webb welcome back to "face the nation" our panel today. ruth, a columnist with the "washington post." the bash washington bur recheap. dana, also a columnist for the "washington nd ey goldberg is with the atlantic. jeffrey i'm going to start with you. you are the one that some official in the united states government told that prime minister netanyahu was a chicken blank. i asked him about that. the prime minister said relations are better than ever with the united states. number one, if you care to reveal who told you that i'd be happy to listen this morning. also i'd like just to get your take on u.s. and israeli relations right now. >> i'll decline your first offer.

and on the second point let's separate out issues. relations with israel and united states remain strong. defense relations or intelligence but team to people if you will, relationship between president of the united states and prime minister has never been worse. go back to eisenhower period look for a more tense. >> schieffer: what's the deal? >> they're very, very different men with different ideological viewpoints. this administration believes that netanyahu is actually put this in more diplomatic way. is a general feeling that he doesn't take risks for peace, he doesn't do what he needs to do to solve the middle east crisis. for his part, netanyahu believes that this administration doesn't understand the middle east. it's as simple as that. one leans liberal, the other is conservative. dispositions are different and so they have a very dysfunctional relationship going to be very interesting and tense to watch as they move to the iran talks how it's going to go. >> schieffer: jerry, we saw

this hideous video this morning, this is the worst of the worst. this seems to me that the war on terrorism is a long way from being over. you heard mitt romney say we should keep on the table the idea of putting american troops back in to iraq. is this administration, where do you think they are? >> it's interesting because president obama talking today before he leftish radio to -- asia of a actually left the door open a little crack on that question of u.s. troops on the ground. there are going to be more u.s. troops on the ground. but i think the key here is that this is a long struggle. we're not losing the war against isis but we're not winning it. we as kind of a group as the u.s., iraq, the syrian army which is in trouble, modern arab states, the saudi, is that whole collection is not winning this war, going to take awhile to

turn it around. >> schieffer: one of the kurdish officials is saying this morning that there may be 200,000 of these isis people. now that seems pretty high to me. >> that's very high. the truth is, what we don't know about isis exceeds what we do know. the numbers that seem to be most reasonable somewhere in the 18,000 to 30,000 but again they're drawing people. the longer it seems we can't stop them the more attractive they will be to radicals around the world. >> one thing that is really interesting and horrifying about this terrible video, is that isis is own worst enemy. you have the administration increasingly open the door not just for more troops but for possibility of getting increasingly involved in combat. we saw this in the past. when isis engages in brutality like this, and videotapes them puts them out for the american public to see it rules up the american public and makes it

easier for better or worse for the president and military to do what it needs to take to deal with isis. >> schieffer: let me shift here just to this immigration situation. obviously we're heading to some kind ever showdown. the president saying he's going to take unilateral action that would protect millions of illegal immigrants in this country from being deported. congress is saying don't do it. you heard what both sides were saying. where do you see this going? do you think there is any possibility, because some on the -- talking to shutting down the government again maybe we'll have to do that. >> i love this notion that everybody is floating the old poison the well. everybody has been drinking pure water up there if not already full of arsenic and pc bs already. the well is poisoned. the president has no choice he made this promise he probably should have done it earlier. the truth is he has an incentive

to do it now because he wants to provoke a fight. if you saw the way he's come out, all about fighting this new republican majority. love to lure them in to that shut down, maybe even impeachment proceedings, maybe another lawsuit to draw those distinctions he won the shut down fight over obamacare and exit polls were lopsided in favor of legalizing the illegal immigrants. >> schieffer: this may be, told me that brier patch we remember that. >> everything about his news conference was saying, in the my fault, no mistake here, i'm going right back at it with climate change, with immigration, with minimum wage, all the things they don't want to have. >> this has been a "let's go back at it" week since the election, really interesting on number of fronts. climate change, threatening veto on the keystone xl pipeline, throwing out with the internet neutrality. i totally agree with dana, no

way he can back down on fulfilling this immigration promise. i think that it's clear also from the republican point of view that the grownups in the party, leadership in the party do not want shut down, but with the bull metaphor and the flag, it's waving the red flag and the question is, whether they can control the bull because even though nobody rational wants a shut down, it may be hard to avoid it. >> schieffer: this one issue which i think the president showing may be prepared to challenge the left, that is free trade. that is a big one. talked about that a lot in asia that is not popular on the left. that is a real litmus test, going big or things republicans don't like or big that define obama agenda. >> schieffer: if you needed an example that everybody is on edge up there on capitol hill, we got it this week during nancy pelosi, the house leader for democrats when she had a news

