from washington, "the mclaughlin group," the american original. for over two decades, the sharpest

we made a decision in the beginning of this race at our kitchen table against all the odds. and we made a decision over the weekends that while this presidential race for us is over, for me, and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting. >> primary rival former governor mitt romney responded to the santorum news. >> this has been a good day for me! [cheering]

senator santorum has decided not to proceed with his campaign, and i had the chance to speak with him this morning. we exchanged our thoughts about going forward and we both have a great deal of interest in seeing the country take a very different path. he will continue to have major role in the republican party. >> question, why is santorum exiting the race now instead of slugging it out in his own home state of pennsylvania, and its primary? pat buchanan? >> that's the reason, john. let's assume he won pennsylvania, it would have no meaning at all since it's his home state. and if he lost pennsylvania, it boob a humiliation and defeat and people would say, that guy can't win his home state, and that would damage him in the future. i think he's not mr. conservative, but he is mr. social conservative, and what he ought to do now get himself a prime time speech at that

convention, do what governor romney asks him to do. he's the only one of these four folks who has a chance in 2016 as a republicans lose in 2012, and i think he ought to expand his own sort of personal base, if you will, to set himself up for another run, and be available for whatever governor romney or president romney asks him to do. >> i think the role that santorum conducted in the race guarantees he is not going to be the short list for vice president or in a romney candidate cabinet. there's a lot of brought on both sides, and i think what santorum did, he is getting out now because he ran out of money, but what he did is deepen the gender divide that romney has to try to make up, and he also deepened the split within the republican party between the so-called establishment and the pitchfork conservatives who pat's with. and say he's -- any favors and

if romney loses he'll be the first one to say i told you so but will have lot of competition in 2016. i think this is the ends of his presidential ambitions. >> do you want to respond to that? >> no. >> conservatives? >> they're old now but they still carry -- >> jeff, welcome. >> thank you. >> do you have thoughts on santorum. >> yes, i agree with what eleanor said. i think the obama campaign is probably up accept he left as well. they were delighted to see the arguing going on, all the fireworks between those two candidates was good for obama. and picking up on what you said, pat, i think another reason he lost is because he was probably going to lose his home state and that would have been a bad thing after he had some of that and establishment himself in the last -- >> he who fights if runs away lives to fight another day. is that what he had is take solace in? >> that's his only hope at this stage of the game. the real risk was just suggested. amp all, he left pennsylvania when he ran for the senate for

the third time by 18 points. so he had a real problem at pennsylvania, that he could have -- would have been the end of his career if he lost pennsylvania some i think he had no chance to get the nomination. so i think he made the bright political choice, and also ran out of money. >> conservatives now flock to newt gingrich, patrick. >> no, they won't. but i will say i think the conservatives are realistic in mort and i were talking earlier, look, they're going to have to realize that either they move behind mitt romney and move enthusiasticically behind him or they'll wind up with a second term for barack obama. this race is an 18-point margin. that's the lead president obama enjoys over governor romney in swing states with women voters. sosays a recent poll. but the poll was taken before a democratic consultant said this

on cnn. >> what you have is mitt romney running around the country saying, well, my wife tells me that what women really care about are economic issues. and when i listen to my wife, that's what i'm hearing. guess what? his wife has never worked a day in her life! she's never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are face engine terms of how do we freed our kids? how do we send them to school  and how do we -- why we worry about their future. >> this provoked ann romney, the governor's wife, to take to twitter and tweet -- ç >> rosen then responded, not on cnn but this tweet. >> first lady michelle obama also took to twitter and

tweeted -- >> question, was hillary rosen's attack on ann romney for not working part of a democratic game plan to make ann romney seem out of touch with ordinary voters? eleanor? >> if anything it was part of the republican game plan. ann romney is one of the most appealing people in politics today. she is not somebody that democrats are going to pick on as a target. and i think the president was right when he said spouses ought to be off limits anyway. but hillary rosen was saying she reignited a long simmering day bait between stay at home moms and women who work, and stay at home moms often feel disrespected. point she was trying to make is ann romney hasn't had a traditional job outside of the home where she's had to juggle work and family so can she relate to the problems of

everyday working women in the marketplace today? it was ill chosen words, and the republicans jumped on them with both -- as well as they should, and but the gender got gap is still there and based on a lot of republican policies that even ann romney cannot do. >> you want to add? >> yes, the loud noises you heard in the background were alarm bells going off in the obama campaign at the white house. that's the wrong message they want to be giving, especially at a time when obama is doing very well with women. he's polling very well, romney is not polling well some the last thing is center that handed to the romney campaign. >> why did she do is? >> i have feeling she misspoke and i'm sure she regretted too it. >> no, she didn't [overlapping speakers] >> it was a test to see whether they can get away with this kind of -- [overlapping speakers]

