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

issue one, aaron gobra. ♪ ♪ >> my name is barack obama. [cheering] of the moneygal obama. and i come home to find the -- that we lost along the way. >> president barack obama at and first lady michelle obama this week attended a g-8 summit in europe. the first stop was dublin. irish prime minister kenny greeted the president and the first lady. president obama and his entourage then traveled by motorcade the 87 miles to moneygall, to visit a distant relative of five generations ago, his great, great, great- grandfather.

his name was -- kearny. in moneygall, obama tried his own hand at rhythms, coupled are three words of authentic gaelic. >> remember that whatever hardships the winter may bring, springtime is always just around the corner. if they they keep arguing with you, just respond with the simple creed -- yes, we can! >> question, will were there compelling reasons for the state visit to the irish people? or was this mostly a campaign event, pat? >> look, i think it was terrific. the irish are one of few people on this earth that really like americans. he goes over there, he's got ancestors there, jack kennedy it did it, other presidents have gone there. it's a terrific thing. ireland has some problems, as you know. it's one of the countries that has some real debt problems. i think it's terrific and it's a good way to begin the trip,

and i think it's a very question to ask that in such a harsh way. >> i'm irish. you know. >> you're watching that footage, i was thinking the real irish love this president a little more than the irish americans on this set. i think therare three of you! there are warm bonds between our country and ireland, and i think it was a boost for the irish and the boost for the president and and there are a lot of irish americans and it's important to have their ethnicity celebrated and it's kind of wonderful that obama is trace his mother's side to find this relative and to see where he comes from, his roots. so i think i don't have any complaints. >> yes, he's my cousin. >> he went to see his great, great great-grandfather, where he lives. what is the connection between him and -- >> my name is carney and ire

lands it was sold kearny. they're from the same name, different part of ireland. >> same name? you're meekly related to his great, great great, great grandfather by similarity of comparison? >> probably yes. i'm glad he went to ireland. conservatives have lots of goods criticisms of obama, but when he does his foreign trips i think his critics get silly and start criticizing every little thing he does. so i'm with pat. >> you're with pat on that, give him a break? >> yes. >> you want to bill him? >> political -- >> i would rather bill him for all the fund-raisers he does, where he travels to l.a. and gives a little speech and then sits down with ought these rich hollywood types, bills to to the taxpayers. >> this relates to 2012, you know? and doesn't hurt. million, 11.9 english, 28 million, 9%.

american, 18 million, 5.9%. italian, 17.5 million, 11.9%. english, 28 million, 9%. american, 18 million, 5.9%. italian, 17.5 million, 5.8%. polish, 10 million, 3.3%. are you surprised any of that? you're a chicagoan. >> absolutely. and believe me, john, in chicago on st. patrick's day, the whole town is irish. so am i. and i'm delighted to see president obama visiting ireland. it doesn't hurt him a bit. what is his base and also nationwide, it's one of most politically savvy groups in the country. >> you don't think he should tell the democratic national committee to pay for this and the motorcade from dublin to where he went? >> oh -- he can ask whatever he wants tom he deserves it. it's so hard to divide the -- itics from being president.

>> london calling. >> president obama and the first lady attended a buckingham palace state dinner in honor of the obamas, hosted by the spry 85-year-old queen elizabeth ii. mr. obama met u.k. prime minister david cameron, and delivered a speech to the u.k. >> we committed to working

together to that we could find an approach and is consistent w security needs. >> question, what are the intentions between the i don't think so and great britain today, pat? >> well, the tensions between -- britain is on sort of an austerity program now, also the british and french want the united states to be a little more aggressive in libya, which they've been very out front on. and for the g-8 he has problems with polls. the polls are concerned about given up the anti-missile defense and were the russians. so the real problems they've got is, john, they've got greece, ireland, spain and other countries that are real danger every going down, quite frankly. we've got the imf involved and the americans got their own debt problems. i'll tell you if you look at this, you look at the g-8, you're looking at a western world which is somewhat contracting and whose real

