>> production assistance for "inside washington" was provided by allbritton communications and "politico," reporting on the legislative, executive, and political arena. >> i met mitt romney, i believe in america, and i'm running for -- i am met ronnie, i believe in america, and i'm running for president. >> this week on "inside washington," mitt romney makes it official. but who is pushing them off the tv screen? house republicans enter enemy territory for more talks on reducing the national debt. >> if we try to demagogue each other's attempt to do that, we're not having the leadership we need to get the debt under

control. >> members of congress are getting edgy. >> members are a bit wary about the amount of money we have spent in iraq, afghanistan, and that we are spending in libya. >> the tweet that launched 1000 kurdish jokes. >> -- crude jokes. >> i can tell you desperate i have photographs, i don't know what things have been many -- i can tell you this -- i have photographs, i don't know what things have been manipulated and doctored. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> eat you heard mitt romney and say he believes in america and is running for president. romney is said that when barack obama took office, at the economy was in recession, and that he made economy worse. >> when barack obama took office, we wished him well and hope for the best.

now in the third year of is four-year term, we have more than slogans and promises to judge him by. barack obama has failed america. [applause] >> so mitt romney it asks us to believe he is the man to save america. a single poll asks for a single word to describe the republican field, and the word chosen most was "unimpressed." this is not encouraging for mitt romney, mark. >> the person who does emerge from this crucible, whoever he or she is, the american people have a history of saying, "ok, this is a serious person." that lies ahead. right now, obviously, little enthusiasm. that will be overcome. >> colby? >> he had an interesting

reception in new hampshire. he ended up on page 3 of "the manchester union leader." page 1 had sarah palin. he talks about being the kind of candidate who can create jobs in massachusetts. massachusetts was 47 out of the city-state's as far as job creation was -- 47 out of the 50 states as far as job creation was concerned. >> nina? >> romney has done this before, he has a good team he has assembled, and he cannot do better than that for his introduction? palin -- everything is framed as a grievance. >> charles? >> romney is riding on a very simple strategy. he wants to make this a referendum on obama, he wants to disappear in the woodwork. he wants to be a stable guy you

can rely on and on, he saved olympics, he was a governor, he knows about business. it is an excellent general election strategy. the economic numbers are bad. he runs against economic numbers. he does not run ideologically, on big government, ideas like ron paul or paul mwai and would ct me "is that he -- elec because he failed. >> 3 out of the four american presidents since fdr have run when unemployment was 6% or 7% or above. the only one to one was ronald reagan. 9.1% unemployment -- mitt romney

wants to make the economy the issue and make this about the incumbent's record. are you better off than you were four years ago? romney will try to rely on his credentials as a businessman. the soft spot and that is that been capital took over companies and at truck them, downsize -- bain capital took over companies and closed them, shot them, downsize to them. >> on sunday, sarah palin begins work toward it may make, even beets in manhattan. in a -- eating pizza in manhattan. she was in new hampshire, too. >> i don't think mitt romney is offended at all. >> is palin running? she won't say, and if she won't say, nina, why bother covering her?

>> well, because people are interested in her. but i don't think it is a particularly good for the republican party to have her sucking the oxygen out this way. people don't think she is running. obviously, they don't think that at fox, because they've not taken her off the air. >> how does the pawlenty or romney combat this? >> i blame the press for this. she has said nothing during her tour of the east coast but we are following her. we should not do that until she has something to say. we should pay attention to other candidates who are trying to say something. she is not a candidate. why give her the attention? >> that is the ideal world, though. that is not the way it news functions, we all know that. >> she shows up at rolling

thunder on i bike -- >> at least she is wearing a helmet. >> it is hard to turn the camera away. in the end, i think it is clear she is not running, which i think is smart for her. she has a feature, but it is not an 2012. michele bachmann, who was going to announce shortly, is the person who has the similar constituency and persona, but bachmann is a member of congress, more serious about policy, and will action have a better shot and could do well, surprisingly well, in iowa. >> why don't republicans take palin on, mark? >> she has a constituency and that support. many would not vote for her under any circumstances, which is a big liability to start with, greater than any of the leading candidates. that pizza summit in manhattan,

donald trump -- reality stars -- were bounty hunters and housewives of las vegas not available? nina's point is salient. roger ailes has taken off the air people -- rick santorum, newt gingrich -- make a decision. if you are a candidate, you are not a commentator. >> we let donald trump play us for weeks, and now she's playing us. >> at the convention in camp the next year, we are not going to remember today, we're not going to remember rolling thunder. we are going to have a serious candidate, is serious election. it is likely to be either ramadi or pawlenty -- romney or pawlenty. >> what tim pawlenty is doing

