelection hopes and republicans on the top of the ticket, down. >> sean: that came up. and charles krauthammer said mitt romney needed a good answer for that question every time she gets a question like this, he pivots against obama. very smart approach. rit romney has taken the high road. now, super packs have been tacking others viciously. you've got to give mitt romney credit. seven million people are watching tonight. he's very loathe to tack other candidates. >> sean: what about the super pack issue? it came up earlier in the debate with rick santorum. do you think he answers that issue well? >> no. on that issue he can't.

he tries to suggest he's not responsible for it and then tries to defend information in the ads. it doesn't sit well with people. americans believe whether it's your campaign or someone operating on your behalf you're responsible for it. they'd rather have mitt romney and santorum and ron paul and newt gingrich stop with the super packs. >> sean: reality is that newt gingrich says i'm calling on my super pack to make sure that everything they say is accurate. in other words if you're supporting me i urge you to make sure whatever you're advertising is true. why didn't maybe romney do that early on? he could have taken the high ground. >> he did to some degree tonight but he was pushed into it. i do think he's a better debateor today. when he comes up he deserves credit. other candidates made him quicker on his feet and more impressive whit comes to not

only defending his record but explaining a vision for the future of the country. >> let's go to the specific exchange early in the debate. now, was it over the crucial issue about prisoners having right to vote. you know? convicts. felons but interesting that it dealt with the super pack issue. who got the better of that exchange? >> romney said to santorum, stop it. and there is something i've learned in testing and focus groups. three words are better than four. two words are better than three. stop it. win that conversation. >> and so you think romney won that exchange? >> santorum needed to draw attention. and if he was able to achieve differences between him and mitt romney and there are many key differences but if romney were more explois plisit about his response in the attacks he would be more effective.

>> and let's talk about rick perry and ron paul. how did they do? >> rick perry maybe too little, too late but he was clearly the outsider and he drew a distinction. perry would try to say hey. i'm not have fr washington. >> is that kind of repetitive? >> i agree on substance. he was the first candidate to talk about a war on religion and a war on the catholic church. and to raise attack issues. but here is what i thought was interesting. mitt romney said the top tax rate should be ta%. newt gingrich said 50%. and mitt romney said zero. got lower, ron paul said skeer yochl how do you go rebelow zero? >> well, you knlt. appreciate your analysis. thanks for joining us. and coming up candidates now starting to enter the spin

room where we are. and former massachusetts governor mitt romney is up first and will join us next. and still to come you'll hear from newt gingrich and rick santorum. more of the special post-debate edition of "hannity". "hannity". we're live in beautiful my i'd race down that hill without a helmet. i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease

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>> my care and concern about

what we're seeing with this president is a change in course for america to become something we won't recognize. i think he's drawing us to be a europeanin welfare state. an entitlement society and an entitlement society. i'm ready to make sure we don't transform america into something we don't recognize but restore the principles that made america the hope of the earth. >> sean: welcome back to this special edition of "hannity". joining me now is a candidate making history by winning both in iowa and new hampshire. and the man who you just heard from. former massachusetts governor mitt romney. governor, how are you? >> good to be with you. >> sean: you said something there that we're going towards and this president is moving towards european socialism. you don't want to say he's a socialist or adopted socialist policies. >> i think some of the policies he's adopted are like the european socialist

policies. there is no question but he wants to see bigger government and more intrusive, more regulatory-driven and higher tax rates, he is comfortable with huge deficits. wants the health care system to be run by the federal government. he makes -- wants to make us as another state of europe as europe is trying to become like america. it's the wrong course for america. >> sean: came up twice tonight. issue of super packs. you addressed it late in the debate in exchange with newt gingrich and earlier in the debate in an exchange with rick santorum. having interviewed there is anger at your supporting super pack. what they're saying is that if you can say he's ads have got to be accurate. have you seen the ads? do they have a legitimate case? can you say i don't agree with that? that is three pinnochios?