conference. our nancy cordes asked her, since they lost majority in two straight elections, if she was thinking about giving up her leadership post. and, let me just show you what she said. >> first woman, was not that curiosity that the boehner on the front of "time" magazine, mitch mcconnell wins on the front of "time" magazine, a pattern here, as i said does not depend on any of that with all due respect to all of you. but as a woman, is there a message here? something that we're missing. >> may i say -- oh, please. it's not as if nancy pelosi when she became first woman speaker of the house did not get a ton of attention including from yours truly. i think with all due respect to the former speaker playing the

gender card here, not a great idea. the really tough feelings, not a lot of fun these days. >> great week for "time" magazine. >> the covers still matter. >> schieffer: she is a terrific fundraiser for democrats. is it her fault that they lost the majority two times in a row? >> it's not her fault, per se. but only question now, is it the worst since 1946 or 1928? one year leader of a party that's been brought to that point got to think maybe need some fresh faces. the top three leaders, people can do very well. but they're 74, 75. maybe they need to bring in a little fresh blood at higher level. you see none of that in the house. very little of it in the senate a little bit with elizabeth warren. but no indication that i see

that either side is getting ready to cut some deals or do anything. >> schieffer: we just had claire mccaskill who voted against bringing harry reid back. i think we know of six votes, six senators those votes are in secret there may actually have been more. what about this idea, but she is from the left. is that going to give the right impression to the democratic party that they're moving to the left as republicans are moving to the right? >> i think she had to be taken in to account. she's a force, and she represents a force. but the other thing that's happening you had claire mccaskill from moderate part of the party she said i'm part of the moderate middle where we like to get some things done. that moderate middle just got wiped out -- at least got deluded a lot. senator pryor and haban they all lost.

not as much in the middle left. the left is right in saying we deserve representation. >> i was struck how quickly she mentioned senator tester also coming in, the flat top farmer, whatever the expression was. as almost neutralize whatever signal, which wasn't effective messaging, we're still sort of the same mix of what we were. >> the democratic party isn't really clear what it wants to be right now. it's clear it doesn't want to be minority party but not clear how that is going to be solved. toe have that debate. >> harry reid not about to change his stripes. he's an old cop, he's an old boxer, he punched his future father in law, tried to strangle a guy trying to offer him a bribe. he's not going to back down. that the moderates are done he's going to be slugging it out.

>> schieffer: let me go around the table, quick answer. who thinks mitt romney is going to run for president again? >> we were talking about that before. i think he likes being on tv, that doesn't necessarily suggest he's going to run for president. i find it hard that he does. >> i think we like to be president but not run for it. he's not on list of 32 possible candidates the republican party put out this week. >> he's available to be drafted to run for president i don't think he's going to run for president. >> i'm going to go on a limb, what is he doing up so early on sunday morning? i have to say, a lot of the points that he's making, that he made in last campaign are looking pretty good in retrospect? >> schieffer: if jeb bush does not decide to run he will give it very serious thought. i think that is probably where it is right now at least from my sources. he'll be back in a moment with my interview of director of national intelligence, james clapper.

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>> schieffer: who puts going to goat korea a on their bucket list. america's top spy. that is one of the things we found on friday when james clapper, the director of national intelligence, invited us to his office to talk about his top secret trip there to bring home two american prisoners. kenneth bae and matthew miller. why do you suppose they chose the top spy in the united states? >> that's a great question. for one, they wanted someone who is currently in the government who was part the national security council. i think i followed the korean peninsula as i served there as director of intelligence in the mid '80s. >> schieffer: had you ever been to north korea? >> this is the first time i flew over north korea with permission. when i served in korea in december 1985 straight in to north korea obviously without

their permission, they shot at us. we made it back to the south. my line first time i went in with permission. >> schieffer: let me talk about when united states aircraft, transport plane, set down in the north korean capital. what went through your mind? were you apprehensive? >> yes, i was. quite apprehensive. because we weren't sure how this was going to play out. i personally was not completely confident that we would actually -- that they would release our two citizens. and so, yes, it was apprehensive and from personal standpoint always been on my professional bucket list to visit north korea, so i did get to do that. >> schieffer: paint the scene for me, you said it was night time. >> it's dark anyway. in north korea, famous picture

overhead shot of contrasting the two parts of the peninsula at night with north korea being dark and south korea being lit up. that image i think was kind of sustained. it was very dark appearance. so we went immediately off the plane, in to a limo that took two or three vehicle convoy that took us to the state house. >> schieffer: what happened then. and who greeted you? >> the green party that was headed by the minister of state security, of course translator. >> schieffer: what did they talk about? >> i made the point, i was very interested in recovering our two citizens. i think they were disappointed frankly that i didn't have some breakthrough. >> schieffer: you did bring a letter from president obama. >> a short letter which

