from washington, the mclaughlin group. the american original. for over two decades, the sharpest vogeico, committed to providing service to its auto insurance customers for over 70 years. more information on auto insurance at geico.com or 1-800-947-auto any time of the day or night. if. for such a small if i live to a hundred. if social security isn't enough.

if my heart gets broken. if she says yes. we believe if should never hold you back. if should be managed with a plan that builds on what you already have. together we can create a personal safety net, a launching pad, for all those brilliant ifs in the middle of life. you can call on our expertise and get guarantees for the if in life. after all, we're metlife. issueone, crisis in chile. >> tonight we have experienced a night that we will never forget. full of emotion. full of joy. i'm sure that chile today is more respected and i'm sure that people have known better about this small country very

far away from the rest of the world. >> the president of chile, sebastian pinera and chile's first lady, cecilia morel waited to embrace 33 trapped miners as they emerge from 22- inch wide mine shaft. all 33 were clean shaven and clean dressed when they surfaced from 70 harrowing days underground. 2030 feet under ground. almost half a mile below the surface. the long awaited rescue mission kicked off late tuesday. shaving gear and clothes had been sent down the shaft earlier along with a remarkable telephone. and a tiny video camera among other things. the 33 men were then winched up the equivalent of 200 floors in a specially designed rescue capsule dubbed phoenix. the rescue was completed in just under 23 hours. the u.s. president saluted the chilean people and their

inspiration to the planet. >> this rescue is a tribute not only to the determination of the rescue workers and the chilean government, but also the unity and resolve of ilean inspired the world. >> question, on a national pride scale, 0 to 100. 0 being national embarrassment, like going to europe to plea for the olympics to come to chicago and have your plea rejected. and 100 meaning a national cue, like putting the first man on the moon. how big a boost is the san jose mine rescue for chile's national pride 0 to 100? >> this is close to the man on the moon. that was a feet of tremendous technology. this was a human was a tremendo and it came out well and it is a tribute to those guys and to see those families waiting

there. it speaks enormously well of humanity. and it is a great thing, john, but i am afraid what we are going to see now is the inevitable corruption of something beautiful by capitalism and commercialism and contracts and deals and all the rest of it, which is going to families are suing the government. >> it has already begun. >> eleanor. >> well, it is a beautiful moment that these men were rescued and is a technological feet. i like the fact that these men made a pact among themselves that they will share equally in any royalties that they may get from selling their story. they are being smart about their story, because they are keeping it to themselves until they sort out the deal. it's kind of a combination of capitalism and idealism. but the chances of that holding are probably pretty remote. >> uh-huh. >> it's sort of like when the will is read after somebody

dies and everybody starts fighting about what is left. as they sort out these deals, it's hard to do it fairly and i think the government, it's a good moment for the government, but this is also a government, not this particular administration, but all the governments preside over situation in the mines that is dispickable. it's going to be a lot of pressure on these men to better the lives of their fellow miners. they have a lot of pressure on themselves. >> we have a long way from general, aren't we? >> it's a 100. it's better than winning the world cup. what we saw is what humans need to thrive. they needed water, discipline, companionship, hope, and when they made it up, they and the rest of the country needed pride. and you saw it in the way they presented themselves. they were clean shaven. they were clean and dignified. no one cried. the miners didn't cry in public and you had a nation exploding as one in joy over this event. it was a wonderful thing.

unfortunately, pat and eleanor are right about what will follow on, but we can enjoy the shining moment. >> i give it 100. you know, the one thing i would add to the list you gave us of the things the miners needed, they needed hope. they needed love. there was compassion. just the sheer technological feet of what happened and brought so much international attention to chile. people now know that this is not a third world country. it's one of the most developed countries in south america and for the entire international community to be able to watch what the world community came together and accomplished is nothing but, you know, something wonderful for this country. >> they really turned the hemisphere upside down. instead of the united states at the top, south america is at the top and the rest of this hemisphere is at the bottom. south america has emerged, really. >> they have emerged. [ inaudible ] >> that's a latitude. >> the americans were heavily