>> anything that is not accurate, please take it off. the other guy is on the stage. they have plenty of warts to point out. rick santorum says it's not fair the super pack, i haven't seen it says he wants to give voting rights to felons. he wants to give to it people who were former felons. they call people who were in jail convicted of a felony, they call them felons so apparently it's accurate. it sounds like it's accurate. and my own view is that people who committed violent crimes in the past though serving their time should not allowed to vote in our system. his view is that they should be allowed to vote. and i haven't seen it this, individuala there are organization that's run ads that we as candidates can't talk to? can't can't tell them what to do and not to do is outrageous and makes us uncomfortable. >> sean: there are two moments you said you were against john

mccain, who is supporting your campaign z then, it came up earlier issue of negotiating with the taliban. an article written by one of your advisors and you distanced yourself on the issue of negotiating with taliban there. does that mean you can have friends you're going to disagree with in the administration? >> of course. you can't imagine everybody advising me has the same position on every issue or that i would agree with them. there is a wonderful book out on twit eyesen hower, everyone of his advisors said he ought to be using nuclear weapons and he said i'm not going to. so i'm happy to get advise from a lot of different people and listen to some things and i'll agree on some and disagree on others. senator mccain and i have had decision zux on mccain-feingold before. i don't think he likes this idea of super packs.

>> sean: what about the issue of bain? came up a lot. i think strongest language was from governor perry. vurl tour capitolism. casting ethics aside ask issues like that. and also question of how many jobs net, net, net, did you create? was it 100,000 jobs? you mentioned staples. sports authority. >> sports authority, staples, and bright horizon centers have had 120,000 jobs and we're there at the beginning and helped found them. all of the companies i was involved with that jobs were lost have been reported on by all sorts of people that investigated this, ends up less than 10,000, so do the math. 120,000, less 10,000. it's over 100,000. >> sean: maybe people just don't understand what is involved. some of the companies, were they headed for bankruptcy?

was the likelihood they were to go bankrupt high when you invested money in the companies? you know? were they going to lose jobs? >> well, some were. and i remember one lost over $50 million the year before we made the investment and it's still in business today, i understand. so we're able to make turn around that's saved some jobs. and in my own experience is that i've run four operations or been the leader in four operations. one venture capitol, private equity, another in olympics and others, estate. they grew. we invested in lots of others but i'm happy to describe experience in the private sector from what i think is unusual is to have fellow republicans attacking what is an integral part of the private sector, michael moore said i think newt gingrich is one of the escaped members of my staff. he says this is what i've been saying owe years. if carry carrying michael

moore's water that is a bit of a problem. >> sean: you have another debate i hear coming up. and one last question before i have to let you go. it's interesting. a lot of people writing me are concerned it's getting personal in the campaigns and things are getting stuff. you've been tough with your ads against newt and santorum and super pack. actually... super pack. >> if you watch tonight i don't think you heard me criticize it and likewise, ads we have have been positive. and so... you know, i'm going to take exception with the premise. >> sean: the premise being the super -- i can tell you there is palpable anger about the super pack ads and they had wanted you to denounce them and say that anything that -- . >> anything that is inaccurate they should take them off the air. >> sean: you haven't seen them? >> no. i haven't seen them, i got reports on one.

but others, and there are a bunch out there, i haven't seen them. the one santorum spoke about regards to felons sounds accurate. but anyway. >> sean: any worry party will unite? you won iowa and new hampshire. so thil this will... >> look. look. even if it's someone else i'm going to unite behind them. we have on that stage five people, any one of which is better than barack obama. we're going to make sure we take this country back. >> sean: i don't know four years ago people would have free pree dikted you and john mccain would get along so well. >> we're on the same ticket. we have differences in background. my life was spent in the private sector. other guys spent their time primarily in government. but views on issues are close. >> there are some points of significance we've come from different directions. >> sean: ron paul has a moral

percentage. >> i'm not sure how we're going to have a military with zero percent tax. >> sean: governor, good to see you again. >> thanks, sean, good to see you. >> sean: coming up, newt gingrich and rick santorum will join us live in the spin room. we'll check in with juan williams. he had a pretty heated debate tonight. and we're live as this special edition of "hannity" continues.