>> a tremendous gaff, but it came out of hillary rose senn a militant i think feminist, and there's an attitude among feminists that women who stay home are not at the same level. let me tell you why it hurts. i was raised by a mom who stayed at home, she raised nine kids, she runs a restaurant, chauffeur, that's all these things. she's a nurse, and all of the america, democrat and republican women, i'm raising all these kids and i've never worked a day in my life? what are you talking about? this was -- was an emotional hit and president obama and the democrats recognized it and moved instantly. >> but there is a part of the -- democratic campaign they want to make romney appear sort of not the ordinary -- not understand the problems of ordinary america and this is another version of it, okay? and i think she did misspeak, but i think it was a part of an overall attempt to try to make

romney seem isolated. he's too wealthy, blah, blah, blah. >> well -- >> have hard hitting attacks which they can immediately disavow, and the attacks nevertheless becomes lasting in people's memories, follow me? >> yes. >> is had what they were testing here? >> no. >> in other words -- rosen is too smart to have fallen for that. >> attack without going against the. >> hard hitting attacks in there is the way she did it. >> no, she got hard attacks, it was a real attack against [overlapping speakers] and the democrats because ann romney is now going to be a much more sympathetic figure when she campaigns for mitt romney. she is a sympathetic figure, they have five wonderful kids. and it's -- now a platform from which to speak. >> also -- [overlapping speakers] >> denied that distance themselves from it. but if you pause michelle's

words she didn't succeed in doing that. >> no, it's out there. this is not going to go away just because -- >> there's a longstanding tension between women who are home and women who are in the workplace. and a lot of women in the workplace feel they're disrespected if they had the choice to stay home 3 don't. so touched a number of nerves and a different level, and also haven't heard the phase militant feminism for quite a long time! >> hillary rosen is a feminist. >> of course she is! >> and this is right. >> i suspect -- [overlapping speakers] >> could be off limits to attack candidate spouses? >> yes, off flights politically, if you're not idiotic, you don't do something like that. >> jackson? >> yes. >> remember -- >> jesse jackson? >> no, president jackson. >> oh, listen -- >> how his wife was attack? >> she died before she was got to the white house. she was called a bigamist. rachel was her name and it was a brute attack and andrew jackson was looking for the

people who did it. >> both of these spouses are very popular. there's no reason to use çthem as a kicking bag -- [overlapping speakers] >> obama and his -- >> this is a very serious blow to the democratic party because it pushes them out to the feminist left, but mort is right -- ann romney is an enormous asset to mitt romney. even larger now on here's a woman who has had multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, raised five kids and someone says she never worked a day if her right. >> it's a verbal gaff. it won't close the dividender gam it's about a lot of issues -- [overlapping speakers] and a hundred laws passed by republican legislatures [overlapping speakers] women are smart enough to understand and see outrage. >> this is not outrage. >> because -- [overlapping speakers]

>> did not mean to international assault anybody. she was speaking in shorthand. >> was this blunder a colossal blunder? >> this is an 8 or 9 on a level of 10, yes. >> what is it? >> i'd say it's a 4. it will be over with in a couple weeks. >> a 4? >> 5, 6. >> >> they're ol issue two, summit down south! >> there are no certain senior or junior par commerce in the americas. we're simply partners. >> no rank. that's how president obama sees the u.s. relationship with the 33 nations of this hemisphere that are convening this weekend at the summit of americas. the president flew to agena, th wall city in the caribbean coast. question, is there a domestic political gle to president obama's attendance at the summit? will it help him move voters in the united states this fall and