involved in it, in the drilling down there. they did the right thing once they got all the way through, they said you guys now, it's going to be a day or two. you take the credit, we are getting out of here. the americans handled it beautifully. >> i'm talking about brazil and its role there. i'm talking about columbia and the other aggressive, want to talk about peru. they are all emerging from what had been neglect by the unit issue two, midterm mania. >> the 2010 midterm. two weeks away from this coming tuesday, 108 seats in the house of representatives, 435 seats are in play. currently democrats control 255 seats. in the house's 435. republicans 178. to become the majority, the republicans must hold on to all of the 178 seats they now have

and they must pick up 39 new seats. if they succeed, republicans will be in control of all committee chairmanships, plus have the fellow republican the of representatives. >> question, how many house seats will the republicans pick up in the house if the election were held today? eleanor. >> i'm thinking mid to high 40s, which would be enough for them to take over. but some of those races are beginning to narrow and the amount of money that is being flooded into these districts on behalf of republicans, money inspired by karl rove, the group he inspired or founded prompted the "new york times" columnist to say this is a billionaires cue masquerading as -- >> i'm sure frank wouldn't like this one. >> the democrats have tried to point this out to the voters because whatever voters fear

from president obama and the democrats pails to what they would get if a corporate agenda triumphs in this election. i don't think people are aware of the people behind this money, because they are allowed to give unlimited amounts unanimously, thanks to the supreme court. it's really a degradation of the democracy. >> what do you think? >> come on. billionaires secretive billionaires could have spent as much as they wanted in '06 and '08. it wouldn't have made a difference. a genuine populous. i wouldn't be surprised if the number in the house is north of 60. we have had 39 house incumbents behind the republican challengers. usually, if you are an incumbent and a couple weeks out and below 50, you are dead. there's going to be a lot of carcasses. >> i mean, i can't -- i still

can't understand this that we have for corporations, which are the engine and life blood of the economy. and i don't think corporate money has anything to do with the hundreds and thousands of independents, meaning former democrats, former republicans, who have made a conscious decision to register as independents and make the political party come after them and court them and during this election, most of them, particularly women are leaning republican and again it's not because they think the republican party is so wonderful. they are just disgusted with politics as usual. >> wouldn't you like to see what the corporate money is and what the agenda of that corporate money is? why should they be able to do this unanimously? both parties are so terrible, i'm going to vote. do we say corporate money made them stay home? >> before we let go of this subject on independence. on tuesday, jerry wrote a very interesting column. an analytic one and he

concludes with, the study found more voters identify themselves as independents. 37% than as republicans. 29% or democrats 34%. so this roaming army of independent nomads is getting pretty large. and who knows, if neither party can pacify it, maybe, just maybe the army carries the seeds of a third party challenge in 2012. do you think that there could be a third party emerge from the independents in the united states? >> theoretically feasible. >> it is feasible and it is also possible and it also, i think, would happen, but it all depends upon the republicans, who closer to eleanor, will get 46, 47 seats. if they fail to satisfy the tea party people who really are looking for action, if they don't deliver and the republican primaries produce a

candidate who is perceived as an establishment republican, that vacuum will exist, john, and somebody will fill it. the question is, will he have the billion dollars he will need? he can't win. >> billionaires can come in -- >> enough of the lotalk about chamber. a takeover of the u.s. senate is a heavier and trickier lift for the gop. but it is not undoable. currently the senators comprise of 57 democrats, 41 republicans, and two independents. 37 seats are up in two weeks. to win the senate majority, the republicans need sen seats currently held by democrats. four seats in four states are tossups. according to a poll by rasmussen this week. they are california, illinois, washington, nevada. the california race is between two women, republican carly

fiorina, former hewlett-packard ceo and democrat barbara boxer who is seeking seeking her thir as senator. both ladies are coming out swinging. >> barbara boxer has been in washington, d.c. for 28 long years and the results of her policies are devastating for this state. when she was ceo of hewlett- packard, before she she was terminated, actually. she shipped 30 ,000 jobs overseas. >> the most politically decisive issue of this campaign in california? i ask you eleanor. >> we have 9.7% unemployment and people are worried about jobs and they don't like the fact jobs are going overseas. the irony in that california race is that fiorina did oversea the shipping of jobs to china and india and she is now accusing boxer of accepting contributions from companies that shipped jobs overseas, including contributions from hewlett-packard. so it is two degrees of separation. everyone is guilty in the global economy, but the