difference between barack obama and the five of us, we actually think work is good. we actually... we actually think saying to someone i'll tep hep you if you're willing to help yourself is good. and we think unconditional efforts by the best stood stamp president in american history to maximize dependency is terrible for the future of the country. >> and welcome back to this post-debate, spin room edition of "hannity". we're in south carolina tonight that was newt gingrich at tonight's big debate. and joining me now is newt gingrich. how are you?

nice to be with you. >> sean: frank luntz said no candidate had gotten a standing ovation until tonight. the line you used on the standing ovation? >> is that we believe in work and people should learn to work and we're opposed to dependency and obama is the best food stamp president in history, increasing dependency so we want to create the opportunity to be independent and to work. it wasn't me. i think the audience felt that that was the value that most americans really cherish. >> sean: this is in response to a question by juan williams, then, he asked for saying obama is a food-stamp president people on food stamps, etc., you actually ended up saying we want people to get a job, a better job and own the job, or own the business. >> right. people don't realize i got into this because some left wingers used to say don't go

get a hamburger flip be job. mcdonalds is the largest trainer of work in the world. more young people learn how to show up, stay for the job, make change. how to clean up something. how to have a boss. and from these kinds of jobs and it's the beginning. and both my daughters were reminding me they both worked at an early age. i bet you did. >> 13. 12 i was scrubbing pots and pans friday, saturday night in a restaurant. >> you learned? >> sean: without a machine. by hand. >> you got money for it. and learned it was exciting to get money. you've been working ever since. >> sean: last week i got in touch with the person that hired me because he heard me talk bigt on the radio show. i think one of the best things that happens. what does it mean you suggest it's good for people to get a job. you talked about how much they make in new york. and what is it? >> you can hire 30 young people part time for one

janitor. take a school with four, five janitors. keep the top two, keep bottom three. you have 90 kids with incentive not to drop out. they have a job that gives them cash. they have pride in what they're doing. they begin to have pride in the school. they'll learn work ethic. it's just a win-win strategy. >> another big line of the night is that you're talking about 99 weeks of unemmoimt. -- unemployment is an assessits degree. work is good. >> yes. >> sean: do you think the country lost touch with that a little bit? >> elites have. washington has. i have yet to have a single audience that doesn't applaud when i say to them we should modernize unemployment compensation by having a study requirement if you sign up, you don't have a job, you should have to sign up for a business-led training program. so that you you actually learn something while we're paying you. now, you have a human capitol

investment program. every audience i've discussed it with is applauding. >> sean: i just had governor romney on. the issue of the super packs have come up. and i said to him having interinterviewed you and other candidates i said look. there is palpable anger about those super packs supporting you. and whether or not you have ability to tell them to stop. last week, you said to super pack supporting you and bringing up the main issue sh you told them to stop. you know? to what extent is he right in saying no. campaign finance laws need to change because you don't have control over your super pack. >> i think he's right on that. i told him after the debate. candidates ought to put together letters in congress there. is a simple law that said anyone can give any amount of after tax income to a candidate as long as they report it that night to everybody knows who is

financing who, you'd clean up 90% on thchl the candidate had to put their face and name at the end of an ad, it would clean up most of the really bitter and miserable stuff overnight. people just won't do it. >> sean: what does it mean jon huntsman getting out? that it seems where goodbye, the premise of your argument is that that is about a massachusetts moderate versus reagan conservatives when you are going for the more conservative vote in a state like south carolina? what do that mean? >> to convince conservatives in south carolina only way to stop a moderate is to vote for newt gingrich. i'm closer to meet beeting romney than anyone else. people have to decide do you want to have a protest vote or do you want to stop romney and have a conservative nominee, by voting for me? that is my major assignment. i have an assignment of convincing people i can be