power relative to the rest of the world i think is clearly diminishing. >> the question was about u.s., u.k. relationship. and i this this was about putting the special back into the special relationship. and i think the footage of the president and david cameron, the british prime minister and their shirtsleeves playing ping- pong with 16-year-olds and got beat, but they seem to be a warmth and so i think they're both confronting similar economic problems. but the president was able to persuade nato to send some helicopters in to the libyan fight, and i think the president is kind of tough love. he's making the europeans take on the burden of libya, even though they don't like it. and they got them to pony up $20 billion in egypt. >> he's repairing dark. , churchill statute thing. the perception is obama, because his father is kenya, he's got no use for the old british empire and has a cool

relationship with the brits, and that's written about it the american press, and i'm sure this what you in part an effort heal that up. [everyone talking at once] >> make a bigger deal than anybody else because of their historical memory. but i thought there was significant that sarkozy and obama got together on friday to apply pressure on gaddafi and libya, that was a positive sign and this was -- the direction things are going. >> i think libya thing is a -- i doesn't see how france and england didn't learn our lesson from iraq and afghanistan. i feel the french may feel they got left of iraq and afghanistan. obama sorting leading from behind. sometimes works like he is just teaming up with other guys who want to do their own muslim- world peacekeeping types. >> they don't missouri in the middle east without us leading down there. and our wig -- trying not to be

as deeply involved. but we've already got two wars to worry about. >> give me a grade on obama's performance in europe this week. a through f. >> i think he gets an a+ in ireland. he did an excellent job -- >> overall grade. >> a. >> easy a. >> easy a. >> b. >> a b? why? >> i'm a tough grader. i don see much of substance, this they all talk free trade in europe, and they'rer now they're mild in bailouts. something bold needed to happen. he didn't. >> what came out of conference? >> that's what i'm saying. >> what are you looking for. >> maybe we can all start believing in the free trade re used to talk basketball, stop bailing out banks, stop bailing out countries and maybe stop intervening in places like libya. >> and start celebrating the chrysler paid back its government bailouts. >> yay! >> when you see the president of the united states and his -- >> b is above average.

i'm not giving him a failing mark. >> with the queen and dinner! around you proud of him? and her? >> he missed up on the toast. >> i meaner the overall impression. how did it go over on the world? >> fairly. >> you still given him a b? >> b is -- >> g-8's are non-eventful this. was very significant. i thought he did very well. and i definitely give him an a. >> on the substance of the meeting, do you think anything came out of it? >> you know, it's often hard to tell, but i think what we're talking about was libya, as well as nato. >> these are side. >> there was progress. >> side benefits. they wered at the meeting too. >> yes. >> this was a matter of -- established agenda in the meeting. >> right. but you know why we're in lib yam it's sarkozy started this thing because he's in trouble politically and trying to make issue two, pawlenty's in! >> we need a president who understands that our problems

are deep and who has the courage to face them. president obama doesn't. i do. >> i'm tim pawlenty. and i'm running for president of the united states! [cheering] >> tim pawlenty made it official this week. he is the recently retired republican eight-year governor every minnesota. he wants to be next year's republican candidate for president. here's why. >> president obama won't even address the major spending and deficit problems in the country. he's no plan for reforming social security, he has no plan for reforming medicare, he has no plan for reforming medicaid to speak of. >> pawlenty has a major advantage in the republican presidential primary race. namely, where he is from. his heartland, minnesota. pawlenty was born raised in and served as governor of the state of minnesota. and minnesota has produced towering figures in american politics, culture and jurisprudence.