basically identified me as president's envoy and characterizing their willingness to release two citizens as a positive gesture. >> schieffer: did you take any kind of reply back to the president? >> the major message from them was their disappointment that there wasn't some offer or some -- again, term they use was break through. i did take ray of optimism from a younger person who accompanied me on the way out to the airport, i think illustrates potential here for the few fewer, because i do think there is a generational difference between the older part of the regime, i say older, my generation -- >> schieffer: our generation. >> yes. we were stuck on their narrative

and there was, i saw a difference generationally in this person who i think professed interest in more dialogue, asked me if i'd be willing to come back. >> schieffer: let's go back to, so you got there, you were taken to the hotel, was there a dinner or something like that? >> yes. i was hosted by the head of the, what's called reconnaissance guidance bureau which is their combination intelligence and special operations force. >> schieffer: what was the tone of the dinner? >> it was pretty kurt. reinforced for me something i always think i understood about north korea a country feels itself to be under siege, a certain institutional paranoia, that was certainly reflected in a lot of things that he said, for example, allegations about

our exercises that we conduct in the republic of korea. did bring up the human rights issue at one point although we were well in to the dialogue, criticizing us for our interventionist approach, interventionist policies in their internal matters. it was that sort of dialogue back and forth. it wasn't exactly a pleasant dinner. >> schieffer: where did you finally find out that they were going to release these people? >> we spent the rest of the day waiting, for quite some time until late afternoon, then the mss representative came by the state guest house, said you had 20 minutes to pick up your luggage we're leaving. check out, we were taken to the hotel downtown and much ushered in to a room in which the

amnesty granting ceremony i guess i'd call it was conducted. >> schieffer: up to that point they hadn't told you they were going to release them. >> right. we were leaving, went to the hotel, then during this am mess fee granting ceremony, and afterwards he turned to me and said he hoped we had more dialogue but not about detainees. we shook hands, i said thank you, we walked out. our two tee taken knees changed clothes. we went to the airport got on aircraft and flew. >> schieffer: do you think this has changed anything? >> that's a good question. that remains to be seen as to where we go from here. is this -- will this perhaps serve as a catalyst or stimulus for more dialogue? i hope so, but i don't know. >> schieffer: director, how would you rate north korea on scale of dangerous places in the world? is it the most dangerous in your view? >> well, these days, that's hard

to rank. there's lots of dangerous spots around the world. my half century in intelligence, i don't know a time where we have been beset by a more diverse array of challenges and crises that we are today. north corey radio is a danger spot. but there are others. >> you mentioned different danger points in the world. i wonder, could i get your take on what's happening now in iraq and syria where we hear of this alliance between al qaeda and syria and isis. do you -- >> we don't see that basically because of the competing objectives. i think what you're referring to is the al qaeda chapter, franchise in syria. and isis. they are competing objectives and who would be -- have to be

subordinate to the other really don't see that, at the strategic level. there have been tactical accommodations on the battlefield on occasion where local groups have united in the interest of the tactical objective, but broadly i don't see those two uniting at least yet. >> schieffer: thank you so much. >> thank you.

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away on those shriveled little calves. will they love their nest thermostat then? i don't think so. the nest learning thermostat. welcome to a more thoughtful home. bob i was dumb struck when i heard the comments surfacing from an economist who was paid $400,000 to help shape the president's health care plan. first, he allowed himself a plan pass only because of a lack of transparency and this is a direct quote, the stupidity of the american people. finally our nancy cordes found couple of other things he said going back to 2011. >> first, calling attack on insurance instead of people we know it's attacks on people who hold those insurance plans. >> schieffer: there was this about massachusetts health care plan. >> the dirty secret in massachusetts is the feds pay for our bill.

ted kennedy basically figure out way to rip off the feds about $400 million a year. >> schieffer: i'll be honest while i favor health insurance i am not wile about you new machine how it became law either. here is my question for mr. gruper, if this is all bad as you say why did you take the money you earned as an advisor. or is it too late to give it back. what we have here is another example of the sorry state of american politics where people take money for things in which they don't believe and whether it's good for the american people is not even a question. as far the president he may want to consider that old politician's prayer, lord, i can take care of my enemies just protect me from my friends. back in minute. man: [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. but they were some pretty good moves. and the best move of all? having the right partner at my side. it's so much better that way.

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hours. a collapse zone has been set u smoke filling the air in san jose as a catholic church burns for hours. a collapse zone has been set up around the building. good evening. the holy cross terrace on east jackson street is nearly destroyed. the building was built 100 years ago. we are live outside of the church in san jose, linda? >> yes. it is still an active fire season. you see behind me, firefighters are continuing to pour lots of water on to the church. the fire it is far from out. and the sad news tonight, firefighters say it is in danger of collapse. so, they set up a perimeter all around the church. people have been told