tougher debating barack obama and a tougher candidate. >> you seem comfortable out there, debating. >> i'm very comfortable out there. >> sean: one of the interesting lines of the night, i don't think ron paul likes it is that you kill america's enemies. >> well, i think it's true. instinct is to say you're going come to new york city and kill 3100 americans? you want us to go through some legal mumbo jumbo if we can kill you? give me a break. we want a country that is safe because our enanies expect us and fear us. we don't want a country locked up in lawyer that's we're getting atacked all the time. >> sean: all right. mr. speaker good to see you. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> frank luntz gave you a lot of credit tonight. first standing ovation in a debate. >> amazing. >> sean: i bet you're preto happy. coming up next, senator rick santorum is here. and much, much more, straight ahead.

>> welcome back to "hannity". joining me now is the candidate who says coveted endorsement for the national evangelical leaders he landed over the weekend is helping his campaign here in the palmetto state. rick santorum, how are you? good to see you. >> feeling great. thanks. >> sean: what about the evangelicals? you had a consensus? >> yes. it's remarkable. 150 people, all candidates had people there trying to get a -- helping them, working with them. from everything i was told there is very little expectation there would be a consensus, they ended up making arguments for candidates for a team of folks we did down there to make the case.

they left and left it for the folks to decide what to do. they had a ballot. one person dropped off and it came to newt and me. they won at two-thirds majority. came within a hair of the two thirds and said we'll give it one more chance to see if we can get a consensus, and we ended up with 75% of the vote. folk that's voted for newt switched and supported us. it shows we've got two primaries so far and i think they recognized if you're looking for a consistent conservative i'm just a stronger conservative than newt is on these issues and there is an attack on capitolism here, they need someone who is going to stand up and fight for principles you believe in here and over the issue of the super pack

maybe is not the top issue in the campaign with 10% unemployment here but i think it's a principle. >> this is an integrity issue and believes it's authentic. someone going say this is what i say this is what -- the truth and what i believe. for his super pack to attack us on issue where governor romney's issue is weak heer than mine, that is what leader dochlz if you find something wrong, you can come out and say this is wrong and should be off the air. >> and what about argument he didn't have control over it. it is real anger, newt, we saw what happened in iowa.

he -- he is hiding behind the veil because you can't talk to this group have you no influence over them, these are people that work for him and prior to the establishment of the super pack were in his inner circle of votes. and said i want to you take this off the air. no. i can't communicate in private but in public i can say this is wrong and if you're p representing interests stop it and he didn't want to do that. and there is little exchange back and forth. this is a big deal. look i'm a passionate believer in private accounts for social security. i fought for private accounts and running a surplus in

social security. now, we're running a deficit in social tech security and we're running a $1.2 trillion deficit of. what does newt want to do? in a sense create a new eastbound entitlement program. people entitled to keep it them selfs and then we're going to go borrow money from china to pay for the program. >> and and spending money back to states is -- do you not believe them. >> and they don't need to do that as it is. but what he's doing is taking an annual deficit making ate 1.4 annual deficit saying i'm going take waste which could have been used to create a new program. obama care says we're going save money in medicare. we shouldn't take new

entitlement autos if you're going to send it back to the state? >> it's like obama care and how he pays for new entitlement. what newt is creating is a new entitlement he paid for out of contributions. what he's saying is well, i can just do that. i can reduce the cuts and create this program z not pay for existing program. >> do you agree that there is romney, not romney? do you agree conservatives are splintering off? >> i could make argument we're the true conservative in this race. that newt gingrich. >> you don't think you and newt. >> i think governor perry is saying, i think newt is frankly just not as conservative as i am. and is why i think you saw them ban together and support me, they're looking for someone who is an authentic

