race in iowa. it look like the negative ads are working. newt gingrich has taken a nose dive to fifth. mitt romney has the lead followed closely by ron paul. and a big surge into third for rick santorum. the democratic strategist who worked for hillary clinton, john kerry, and al gore. now he's at winning our super future pack. good morning. is this a mitt romney's race to lose now? >> i think there's some of that going on out there. it's interesting. we have talked about before the concept that those folks who won the iowa caucuses are not necessarily the people who go on to win the nominee or win the presidency. so things are fluid going into those final days. >> although he does seem to be peaking at the right time. >> definitely. she's showing some strength there. but what's interesting to me,

and i know you have shown this, is this issue of intensity. last summer you heard people before the debt ceiling deback kl. what you see in the poll today is that intensity not quite as strong as everybody thought. and romney's intensity not as strong as some of the others.ç that could have a lot to do with what happens on tuesday night. >> your boss getting pulmmelled by those negative ads. he should be man enough to take responsibility for the negative ads. seems they worked. can newt gingrich recover? >> they have worked. but in the polls, they have work ed. we'll see if it works on tuesday. four years ago, mitt romney did the same thing to mike huckabee running negative ads. mike huckabee stayed positive and beat mitt romney.

mitt romney, peaking. his polls read like an e koe cardiogram for someone who has flat lined. >> one of his supporters was on yesterday and made this argument, which is that, yeah, he stayed at that level. but he's the one that's been consistent. everyone else has peaked and fallen. so that's not a bad place to be. wouldn't you rather be where mitt romney is? >> getting them to nominate him is like getting a wildcat to a trash can. they have tried everybody else. and they have done something here to try to bust up the conservative vote. they have helped rick santorum now to peak and leaders have endorsed rick perry. he's a solid guy. but a vote for rick perry is a vote for mitt romney. >> but to your point, let me show you something else.

tea party support is really splintered. 20% forç santorum. 17% for romney. perry 15%. when you look at that split, i'm wondering why are they having so much trouble settling on a candidate? is it to their disadvantage? >> what it reflects is a couple things. the strength of this field, which is not terrific. to mitt romney's credit, he's run a disciplined campaign, but e he does top out here. whatever rick wants to say about huckabee and romney last time, he did not become the nominee. >> he came in second. >> second did you want get you the white house. what matters most to people is there's an issue of consistency here. it all shows, and we should pay attention to this as democrats. the tea party members are not

monolithic. maybe not all are willing to settle for second best. and i also think that when you see the kind of damage that the negative ads have been doing in this caucus battle here at the end that's so intense, it's demonstrating the deep list of vulnerab vulnerableties the candidates have. >> when you talk about intensity, that's something that has served republicans well in the past. ultimate ultimately, we talk about social media. we talk about how the campaigns have changed and how much pack money is going into the campaigns. but there's still this critical element of boots on the ground and people going out on a cold october morning. do you think thaáç that intensiy is going to be there for the republican party that does seem to be so split? >> look, i hope so. iowa, i have been in iowa for ten years. i have been in the state fair.

i've been in the businesses. iowa has set itself up. they are a discerning people who meet candidates one on one and candidates go to all the counties and do this. but if they were to reward mitt romney, who spent the least amount of time in iowa and the most amount of time on negative ads, the future for iowa is bleak. the candidates say i get it. i don't need to go to iowa. that would be a sad commentary for iowa. >> i think rick does a disservice to the people of iowa. >> i didn't say that. it remains to be seen. >> i don't think their goal is simply to hang on to the fame of the iowa kcaucus. these people have real concerns about their family and this economy. when they engage in this, they are going to vote for the right person to do that. now, what happens is you have a situation where you're not seeing the level of intensity that supports any of these