the presidential election? >> i don't think the summit there will. if he took a trip to mexico it would help him. but this is just a bunch of fellow who talk, it's a publicity meeting. you've got 33 people there, and they silt around and discuss one issue, it's a big problem is the drug issue i which is real problem for those folks down there [overlapping speakers] >> first stop that obama made before going to columbia. it was in florida. and he told people there, when i'm at the summit, you're the people i'll be thinking of. that means it's political and he wants to reach out to hispanics and latinos and he wants them to know even though i'm spending a couple days outside of country, you're on my mind. >> it's good marketing and it's good politics. and obama's always look to be up the u.s. export market, and latin america has actually weatherrered the global slowdown better than most. they're prospering, and the markets over there -- are very good and çobama is popular. this is a terrific forum.

i doesn't see any downside. >> cuba was excluded, or excluded itself because obama said beforehand if cuba is there, the united states will not be there. what do you think of that? >> well, this is being a longstanding american policy to try to exclude castro's cuba from everything that you can. and by and large -- >> was there a domestic angle, the very point he made, he want cuban americans to vote for him in florida, if therefore he says it's cuba is not there, if cuba -- [overlapping speakers] is there, then -- >> he wouldn't show up. >> right. >> the cuban americans -- [overlapping speakers] >> and it's one of the things that has held back the evolution of the u.s.-cuban relations. >> okay, the other superpower attending the summit is brazil. the [speaking in spanish] >> i would like to thank the president of the united states and also the american people

for the very warm and friendly hospitality extended to me during to me and my delegation. >> it was brazilian president dilma rousseff's first official visit to the u.s. since assuming the presidency of brazil 15 months ago. on monday, she met privately with president obama for two hours to discuss trade and defense. here's a look at brazil. a superpower and a colossus. size, 3.3 million square miles, the larkest in south america and the third largest in this hemisphere, after canada and the u.s. borders, brazil borders all of the south american countries, except chile and equador. population, 206 million. economy, brazil's is the 7th largest of the world's 185 nations.

since 2003, brazil's macro economy has been expanding, and get this, brazil's biggest trading partner today is china. oil! brazil's atlantic coastline runs 4,600 miles. the red dots on this map depict brazil's vast oil acreage offshore. oil is what president obama wants to buy as he made clear. >> brazil's been an extraordinary leader in biofuels and obviously is also becoming a world player when it comes to oil and the united states is not only a potentially large customer to brazil but we think that we can cooperate closely a whole range of energy projects. >> by the way, brazilian president rousseff has a national approval rating of 77% in brazil. question, is brazil walking a

tightrope between its relationship with china and its relationship with the united states? pat? >> they are. that's right, john. the decisions are here and the united states is pouring all this money out and investments come into brazil and exports are becoming more expensive and their trade balance is bad. they've got their own problems also with the chinese, who are being pretty tough. but brazil is not a world center power. it's the greatest power in south america. that's it. military it's not a great center power. >> china is its number-one customer. >> china is number-one trading partner -- >> doesn't that concern you? >> the chinese are getting all this money from the united states, and they take it and invest it in in the world! >> to the extent -- oil production anything that diminishes the middle east is a good thing. but we can't just -- get oil from brazil. and what they're upset about it brazil is the tightening of the sanctions on iran because 30 see that disrupting the oil

market. so when the leaders get together it's a good thing the president has good relations with this country. it's an emerging power. >> i have to say with all due respect, what is happening with the iran has raised oil prices, which raises the revenues that brazil gets >> one of issues she raised -- >> i'm sure it is. she's hoping they raise prices even more. >> how is brazil's relationship with iran? >> good. >> it's a good relationship. i don't know that it's a close relationship. but any one of these mail oil producing countries get along well with the same objective. >> brazil worked with the turks on a deal to get iran out from under the sanctions, about a year ago, and hillary clinton came down and slapped them both down. >> bric. >> brazil russia, indio china and south africa. the emerging powers developing powers, brazil number 7, china number 2 in the world now. >> do you say we reached the