conservative z doesn't sit on a couch with nancy pelosi. didn't support wall street bailouts. all of which newt did, and i didn't. >> sean: at the end of the day how long you know you're in this race for? >> still hoping for good news in iowa. and. >> you're thinking there is a possibility... >> there is a 50-50 chance and they're recounting. and they're moving. you'll find that out tomorrow. so they'll certify it tomorrow. no later than day after tomorrow. and we're told we think they can finish it. and there is an argument created by eight votes in iowa and there is a win in new hampshire with 47% of the people voting that were republican we're -- we're with

respect to the rest of the field that can compete against governor romney, we're 2-0. we finished ahead of governor perry twice and finished ahead of congressman gingrich twice. itda that -- idea is that newt is projecting i'm costing him votes that is only true if he had won the first two. the bottom line is that we did and we have the strongest gain here in south carolina. we'll build a strong coalition, getting people to turn to our campaign. we know that is going to continue to happen. >> sean: senator good, to see you. >> coming up, juan williams who moderated tonight's debate will join us live here in the spin room with analysis also, coming up, we'll get dick morris to take on all of this as we continue from myrtle beach, south carolina straight ahead.

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>> it sounds you're teaching to belittle people. >> the fact is that more people who have been put on food stamps by barack obama than any president in american history. i know among the plitly correct you're not supposed to use facts that are uncomfortable. second you're the one who earlier raised a key point there. is an area that ought p to be on i 73 called by barack obama a corridor of shame because of unemployment. has it improved in three years? no. they haven't built a road, helped the people or done anything. >> sean: welcome back to "hannity". and always getting in trouble, he was one of the people up on stage... you're getting ready and right in the middle of it. >> wait a minute. you're telling me i cause trouble? what about you, sean hannity.

>> sean: fair point. and... you know something? it's true. there are more people on food stamps than any point in american history and obama said that he was going to end all of this. this stimulus, his spending, $5 trillion in obama debt hasn't happened. >> well, the fact is that we've gone through a terrible recession, more people are in need and more people asking for food stamps. now, i thought speaker gingrich came back with an effective point which is so-to-say why hasn't the administration done more to lift these people out of poverty? earl hier i addressed the 25% poverty rate in the black kmuchblt sit time to do something spes jifk on race? what we got was we've got to do something at this point. >> sean: young african american unemployment rate over the summer was 50%.

>> terrible. >> newt saying my first job was delivering papers at eight. washing dishes at 12 without a dish washing machine every friday, saturday, sunday night. i think the idea of a janitor is a good job for a kid. and he stays after school, stays off streets and out of trouble. how is that... >> it's not that. the job might be fine. but what the speaker had done was to suggest poor kids, lack a good work ethic. >> sean: if they zront a job they don't understand getting up, going to work. getting there on time. >> i'm a huge advocate of people staying in the work force, getting jobs and i went through that as a kid as you described for yourself. we've been through a terrible recession. unemployment rate you just talked about is real. sometimes kids with the strongest and dedicated work ethic can't find a job. what do you say to that kid? go be a janitor? no. no.

that is demeaning at some point. tell that kid get an education. >> sean: while you're getting an education you can have a part time job. my best friend from third grade, john gomez i used to have money. i'm like here is money. his father made the best grilled chicken. i used to buy it. all he wanted to buy was cupcakes and cookies. perfect deal. idea whatever the job is is... >> look. it's written. i wrote a book about this. i think this is pretty much what rick santorum said in response to questions about whether or not there should be a race-specific program to deal with high levels of unemployment and poverty in the black community. he said if you stay in school, if you get a job and if you don't get married before you have kids there is almost no chance you'll northbound poverty. he's not talking about the fact that we have such high unemployment even good kids can't find jobs.