candidates. there's a lot of undecided. we'll seeonçci what happens. we could wake up with any number of scenarios. >> we are out of time. it is so good to see both of you. happy new year. >> take care. >> check out the front page of "usa today". all seven candidates stating their cases to the reporters. this is written by susan page, a friend of our program. she's coming to us from çiowa. good morning. >> good morning, chris. >> i read all of this. i thought there was some really new insights in every single one. kudos on that. but the quote of the piece had to be michele bachmann. i want to be america's margaret thatcher. somewhere in the back of my head, i heard ronald reagan saying i knew margaret. she was a friend of mine. michele bachmann, you're no

margaret thatcher. was she serious? >> i think she is serious, but she has a terrible problem. she's spending a lot of time here. she won the ames straw poll just a couple months ago. but she looks like she's headed to the bottom of this pack in this very fluid race. it's been remarkable. we interviewed the seven candidates. five of them have lead in iowa at some point in the past few months. rick santorum is now on the r e rise. it's been quite a race here. >> you talked to mitt romney. we have heard over the last day or two, he's been maybe even a little giddy on the campaign trail. yesterday he was saying let's have the caucus now. i'm wondering how he seemed to you. the wrap on him is that he has this shell. there's a coldness to him. a slickness i guess. >> he's had some troubles connecting with an audience. when i interviewed him on his campaign bus, he was just as lax as i have seen. i have been interviewing him since he was governor of

massachusetts. he's currently feeling good. the fact he's spending time here is a signal he thinks he will win here. what a boost that would be to win in iowa, win in new hampshire. that makes itç hard, not impossible, for another candidate to come back. >> i want to ask you about the whole sort of difference about caucuses and people need to commit. you don't just go in and cast a ballot. you commit yourself to an evening. one of the new things our poll showed is that rick santorum and ron paul have the most enthusiastic supporters. and i'm wondering how you sense the enthusiasm of the mitt romney supporters. could that be a problem for him? >> it could be. in talking to voters at mitt romney event the other day. a lot of them were still shopping around. they like some other candidates too. they were worried they had flaws. they were coming reluctantly to mitt romney. they didn't find mitt romney unacceptable. i think the enthusiasm factor is

a problem for him. you go to a ron paul event. those supports i are committed to ron paul and ron paul only. definitely a difference there. but that very lack of intensity in a way that could make him more to get the nomination. so in some ways, we see mitt romney playing a very long game here. even in the speeches he's giving now in iowa. >> you also talked to newt gingrich. talk about a fall. what else is he going to say? his support is stronger than the polls would indicate. is he in denial? >> you know, i think he is hoping to hold on. i think he acknowledged in the interview he's not going to win in iowa. that's what it looked like. he knows that's not going to happen. he's hoping to hold on through iowa and new hampshire. go to south carolina. a friendlier terrain.ç a harder place for mitt romney. so he's hoping to hold on and

then surge back in south carolina. south carolina does have a good record. the south carolina primary has always picked the republican nominee in modern times. >> always great to have you on the program. thank you. >> thank you, chris. >> even if you're not an iowan, you can vote on our facebook page. who do you think will win the caucus? go there now and we'll have the results for you a little later. new hampshire newspaper "the union leader" may have endorsed newt gingrich, but it's what he says about ron paul. they say he's a dangerous man. what happens if he wins in iowa? those details coming up. in the meantime, the republicans continue to go after each other in iowa. and that could be working to president obama's advantage. the new poll shows the president's approval rating jumped to 45%, that's up two points from a month earlier.

his disapproval ratings dropped three points. the president will be head iingo iowa on tuesday. when our brandw to-do lists become "you did that yourself?" so when we can save more on the projects that let us build, make, and even store more, well, that just makes the stories even better. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. make room for savings with these sterilite totes for a new lower price of just $5.88. yoo-hoo. hello. it's water from the drinking fountain at the mall. [ male announcer ] great tasting tap water can come from any faucet anywhere. the brita bottle with the filter inside. i'm a dad, coach... and i quit smoking with chantix. knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking.

chantix reduced my urge to smoke -- and personally that's what i knew i needed. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. these are the reasons i quit smoking. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's our biggest clearance event of the year where our prices are even lower.

save money. live better. walmart.