republicans actually advocate these policies and the democrats are trying to fight against them. that is a dividing line. >> the republicans are vulnerable here. they are not doing it, but it is a very vulnerable issue because republicans are in fact to get world trade organization, free traders, 6 million manufacturing jobs left and the democrats are moving toward economic nationalism. >> who is responsible for the smear? >> all the way up to the president. >> what did the president say about the chamber of commerce? >> swindling foreign money -- >> is that a dirty trick? >> it's illegal. >> is he -- characteristic fashion? >> they are vulnerable because they have membership. >> the poor little chamber of commerce. excuse me, that was not the face they should have put on this. the money is coming from lots of other places. >> was it below the belt? >> it is below the belt because it is not true.

and it smells of desperation on the part of the democratic party. they are looking for anything to avoid a wipeout in the house in 18 days from now and the issue has gone away. i don't think it will make a difference. >> rebounded against the democrats? >> it hasn't rebounded against the democrats. i don't think it's going to make a difference. >> you think the corporations and american mentality are properly speaking whipping boys? >> they shouldn't be. look. when your administration has a reputation of being antibusiness. the last thing you should do is smear the chamber of commerce. this is a main street organization in communities throughout america. >> no evidence to say they are funneling chinese money. it is low. >> glenn beck sends money to the chamber and they got so much money, next they will be sending money -- >> the review picking on joe mccarthy. okay, nevada's senate race. senate majority leader,

harry reid and tea favorite, sharon angle are neck and neck. >> question, a few months ago when sharon angle won the gop senate primary for nevada, democrats were jubilant about prospects for holding holder's seat. what happened since then? michelle. >> i have to tell you, i'm scratching my head. i know pat likes sharon angle. i don't get it, but earlier this week between the debate. when she looked him in the face and said man up. he had a serious problem. [ laughter ] >> he may have lost it that day. >> she ripped him up. >> she did. >> she turned to him and said harry how did you make all that money when you were in the senate? >> was there so much in that debate? >> he got lost in a metaphor we just do not -- [ laughter ] >> if she doesn't want to -- she doesn't want to put any man based on insurance companies to

pay for anything. but she has been so mocked. all she had to do was look half way reasonable and she beat him in the debate. >> pat, now the illinois race. >> in illinois, democrat state treasurer, alexi has a tiny lead over republican representative, mark kirk. >> question, which way is this illinois senate race leaning, i ask you pat. >> this one is close. i think alexi is up a couple points now and obama is out there. i think it is slightly leaning toward the democrats. overall, john, the democrats have come back from august when they lost the senate and they have come back, i think they are going to hold the united states senate. >> which states lean republican in their senate inclinations? do you want to give that list? >> you have five locks. you have north dakota, wisconsin, indiana.

pennsylvania looks like it's gone. you have five that are very close. the kirk race would be one, nevada would be another. california, i'd salines democratic. washington state is very close. > let's talk about feingold. is he likely to lose to republican johnson for the senate seat in wisconsin? >> absolutely. it's gone. johnson has been above 50 in almost every poll. this is the key thing. these three liberal democrats, boxer, feingold, and murray, who never had to run in a republican year or ever had really tough challengers. you see all of them struggling this year. >> hold on. give me the exit question. will the democrats lose the senate? pat. >> i think the democrats will hold the senate. >> i agree. i think -- i see the republicans getting 7, maybe 8 seats, but i don't see 50. >> they'll get 10. republicans will take the senate. they'll get 10. republicans will take the senate. >> really? >> yeah.

>> will miss o'donnell make it? >> she's not going to make it to the senate. the democrat st are going to hold the senate. >> i think you probably right. issue three, obama's mendacity. >> a new book on barack obama is now in the stores. it is titled, "the mendacity of hope" written by roger d. hodge with a subtitle of quote, barack obama and the betrayal of american liberalism, unquote. on the fly leap of five prominent liberal intellectuals endorsing the book. bowman, wolfe, and cline. naomi cline says this, quote, ready to wake up from the obama dream yet? if so, this thrillingly scathing and relentlessly truthful thing is called your strong cup of coffee. secures of sloppy culture that