right now is a retailing, meeting people -- that is the connection point he has to make and what he has to build from. >> that is how scott brown did it in massachusetts. let's mention other names -- one of them, rudy giuliani, coming back. how did that florida strategy worked for him last time? >> that was the worst campaign -- this the only man in the last 16 presidential elections to that in all polls one year before the -- who led in all the polls one year before the nomination and did not get the nomination. republicans a lot of runners. rudy giuliani is squandered that. he showed himself to be arrogant and insensitive and incompetent. >> could huntsman become the favorite of republican party? >> he could be the favorite of the establishment of the east coast, but he is too much in the

middle. they call him rino, republican in name only. >> correction of the year was a poll in iowa where apparently he got 1% of the vote, and the correction was, i'm sorry, we are not -- it was not 1%, it was one of vote, one guy. he does not have a grass-roots constituency, let's put it that way. >> you sort of wonder if it huntsman is that it is to do a john anderson run, because i don't know how he possibly thinks he can get the nomination. >> the obama people are most apprehensive about jon huntsman -- >> of course, they should be. >> one of the three most successful governors and the country. >> he would be, but he is -- he isney's strategy --

running a general election campaign, the economy, and against obama -- >> you have to go against -- michele bachmann it could cause trouble for pawlenty in iowa. >> she could win in iowa because she lives next door, she is from iowa -- >> waterloo. >> she is an appealing candidate. that state is socially very conservative, and that appeals to her constituency. 40% of the vote in new hampshire are independents, and they can vote in the republican primary and there is no reason to vote in the democratic primary. it will be interesting to see -- >> that will be mitt romney. that is why he is gambling everything on a new hampshire. >> rick santorum -- i want to talk about michele bachmann, because i think she's a real comer in the republican party.

she represents her point of view well, the tea party constituency. she comes across not as slash and burn, although she has said crazy things. and she's smart. she made some goofs, but she is smart. it is sexist to compare her with the sarah palin, because sarah palin is not in the same league with michele bachmann. >> there is one person we do not talk about anymore, newt gingrich. >> he had the worst launch since the hindenburg. "oh, the humanity" is all you can say about his campaign. >> newt gingrich will be a factor in the debates. first debate is the 13th of june, new hampshire. newt gingrich will be a force in that debate, to the detriment of

someone the other challengers. rick santorum is obviously the candidate who is seeking the cultural and religious conservative support. he has a natural relationship as probably the most outspoken congressional opponent of the same sex unions. >> don't you think that michele bachmann will usurp that? she does have a nasty habit of making factual statements that are untrue. she will be really appealing, but that one could buy her in the -- bite her in the fanny. >> we are going to raise the debt limit, the spending cuts should exceed the increase in the debt limit. otherwise, it will serve to cost us jobs in our country. >> we are gwine to talk about that in a minute. house speaker john boehner after meeting in the white house with the president moody's warns that it could downgrade the rating of the nice if they don't

increase the debt limit. what could happen, colby? >> we will face a serious problem in this country. there is only so much tim geithner 10 due to get us through this thing -- can do to get us through this thing. we could even see the stock market and bond market's collapse ultimately if we don't do this. this debt limit is -- only reflect obligations we have already incurred. up to $14.20 trillion of obligations. this is money that we owe. we have to pay on this. somebody said, a colleague of ours, it trivialized this by saying you can just pay the interest and move it around, move it around. in fact, there was a point beyond which geithner cannot do

that. average spending outpaces revenue by about $1.1 billion a month. he would not be able to pay all those bills. what you do? move it around? that is tantamount to saying i will pay my mortgage but i want democratic rights, will pay my -- i will pay my credit cards, what they might act -- interest won't -- won't pay my credit cards, won't pay my insurance premiums. >> colby, you are half-right. learned i am. [laughter] but the interest is only 6% on the debt, and that is what you have to cover . august the second is not a drop- dead date. on midnight the second of august, our debt is not defaulted.

you can move the funds are down, and i assure you it will be if no agreement is made by august 2. >> this is not being treated as the moment with the seriousness that it deserves. you cannot go through this ad in an item. -- ad infinitum. every time someone comes out as a press conference, i think, you are not serious. >> you don't think paul ryan is serious? >> i know that he is treating us -- i don't think republicans -- >> the senate has not even pass a budget two years in a row, and you are criticizing republicans -- >> and democrats. >> two discrete problems. one is the deficit -- >> let me hear from a man who always pays his bills. >> learned as well. >> you are half-right.

the problem is greater than of the one we're talking about, quite frankly. we are talking about an economy that has grown up 1.8%. this is really bad news that house prices are at their lowest and continuing to fall. you recall that when wages leveled off and people did not get raises, they used their houses as a bank, a casino, to refinance, to pay for their kids weddings and education, trips. those days are over. the piece de resistance is this a reality check -- we will have at deniers who said that the debt ceiling doesn't matter. >> 20% of mortgages are still under water in this country? >> this feels an awful lot like 1937 -- >> there was a blog from the

federal reserve bank of new york -- >> we are playing politics with a very serious problem with this debt ceiling. they are trying to blackmail the administration introducing -- into doing something they ought not to do, these massive cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling -- >> the deal -- >> the debt ceiling is not barack obama's obligation. it is the obligation of the united states of america. $14 million represents in debts and obligations occurred by ronald reagan, both bushes -- >> how about clinton? >> clinton, and even before then -- >> thank you, gordon. we actually have had a democrat -- >> he actually did raise taxes. >> when i was at the treasury department, we did it 10 times.