no candidates' campaign surge is complete without getting slapped down by negative ads. here's the new one that rick perry is running against rick santorum. >> who demanded more than $1 billion of earmarks in his 16 years in congress? >> rick santorum? >> right. santorum grabbed for a billion in earmarks until voters kicked him out of office in a landslide. >> here's santorum's defense. >> i said and i have after i left the congress, i defended my earmarks in the sense that i'm

but a blogger reports she does want to retire because he spoke with her daughter who said pelosi would like to have a life. and kelly clarkson facing backlash after writing i love ron paul on her facebook page. she believes in less government. so clarkson insists paul is her favorite of the gop hopefuls. you can't deny ron paul has

a loyal follow lg. he's take an lot of heat from the other candidates. >> the problem with paul is that things republicans like about him, which is his bold economic plan and his cutting the government are the things that he's proven over a 20-year career he's not been capable of rallying support to do. he's passed one bill in 20 years. >> what energized people is the fact that ron paul would be dangerous. >> you can go with congressman paul. he's not electable at the end of the day. let's be real about it. >> john richardson profiled ron paul. good to see you. what is it about him that -- physically, when you talk to people about the typical president. they like tall men. presidential-looking. but what is it about ron paul that sort of unassuming looking fellow that has people so

passiona passionate. >> he believes something. he's believed it consistently for 30 years. that's so unusual in american politics that people are drawn to it. he articulates in an uncompromising way. what are the believes that republicans say they have but don't actually do which is small government. >> he's getting huge crowds. let me play a little clip so people get a sense of it last night in iowa. >> in the last ten years, we added $10 trillion to our national debt from the wars we have been fighting overseas. i do not feel safer because of it. i feel more vulnerable economically. >> on the surface, a lot of what he says you understand why people gravitate to it. although you go a few layers below, some of it can get whacky. but you have had a chance to spend time with him. to talk to him. tell us about the person you met. what was your sense of him?

>> well, he's a very old-fashioned guy. very formal in a sense of having dignity and politeness and a reserve that i associate with my grandparents or my parent's older friends. >> and yet people coming out for him are young. >> there's something sort of radical and youthful about him because he really believes these things without sort of checking with the consensus to see if they are acceptable. he believes unacceptable things by the mainstream judgment. and so that's exhilarating to kids. plus he's antiwar and pro social policies on marijuana and stuff like that or would appear to be. there's a lot of reasons to like him. >> so stick around. i want to bring in a gop strategist and frequent guest on this show. you look at the crowds. they are huge. he kind of quipped yesterday, there are a lot more cameras than there used to be. does this attention help or hurt

him? >> it hurts him. that attention has brought the newsletters into the limelight. it's not difficult to have gotten 10% consistently because that support he has is very active. but now people are looking into the things he said. the things that he or those working for him in the late '80s does seem whacky. >> in one of the newsletters, one of the sections that was talking about the l.a. riots. "order was only restored in l.a. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks". is this -- here's what's interesting. you wrote something negative about ron paul. you're concerned about him as a nominee. but the backlash the amount of negative feedback you got was pretty big, right? >> from ron paul supporters and a lot of the feed back has been

antise mettic. so that kind of backlash i received speaks to the kind of supporter ron paul has out there. and if you're someone who is running on consistency for the last 30 years, it's pretty difficult to say i didn't believe things written under my name 50 years ago. and he has a lot of the fringe that's surrounding him. that fringe has driven him to the success he's had. now he's trying to say i still kind of support them. but those things were taken out of context. he's not given us a clear answer on why those things were written under his name. >> it is interesting to me that i think if a mitt romney, if something came out of it, it would kill him. is he the teflon guy? >> i'm not sure necessarily it would. rick perry has his own country club thing. but i think people who care

about whether ron paul who respect just visiting this like tourists -- >> this is one of the newsletters i don't know that he wrote this, but -- >> let me explain from the ron paul point of view. this is a political thing. we want him to denounce his associates and his people who wrote stuff under his newsletters. ron paul doesn't do that. he's not going to engage in a hypocrite call denunciation of his friends. he doesn't believe that stuff. i don't think he's a racist. when i spoke to him, he was passionate about civil rights effect on the vietnam war and black people whose courage he admired at that time. but he's not going to -- first of all, he's a libertarian. he's not micromanaging his staff. that's part of his belief system. and second, he's not going to say this old friend of mine who