warren burger, sinclair lewis, j paul getty, eugene mccarthy, f scott fitzgerald, walter mondale, william and charles mayo, and bob dylan. also minnesota is a border states of iowa. iowa knows minnesota and minnesota knows iowa. so penn's minnesota background, particularly as governor, gives him an edge in the iowa caucuses and iowa's presidential primary. together these races add up to the kingmaker, the king then goes on to win more caulk busses primaries, collectively fingerrering the party's favorite for the november 2012 presidential election. bit way, here's of former governor of former governor tim pawlenty. age 50, white, married, two teenage daughters, ana and mara. university of minnesota, ba in doctor of law. practicing attorney, 15 years. minnesota's state legislature house of representatives, 10 years. minnesota house majority leader, four years. state of minnesota

eight years, 2003-2011. question, can pawlenty win iowa? tim? >> absolutely, and i'm very happy he began by going to iowa and attacking ethanol subsidies, especially because he used to favor them. that takes guts. his being from a border state is good. okay, michelle bachman could complicate it, but if the ethanol thing is a cue and he'll really battle the special interests like barack obama pretends do do, i think he can catch a lot of attention and win iowa. >> who is that lady? >> michelle bachman. >> the alpha female is. >> and she's too from minnesota and could -- >> born in iowa. >> born in waterloo, and she could tap into the evangelical base and tea party base better than they about. >> what about the problems she has, where places are located. >> oh, workplaces? -- [everyone talking at once] >> she had historical problems,

said the founding fathers ended slavery. she's a very -- >> said something in maine and new hampshire that's not there? >> it was some r on -- for that. >> i think her sweetness and historical knowledge and history of the country is lacking, but she is sarah palin with,ing skills, and if she gets in, she will be a factor, certainly in iowa. she will give pawlenty heart -- but she's not nominatable, i don't believe. pawlenty can still go the distance. she can't. >> which one is more the alpha female? you heard the alpha male. the alpha female. more palin or bachman? >> palin is the alpha. bachman is -- defers to her. >> bachman can if she beats pawlenty in iowa, she finishes him off, i do agree that pawlenty can win the presidency of the united states if he can

get the nomination. i think if he loses iowa, unless he comes in very close to number one, i think he's gone. >> question, who has the best chance to win iowa? you want to get that far ahead of the game? >> i would say bachman-romney, frankly. >> really? >> yewinning iowa? winning iowa! >> i think bachman or pawlenty wins iowa. i don't see romney winning iowa. he wins new hampshire. i think there's going to be a contested nomination. i don't think bachman finishes off pawlenty in iowa. iowa is so discounted. >> pawlenty in iowa. >> really? >> more likely than anybody else. >> really? >> yes. one -- >> they got all top in one? >> yes, ma'am and then romney wins new hampshire, sure. >> but -- >> iowa controls. iowa -- . >> popular in iowa, but i expect a possible surge by the

tea party folks of whom bachman is a clear favorite. if she doesn't have any competition there, her opposition could be divided enough that she could win the iowa caulk us. the answer is issue three, district 26, new york. >> we had the issues on our side -- we did not have the right -- >> right -- hochul

kathy hochul rand calls it premium support. after the election ryan accused the democrats of demagoguery. >> if you can scare seniors into thinking their current benefits are being affected, that will have an effect. >> on wednesday, the u.s. senate, the senate, voted down the ryan plan 40-57, five republican sided with the democrats. scott brown, massachusetts, susan collins, maine, lisa merkow ski, alaska, olympia snow main, and senator rand

paul, kentucky. tim carney, what else happened in that race? i'm thinking about it, remember the name of jack davis. >> he was a democrat who was running a pretend tea party candidacy. >> what happened? >> he brought in 9%. >> did they do that with a purpose in mind? >> yes, i think -- >> it's a convinced democrat. >> yes. >> and he managed the tea party -- >> may have done that -- [everyone talking at once] >> yes, they had done in in other districts. >> why did they do that? >> it was a strategy they tried in other districts. [everyone talking at once] delivering this republican seat to the democrats. >> i don't think you can say every one of his votes would have con to corwin. >> how many would you say would have gone to him? >> i don't know it. would have bin a -- the fact -- [everyone talking at once] >> the fact that it was 4 points. >> now, he would even easily have delivered that. [everyone talking at once]