point where we're finally beginning to take this hemisphere, the united states is beginning to take this hemisphere and the south of border seriously? >> that's a message obama wants to give at this summit. and i also think that the brazil in particular would like to have a close relationship with the united states. one of the interesting back stories about the president's visit this week was that she didn't get a dinner. it wasn't a state visit. he had lunch. and that was something that the brazilians were upset become they'd like to have an elevated relationship with the united states. >> i think they were upset because the argentinan president visited with -- with what's his name, hugo, and the brazilians were pleased about that. but they have not themselves had any contact with hugo chavez. >> securities council. >> chavez is really ill. >> they want a permanent seat on the security council, but so also does japan and so also

does india. >> and the united states is lukewarm about offering support. >> they ought to be! >> by the way, the president and his wife's visit to south america flew over argentina, they didn't like that at all. flying over and not visiting argentina. >> they know issue three, north korea dud rocket launch! can you speak it that? >> yes, the white house is watching carefully when the rocket went off last night and it broke up. and i think the white house was probably pleased about that. although they did call it a provocative act, they also said on friday this means there's not going to be a food aid deal with north korea, which means we're back to the future in terms of waiting and seeing how this relationship -- talks continue. >> the humiliation of the north koreans and the young new president who is 28 years old had going to cause the north koreans to do something it, and

they prepared it seems another nuclear test inside a mountain that would be the third test of their nuclear device, and the fact that there's humiliated and need something to really redeem their prestige, i think means we're going to have a nuclear tested. >> one of things that -- intended to be an intercontinental rocket. now, the interesting thing is north korea has sold most of the rockets that iran has, they can use, to fire missiles. they're not intercontinental rockets. they're shahab missiles with over 300 in iran and they bought owl of them from north korea. >> and -- >> senior administration officials last night said to me, this will probably be or give pause to people interested in buying military technology. >> i want to back up to president obama's flying visit to south korea, about two weeks ago. were you there for that? >> i was not on that trip, no. but i watched it. >> you watched it. >> uh-huh. >> what was his point in going

to south korea? >> that was a nuclear summit. and one of the big things he has proposed or that he has talked about as president one of reasons they was given the nobel peace prize was his work for against -- against nuclear proliferation. there was a followup -- >> how many nations attended the south korean summit and. >> i can't tell you how many nations, but there were a bunch, and very big players. and that was basically obama's chance to say this is what we've done in the last couple years, he talked about russia. he had that very interesting gaff. >> the troops there. >> went up to the -- dm. >> you have been to the dmz. >> i've not been. >> i've basketball to the house that straddles the dmz line some half is in north korea, the other half in south korea. >> every president goes and stares across. i've been there with two presidents. but i think the white house has suspended the food aid. and i think the hope is that

the north koreans are so humiliated that they might be willing to talk. they'll probably conduct a nuclear test. they have better luck with those than with the missiles. but you don't know how this young leader is going to respond. he has been humiliated. they invited all the international press in, which is the first time they've done that. so everybody was there, and saw this fall apart. [overlapping speakers] >> admit it was a failure [overlapping speakers] >> what is the game plan of north korea. >> the game plan of north korea is to continue basically nuclear blackmailing the rest of the world. >> i think it's to shake down the united states, john, for everything they can get out of us by threats, but what they do want is the americans to leave the peninsula and they want recognition by the united states and they want to be recognized as an independent power, permanently, and they don't want to be united -- >> and big bomb with china. >> what is the expectation of china and china's relationship with them?

>> china -- >> china, we're using china to find some way to contain with north korea because china, like us, feels north korea's government is pretty much of a wild card. and so that's something they're very -- hard to believe how totally controlled they that family will have [overlapping speakers] >> knowledgeable about north korea, how much money are we expanding to north korea to meet their food aid? >> this i don't know. i don't know it's that significant. but it will be significant in north korean terps. >> that's what i meant. >> it's not breaking the bank at home. and frankly, the north koreans are very depend ent on it. but they siphon a lot of that food aid and feed the troops and have a million -- [overlapping speakers] >> new young successor, ruler in north korea. >> that's the big question, a lot of people don't know much about him. and this is an example of how -- >> educated overseas. >> i can't tell you that. forced prediction, yes or no? rob portman will be the running

played, vice presidential with mitt romney in the fall? >> no. >> not even odds. >> yes. >> yes. >> answer is yes! bye-bye!