i have known for 30 years i'm going to shun. because he has more decency in a way. >> not only the republican party, but the mainstream of the elect rat. racism has no place in politics. >> fascinating conversation. this has been a fascinating campaign. thank you, guys. happy new year. >> still looking for a late christmas gift? how about this? obama 2012 throwback winter hat. the obama campaign wants to make sure you're warm as the weather gets cold. let's not forget our furry friends with a dog bowl. and for the culinary lover, the obama 20 12 cutting board. do you buy these items for the campaign support? would you buy something like this? tweet us. all because so many people wanted to visit us... in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out,

they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi... florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home.

there are things percolating in the world of politics besides

the campaign. new bills from a florida woman who wants to crack down on hazing following the beating death of a drum major at florida a&m. they ruled the death a homicide of robert champion. he died after enduring severe beatings on november 19th. joining me now is congresswoman frederika. important topic. you plan to introduce an antihazing bill in january. let me make sure i understand this. under florida law right now, hazing that leads to serious bodily injury or death is a felony. explain what your bill will propose. >> it's a felony here in florida and. let me tell you this. back in 2001, there was a death

at the university of miami as a result of hazing. i was in the legislature at that time. and we were just devastated. so in 2005, we passed a bill that would make it a felony. and guess what? in 2006, we had a death at florida a&m university. two youngsters are now serving prison terms. but has that stopped it? no. so it proves that it's not a deterrent. so we have to pass a bill that has teeth in it. that has to be a national, federal initiative coming from every state in the nation. >> in addition to that if i read the reports right, your bill might include penalties for by standers of hazing rituals. is that right? >> exactly. we have got to get everyone involved and put the fear of god in every single person involved in hazing. and it also has to do with not only the people who are hazing, but it's the ones that are

watching. the by standers. the witnesses and also the one who is being hazed. so if you say to them, your financial aid, your work study, everything that you have that's federally allocated will be suspended if you are involved in a hazing incident, we think it will stop it. and then we want our attorney general holder to put together a task force, a commission, a national hazing task force or commission, we'll let him name it, to look at this whole issue of hazing and how we as americans can stop it and change the culture. because it's a ritual that's old as america in fraternities and college campuses. it's everywhere.

we have to stamp it out. >> i know you discouraged your own son from joining a fraternity back in the '90s because of the hazing concern. what are those folks telling you that you've been talking to? >> they think it's time to stop it. i served as regional director of an organization, and they called me the haze buster because i was able to stamp it out during my reign. but nothing is permanent with these kids. so we've got to find a way that impacts them personally. and i knew if when i was in the legislature if my son pledged, he was at florida a&m. they were going to beat him. i said let's solve this right now. don't pledge. so he didn't because i know me. >> congresswoman wilson, you

have been involved in this for a long time. we appreciate your time and happy new year. >> thank you. happy new year to you. sarah palin, haven't said that name for awhile. a group called sarah palin's iowa earthquake still wants her to run for president. they put ads on smaller stations across the state urging people to caucus for palin. there's even a radio ad urging iowas to vote rogue. we'll keep an eye on this one as well. mitt romney's senior advisor next. there's a different cream. i challenge that with olay. i've found one cream with everything i'm looking for... olay total effects. with 7 age defying effects in just one, easy to use cream. i've swapped to all-in-one total effects. why don't you swap too? what is this shorty? uh, tissues sir, i'm sick. you don't cough, you don't show defeat. give me your war face! raaah! [ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop.