>> playing math is not politics, john. that's traditionally republican district. this is a third -- >> there's another reason -- so what -- >> there's a reason why -- >> it was -- >> it was -- [everyone talking at once] >> it was a proxy race for 2012. and it basically is highlighted the fact that the medicare proposal, the republicans have on the table is creating medical problems. [everyone talking at once] exit question, is the republican de get in new york's 26 a wake-up call for the republicans who backed paul ryan's proposal to reform medicare, pat buchanan? >> as sarajevo said, you bet 'ya! >> yes. >> it's the same as social security, five years ago, where republicans put up a plan, democrats don't have to put up an alternative and attack demagogue, demagogue. they should have learned their

lesson. >> because they use the same strategy to block obama's health care rae reform. ryan's plan has lost momentum. >> the answer is it doesn't prove anything about ryan's acceptability or not. it has to do with davis concerni issue four, gas bloat. >> in many places, gas is now more than $4 a gallon. meaning that you could be paying more than $60 to fill up your tank. $3.83 per gallon, practically 4 bucks. that's what the average national price for a gallon of gas has bloated to this week. last year, the price of gasper gallon was a dollar cheaper. today three out of four americans say high gas prices are causing their families financial hardship. about 50% of all americans say gas prices require them that make major changes in their lives, including cutting back

on their annual vacations. who is to blame? who else? barack obama, they say. 61% of americans believe president obama's policies are to be blamed for the nation's painful gas costs. to this mr. obama says, holds on! relief is on the way. >> i believe we should continue to expands oil production in america. we should increase safe and responsible oil production here at home. >> the president has issued executive orders to do just that. item, alaska national petroleum reserve. sell drilling leases to drill for oil on a 23 million-acre piece of land, not be confused arctic ocean. mr. obama wants to extend existing leases to conduct offshore drilling.

item, drill now! give incentives to oil companies to drill more and drill faster. item, atlantic coast. review the environmental dangers of speeding up shoreline drilling. but, new jersey democratic senator bob menendez says in effect, much ado about nothing. the money saved is not worth the potential environmental risks. "the department of energy has rejected that drilling all our coasts, even the jersey shore, would only reduce gas prices by question, what about that deadbeat senator and his view? it's only going to yield very little. you agree with that? >> probably right. but obama is going through the proper motions a president much appear to be doing something, be he said there's not much a president do to affect gas prices, republican or democrat. but no president gains any points by telling people that truth wow going through the motions of -- drilling leases. >> also, leases take a long

time. his administration of a few years ago, three or four years ago, are just coming alive now because -- ding -- >> the long haul you can if effect it [everyone talking at once] >> the problem over the long haul is you have countries like china and india and others booming and consuming more and more oil, and you take all the oil producing countries in the world and any number of them have been flat lined and some of them their production is declining. so you've got this enormous demand that's growing, john, and production that's declining. ultimately, they're never going back to $2 a gallon. >> why is demand rise sog quickly, so highly, so significantly in china? why? >> their economy is developing. >> meaning what? 72 meaning people are getting the richer. >> what is the other factor? >> by using energy. >> china subsidizes gasoline costs! >> but the obama, he -- he's blamed for the oil prices silly except that he is pretended to

be super-president who solves every problem. he has to get government out of way and stop the regulations. >> they came from china for a -- than we pay here. >> china subsidizing the costs of gasoline! do you understand? our government does not subsidize the cost of gasoline. >> we ought to be taxing it. >> what drives the politics, and -- this morning on the radio they were telling people to go over the bay bridge to the beaches to leave before 7 in the morning or 10 at night because there would be 12,000 more cars because gas prices have suddenly taken a dip. and they're lower. so where does that fit in to their scary -- >> you're got the last word. quickly. >> buy now, before it goes up, before prices go up again. >> you mean fill up now? >> yes. >> 3.89 is good? gaddafi will be out of office by july 4th, yes or no?

>> he'll be gone. >> i agree, he'll be gone. >> no, he'll still be there. >> why do you say that? >> i think he is hanging on. that's the reason. >> he'll still there there, he's like castro. >> clarence is right. memorial day was declared a national holiday 143 years ago. today we salute the foreign military heroes over the course of our history for their dedication, their service