>> sean: why is it racially insensitive. >> to call obama the food stamp president as if he's encouraging welfare. >> sean: there are 47 million americans... >> we have a terrible recession. demands for those. it's like unemployment. >> sean: the worst economy since the great depression fchl you give me my plan, we'll pass it and things are going to be better. the plan failed and things got worse, they aren't getting better. >> of course they're getting better we're not counting half of the people. >> no. no. one model, one measure, things are getting better and consumer confidence is up, more invefments. >> sean: is this the success he's talking about? >> certainly not at the level he's promising. the line he set which is is that you've seen mitt romney use it against him. fact is that things are getting better. >> sean: my on ser vacation, how thank you feel when the audience is goinging after a a

little bit? you like trouble, don't you?. >> no. wait. that is why i hang out with you. >> sean: trouble all the time no.. i think it was most-intense of all of the debates. absolutely. >> sean: best debate. >> absolutely. >> hands down. >> the moment i had gingrich in terms of the intensity? i think that is what you want to get out of the debate when you saw the guys going at it good the super pack, back and forth, actually ad for santorum and romney, i think romney stepped into it there but he let santorum counter pumpbl him so much. on if you're -- . >> sean: that was a strong hoong -- hook. >> he walked into it. i think this was a great debate. >> sean: juan, troublemaker, appreciate you being with us. >> and here, where i learned it. >> sean: all right.

>> coming up next, dick morris is going to join us on this special edition of "hannity". stay with us, plenty more still to com

>> sean: welcome back to this special edition of "hannity

"owe joining me now with reaction is former clinton advisor dick morris. following you on twitter, by the way, dick and your comments all night as well as a lot of smart people out there, and it was interesting that there is a lot of good g.comments about tonight. who do you think wouldn't debate if you pick a winner? >> newt, newt, newt. you and i thought he was one good debate performance away from getting back into the race. he had it tonight. the answer on the osama bin laden is not comparable to a cheney dissident, his angss on janitors and work ethic is just terrific. i thought it showed a vast difference between himself and santorum. not in the way rick would have it. but this santor yum is mired in statistics and facts and numbers. newt just zipped the stuff

out. and he was terrific. i think that gingrich, i think, won the debate. i think romney did well. his answer was okay. koit have been better. i thought his income tax answer was bad. and... >> what about super packs? >> i thought he was very weak on that. he comes out and say if there are factual errors, well, are there? aren't there? key thing is can gingrich get enough of a lead so he can take romney on one on one? i think the big thing for newt is not only that he won, but that ron paul lost and that rick santorum did not do as well as gingrich did. now, the evangelical support may give santorum a boost and may be back in this situation.

but my hunch on this... he might win on saturday. >> and you know we keep talking about you know who is most electable. how big of an issue is it for people, who would be the best person to debate barack obama? >> well, i think that some people argue that the polling shows that romney runs strongest against ob yaup yaupa -- obama. but other guys say i was paid to watch gingrich do that. i think that newt made a big mistake after new hampshire and after iowa. and going up in this negative track on bain capitol and all that have stuff. when he dropped negatives after 20 minutes of the debate and did what he does best which is creative, he just did great. if i was his campaign, i'd

take down negative ads and i'd put on sound bytes from this debate. that was a classic vintage performance. >> and say that, but look at what happened in iowa. he's doing well, then, all of a sudden, all of the negative attack ads came out and it had a profound impact on numbers. >> yes. and he doesn't blunt that by attacking back. look, you can't turn negative into a sideways field. if a hits b and doesn't come back to a. it helps c, d and e. negatives are as good as positives. the most one guy loses, another gains. and so i think gingrich made a mistake. i thought he's -- looked bad tonight after this bain capitol thing, again. >> he was pushed into that.

probably good advice but we're out of time. thanks for being with us. >> thank you. >> that is all of the time we have left this evening. thank you for being with us. the news continues and >> top of the morning to you. the five g.o.p. hopefuls duke it out in a make or break debate for candidates ahead of the south carolina primary this weekend. newt gingrich, a real crowd pleaser. >> only the elites despise earning money! >> newt not the only one getting applause. mitt romney showing his tougher side. listen. >> the right thing for usama bin laden was the bullet in the head that he received. that's the right course for people who kill american citizens. >> but did that keep him as the frontrunner? brian? >> governor rick perry unhe