did you hear sam... ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake. [ male announcer ] the new htc vivid. stay a step ahead with at&t 4g lte, with speeds up to 10x faster than 3g. ♪ if you people disappoint me on tuesday, you don't do what you're supposed to do on tuesday for mitt romney, i will be back. jersey style, people. i will be back. >> chris christie out on the stump for mitt romney, who is in the middle of a dash across iowa. with four days until the

caucuses, starting tomorrow, he'll make ten stops in three and a half days. roughly enough miles on his bus to get from boston to columbus, ohio. for a closer look at what it's like inside the camp, i'm joined by eric fernstrom. good to see you. it's been a pretty good couple days for your guy. our poll has him running neck and neck with ron paul. why romney instead of ron paul? >> you just played a clip of governor chris christie from new jersey who is joining mitt romney in des moines today. he's a great conservative. i don't think there's a bigger champion of government reform in the country. before he made his endorsement, he went through a process that's not unlike the process that primary voters are going through around the country. that is who is the candidate in this crowded field who is best able to restore america's

greatness as an economic super power? who is best able to go into the white house and on day one, be prepared to lead in some challenging circumstances. he concluded that mitt romney was that guy. we're thrilled to get his support. we're pleased with the crowds that are greeting mitt romney in iowa. i can't predict what's going to happen on tuesday. but we like the state of the race right now. >> newt gingrich is saying, you're beating him by going overwhelmingly negative. what i thought was a strange bed physical lows moment. david axelrod. today's polls reflect the devastation inflicted on gingrich by pro-romney voters. >> i'll say two things about that. first is, there are a lot of outside groups operating in iowa

and other states. some of them are running advertising against newt gingrich. some of them are running advertising against mitt romney. mitt romney himself in his political committee is up with positive messages in iowa, new hampshire, and elsewhere. that will continue to be the case. we do not control these outside groups. but to my second point, this is going to be a very difficult election. one of the outside groups, for instance, is organized to support president obama. and they have been almost exclusively focused on mitt romney and all of their communications are negative. this is what -- >> also to be fair about that. here's a president who for a year has essentially been attacked by all the candidates on the republican side. so, you know, they are fighting back. >> yeah, but the question you asked with respect to the negative advertising being run

by outside groups against the republican candidates, some of it has been run against newt gingrich. most of it coming from the president's super pack has been run against mitt romney. but we're prepared for this battle. it's not going to be an easy contest to go up against an incumbent president and his disciplined and effective campaign organization. we think we can match him blow for blow. what the race will come down to is whether you think barack obama has done a good job handling the economy. if he doesn't have this thing turned around in three years, he will be a one-term president. mitt romney is here to collect on that promise. >> thank you for being with us. keep is right here. mitt romney will talk to andrea mitchell today, only on msnbc. it's game on as the gop presidential hopefuls battle it out in iowa. the national committee is going after president obama. the rnc communications director

sent this. "our messaging strategy is simple. talk about the obama record. the democrats won't, but we'll be happy to." . joining me is mayor of minneapolis. good morning. >> good morning. i can't wait to talk about president obama's record. >> the rnc is suggesting that president obama made their case for them because the economy is still struggling spp it going to be difficult for obama to run on his record? >> four years ago, the president took office. we were hemorrhaging 700,000 jobs a month. we were stuck in a war in iraq that was unfocused. bin laden was running all over. we had health care costs out of control. greatest economic disaster since the depression. he led us to 21 straight months of job growth. he got us out of the war in iraq and got us bin laden. he took on american politics in health care reform and he's been

focused on the middle class. from the moment he took office, the republican party's number one job wasn't to solve those problems but to stop president obama. in spite of all of that, he got an incredible amount done. now we need a congress that gets things done. >> let's talk about strategy towards that end. he's planning to make a trip to iowa. there was a front page story a couple days ago about how the organization there is being built very strongly. a lot of people thought why so much time and energy in iowa for the president when obviously he's unopposed to the caucuses. explain that. >> you have to remember how the president got elected. iowa had a lot to do with it. it wasn't by running negative ads. it was by going door to door and looking people in the eye and having them ask tough questions and earning their trust. that's what we have done. we have more offices in iowa than any republican candidate.