will this political era intervene. while expertly unmasking the corporate machine that is the real brand obama. drink up, unquote. repeat the author of the book is former editor and chief of harper's magazine 20/06 to 2010. roger d. hodge. >> what do you make of this? is this a condemnation of barack obama. >> robert gibb said the professional left wouldn't be happy if they put in dennis kusinich as president. >> president obama was elected, i always predicted that it would be the people on the far left that would be his undoing. from day one, if you go and look through excerpts of the book, it is interesting. every siege l time a democratic president getting elected, they take on philosophies of the

republican party. the far left will be this president's undoing. >> the economy is this president's undoing. in this midterm. i wouldn't count him now for reelection. liberals are disappointed. this is, i think, a fanciful criticism and -- [ inaudible ] this is not a reality. this is not a reality based -- [ inaudible ] >> how have they have suggested president obama get the 60 votes he needed to get the public option? >> this is why they are limited. >> with obama were widespread than this -- >> is this why there are limits to how much he can take if they take issue four, first lady on

the trail. >> first lady, michelle obama has been on a campaign swing. three weeks, seven states. this week she opened in wisconsin. >> many of us came into this expecting to see all the change we talked about happen all at once. right away. the minute barack walked into the oval office door. but the truth is, it is going to take a longer time to dig ourselves out of this hole than any of us would like. >> question, is the first lady a political asset in the midterm elections to take place two weeks from this coming tuesday? eleanor. >> she's an asset, but she's not determinative. i think that people are welcoming here and people like to see her, but what she's doing is sort of using a teacup to scoop the water out of the titanic. i mean she can't save them. >> what does she have to be aware of? >> she doesn't want to be seen

as too partisan. >> first ladies are responsible for worthy causes. her worthy cause is the fight against obesity, correct? >> right. >> and -- first ladies stick with that. she's exactly right. they stay out of the -- >> they should. >> she is an asset and i don't think she wants to be out on the campaign trail. i don't think people are going to attack her. i don't think she's a happy camper in the white house, to be honest. she doesn't seem to be -- she was reluctant to get out there and you read what she allegedly said to the first lady of france. she hates the job and stuff. i would not be surprised if she were not an influence if barack were deciding, i'm not going to run again. >> she refers to her condition as unfur, at least that's the way it was translated by the

french publication that the first lady of france had her memoir published in. that's translated as hell or a severe drag. >> does anyone doubt that that's true? what i find actually very interesting about this is how much the role of the first lady has changed. if hillary clinton had done this, she would have been secured and then just a few years later, we see that president bush's popularity went down and laura bush is the angel who does the campaigning and seeing the same thing now with mrs. obama. i don't know whether she likes it or not, time will tell. it's fascinating that the first lady's role has changed so much that they can go out on the campaign trail. >> they always go out. hillary was out on the campaign trail, so was laura bush. >> she was looked as she was wearing the pants in the family. >> when do you think her schedule was formulated? after the current drift in obama's popularity? >> i don't know. certainly true that she is a minor asset where as her husband is a liability.

so that makes her a big net asset. >> her popularity ratings are higher than his, that's a fact. >> the notion, though, that michelle is unhappy and obama isn't going to run again, forget that. midterm elections go on to reelection. ronald reagan and bill clinton did. so -- >> he would have to spend the rest justifying why he wasn't a failed president. >> also at that level -- >> what's the point? >> at that level, if anyone has the ego to actually run for office and then win, do you really have the ego to say i'm throwing in the towel after one term? >> do you think -- do you think that he's a little bored by the job? >> no. >> does he indicate that in his public utterances?

>> he doesn't have that great edge. >> does he have the fire in the belly? >> i don't think it doesn't mean he doesn't have the fight early. he is a compelling public speaker when he is talking on the campaign trail. i think the fact that he speaks differently when he is talking about economic issues or the war and he's talking from the oval office from a tell prompter. it's a matter of -- >> they have a low boredom threshold. when he attacks an issue and exhausts all of george bush's tax cuts will be extended during a lame duck session true or false? >> we will roll them. >> they will punt and make the decision early next year. >> true. they will be extended. >> they'll be extended. >> true, they will be extended. that was a copout on your part. bye bye. and a brilliant one. >> i think that's what they are going to do, actually. vogeico, committed to providing service to

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