>> the accumulated debt of the united states through two world wars, the louisiana purchase, great depression, by 1980, was $1 trillion. we've quadrupled in 12 years with ronald reagan and george bush and started down this -- >> $1 trillion until 1980, and $4.50 trillion in three years, barack obama. >> iraq, afghanistan, libya, billions upon billions for war. >> i really do believe that the president needs to speak out in terms of our mission in afghanistan. our mission in iraq. our mission in libya. the doubts that our members have, frankly, are reflecting what they are hearing from their constituents. >> one of every liberal member,

democratic congressman dennis kucinich, proposing a withdrawal from libya. we are told that the piggyback is empty and we have to do something about national security, we're told that national security requires a presence in iraq, afghanistan, now libya, secret meetings in pakistan. voters are getting restless. >> in part because the president, the one who is involved us in the big, has yet to give us a coherent explanation of what -- it would involve us in libya, has yet to give us according explanation of what it is we are after and how we will get their. america initiating a war in libya -- america-supported action, we were the main thrust, and then withdrawing to the rear, allowing europe, which cannot defeat half of libya, to carry on a mission that is going on and on.

if the reason for the mission was humanitarian, and i respect that, what we have done by withdrawing, starting and withdrawing partially, is a prolonged agony and the bleeding and the killing. >> i will argue with that completely. that is not the point at all. there is the humanitarian aspect. there is also the desire, i thought, to get rid of gaddafi. to that end, it appears that the mission is succeeding -- >> he is still there, though. >> but the point was to degrade what he has in forces. he has added defections from his own ranks. -- had defections from his own ranks. >> that's true. >> the prospect is that he is going to be gone. is that not be affe -- the objective that people wanted, to see gaddafi out of there? >> there is an enormous amount

of ambivalence on the part of the leaders of the country, congress, and it is understandable. we cannot be everywhere and do everything. while we are doing this in and be at, there are brutal massacres in the -- syria in -- >in libya, there are brutal massacres in syria, yemen is completely falling apart into a tribal war. any one of these places can become failed states, which is a breeding ground for terrorism to take all and be able to export itself across europe, to us. it is a scary world at the moment, and just going to war with one country does not solve it. >> i'm disgusted, disgusted with the national leadership. there is a war powers act which is just ignored by the administration and congress. congress does not have the guts to vote to go to war. they have not. the last time it came up, tom campbell, republican, gene

taylor, a democrat, were the only house members who insisted that actually -- >> they were right. >> they were absolutely right. walter jones, a republican from north carolina, is one of the few who acknowledges what war is, and he has written 10,000 personal letters of condolence to people who have lost loved ones in these wars. the others just kind of wrap themselves in a black, making this up phony baloney talk about how they love the troops come -- in the flag, make this phony baloney talk about how they of the trips, and don't give a damn about how the troops come home and don't have jobs. >> here is all i can do. let's try to figure out who, how, how this went down, how we make sure it does not happen again. >> that is congressman a winner with jonathan karl of abc news -- congressman weiner with

jonathan karl abc news. was the congressman's crotch or wasn't it? should we care? >> we probably shouldn't care pri is our great diversion. the woman who received it says she doesn't know him. he has handled this ridiculously come up at the same time, there was an indictment of john and address on campaign finance abuse stemming from -- is a fair -- indictment of john edwards on campaign finance abuse stemming from his affair. that is serious and tragic at the same time. weiner is -- well, it is a bit of foolishness we can enjoy, and he is so uncomfortable. >> can i say about john edwards -- this is like getting al capone on taxes. what he did was on savory in the

moral sense, but to try to find some legal way to nail him by talking about campaign finance laws is a stretch. the laws ostrich by every candidate. this was a moral offense, not one where you can indict him for what he actually did you look for a money way to hang it on him. i don't think that is the way justice ought to be done. >> the first rule of scandal is that it is never the act itself, always the cover-up. rule two is that everybody for its role 1 -- forgets rule one. that is what weiner did. the most dangerous place in washington is the space between anthony weiner and a microphone. [laughter]

he can't shut up. "is that a picture of your crotch?" -- he can't say no? >> colby? >> in my daily scriptural readings, i came across, "deal gently." i will cut nina short and say i never imagined how he got the camera there -- >> all right, all right, that is the last word. see you next week. for a transcript of this broadcast, log on to insidewashington.tv.

çoçoçççççççççççççoiçiççñçoçoçoço