meanwhile, what's happened is that mitt romney, who spent millions four years ago, has had an operation here for all these years. spent millions more to attack others and the entire field collapses and he still can't win the hearts and minds of iowans. president obama won the the hearts and minds of iowans and we're going to continue to do that one by one. >> it does seem that mitt romney is peaking at the right time. now he's really making a hard push in iowa. he put out another new ad today. it looks like he's almost unbeatable in new hampshire where he has a home. he's the candidate, isn't he, who will be toughest for the president to beat? weren't the democrats hoping, frankly, that this race would or still go on a long time and that the republicans can beat up on each other a little while longer? >> there's no doubt you'd rather have the other team fighting each other. but let's look at for a second. mitt romney is struggling to beat one of the weakest fields

in the history of these caucuses. if you go to dance and the other guys collapse and you're the only guy standing there, the person over there still won't dance is with you, that doesn't mean you're cast nova. that's really what's happening. the reality is this. if mitt romney is going to talk about as his advisor was just saying being an economic super power, we're going to talk about the fact we made 12 million in this country. president obama stepped up and saved the auto industry. mitt romney said we should have let it collapse. i don't think being a super power means letting china and everybody else make cars. the key to it is the president has a record to run on. more important, the future here is whether we keep moving forward or whether we go back to the failed economic policies of george bush and mitt romney that got us into this mess in the

first place. i will stick with president obama's chances in this one. >> there's a lot of security behind you suddenly. it's not for you mayor. it's because newt gingrich is going to be showing up. but we do appreciate your time there. thank you so much. happy new year. >> thanks a lot. >> furious cell phone customers are asking if verizon is committing a blunder by announcing charges for making a payment. my floor director is giving me one of these like huh? didn't anybody learn anything from netflix. >> i know. come january 15th, verizon is going to charge the $2 convenience fee for customers who make bill payments online or by telephone if you pay with credit or debit cards. so what this is is saying the fee is to offset the costs the credit card companies charge verizon for processing the payments. the phone company is encouraging you to go to the website and

choose one of seven alternative payment options to avoid incuring the fee. so you do have a choice. >> mandi dur ri, thank you. we'll see you in 2012. >> absolutely. happy new year. sears has put on a partial list of their k mart stores that will be closing. 79 of them in 25 states. sears won't say how many people will lose their jobs, although typical store employs 40 and 80 associates. we posted a link of the complete list on facebook.com. kitchen counselor here. mom, i think what she means is "greasy dishes." cascade complete pacs fight tough greasy messes better than the other tablet. there's only one cascade. love it, or your money back.

yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's our biggest clearance event of the year where our prices are even lower. save money. live better. walmart.

there is a very obvious 2011 oops moment in politics. we're counting down the top ten political blunders. eric burns has the list. he hello there from iowa. still no sign of speaker gingrich? >> not just yet. >> let's start with this moment. >> now that the worst of the

recession is over, we have to confront the fact that our government spends more than it takes in. >> on your list, obama pivoting to deficits. what went wrong? >> i think if you ask both the president strategists and the republican strategists for all the campaign, they will tell you 2012 will be about jobs. for most of 2011, that is not the issue he was trying to own. he was focusing on deficits and trying to come across as the responsible conservative in the aftermath of the 2010 campaign. >> next we have the republican vote on paul ryan's budget. is this going to come back to haunt them? >> i think it will. i think if you ask the republican strategists, even folks who were sympathetic to the idea of the paul ryan budget of restructuring, they are going to look back and say, it may have been a worthy piece of legislation, but it gave democrats a big issue for the

2012 campaign. every house republican who voted on the budget is going to have to defend it next year. >> i don't know if we called this the biggest blunder or regret. but let me play it for you. >> i'm announcing this morning on your show that i'm going to be ending my campaign for president. >> do you think tim pawlenty is regretting that right now? >> certainly, out here in iowa when folks look at rick santorum surging at the end of the campaign, there is a sense what if tim pawlenty had stuck with it? we wouldn't be asking in the first place. he put a lot of time and money into the straw poll. and came in third to michele bachmann, who is now at the back of the pack. >> not doing interviews for a long time. do we think mitt romney has fixed that? >> well, he certainly has come out in force over the last month

as your network knows as well as anybody. i think that romney's camp would push back on the idea it was a mistake for anybody to stay in a political bunker because it gave folks enough room to imploed on their own. but going into the general election, romney is going to have to contend with the facts in the eyes of a lot of voters, he's just not such a defiant candidate because of that low profile. >> and now the countdown to everyone's favorite. here it is. >> you can't name the third one. >> i can't. sorry. oops. >> oops. >> instant classic. >> i have seen that 500 times. it still makes me uncomfortable. >> yeah. i think for rick perry, it's an uncomfortable moment to think back on. this is a guy who won a lot of competitive elections in the state of texas. largely in races where he didn't have to debate. and over the last couple months, perry has been on the the stage

as often as any of the other candidates. it's sort of hard to imagine a way in which he wouldn't be better off if he tried to duck a couple of those. maybe limit his debate performances to just a couple selectives. >> here's what i'm going to say in the spirit of the new year and all that stuff. honestly, for the way people are scrutinized now that every second is recorded, whether it's on camera or somebody just has their cell phone going or something, i think it's amazing that more mistakes aren't caught. and at least whatever you think of an individual candidate, k o kudos for doing it. it's brutal on the campaign trail. >> absolutely. when people look at how well mitt romney is doing here, also the fact rick santorum has hung in there, what they point to is the fact these guys are political pros. they stand out from the field in the sense of having run in

competitive races before and just having mastered the basic of delivering a message. >> the rest of your list is on our facebook page. thank you. today's tweet of the day comes from garrett headache. romney just made his interest in ames by riding his bus into the warehouse. tomorrow, zip line? [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer... with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy?

jordan engaged, and the new year test. air jordan is on cloud nine this morning after getting engaged. he reportedly popped the questionover the christmas weekend. it will be his second marriage. also thainnks to technology more people kept track of santa than ever before. norad broke records for

followers. more than a million followers on facebook. a million and a half people down loaded the free app. folks in times square are getting ready to welcome a million people. they tested the confetti drop to make sure it floats properly to the ground. do you hate certain phrases in the english language like cone of uncertainty? didn't make the list, but the list of words banished from the queen's english is out. this year's list, amazing had the most nominations. along with shared sacrifice, occupy, win the future, and baby bump. and check out these baby penguins learning to live on their own. the little ones are just a month old. they still lean on mom and dad for things like warmth. and this kitty used one of

its nine lives. they found the cat in the rubble of a condo fire in canada. not only surviving the flames but also the water and building collapse. wow. and also our poll on facebook. who do you think is going to win the iowa caucus? our viewers say ron paul. thank you for responding. and that's going to wrap up this hour and this year of our show. i'm chris jansing. have a great new year. we'll see you back here on monday. challenge that. new olay smooth finish facial hair removal duo. first a gentle balm. then the removal cream. effective together with less irritation and as gentle as a feather. new olay hair removal duo. and as gentle as a feather. when bp made a commitment to the gulf, we knew it would take time, but we were determined to see it through. today, while our work continues, i want to update you on the progress:

bp has set aside 20 billion dollars to fund economic and environmental recovery. we're paying for all spill- related clean-up costs. and we've established a 500 million dollar fund so independent scientists can study the gulf's wildlife and environment for ten years. thousands of environmental samples from across the gulf have been analyzed by independent labs under the direction of the us coast guard. i'm glad to report all beaches and waters are open for everyone to enjoy. and the economy is showing progress with many areas on the gulf coast having their best tourism seasons in years. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home.

i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems,

tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's our biggest clearance event of the year where our prices are even lower. save money. live better. walmart. caucus countdown in iowa. just four days left and mitt romney and ron paul are neck and neck in the latest poll. what the numbers are telling us and what could be to blame nor newt gingrich's dropoff there. can jon huntsman bring his campaign back to life? we'll t