joining me today, "new york daily news" columnist, s.e. cupp, ed rendell, former new york governor, george my tacky, and howard is a former adviser to hillary clinton. mitt romney is heading back to michigan this afternoon, with an event -- for an event with the tea party, insert scoff here. the former massachusetts governor and rick santorum went at it last night during the debate, but did anybody actually win? >> gone are the days when the republican party used to put forward big, bold, visionary stuff. >> i don't think there was last night any clear knockout winner. i think just some people, you know, i think senator santorum had an awful night. >> i'm not sure, right now, the republican brand is helping itself with these debates. and especially last night, where it felt like the shift was a little bit too much to the right and away from the middle. >> governor my tacky, was this a good night for the republican

party? or was last night a good night -- >> i think it was a good night for president obama last night. and i hate to say it, because i think it is critical for the future of our country that the my party defeat him this november. but when i watched the debate, the first question from an actual citizen was about the deficit and debt and president obama is driving us off a financial cliff. and immediately, it went to earmarks and who's the washington insider and who helped out in the 2002 olympics, which is also wonderful theater of the moment. but the american people want us to change direction in a big way. and we had an opportunity to state that last night, and it didn't happen. >> the inimitable chuck todd hashtaged the words weedsy last night, and i thought it basically captured what happened. rick santorum, let's just play a little bit of the back and forth on earmarks. >> what happened is there was abuse. when abuse happened, i said, we should stop the earmarking

process. but i did say there were good earmarks and bad earmarks. >> while i was fighting to save the olympics, you were fighting to save the bridge to nowhere. >> earmarks, s.e., earmarks. at one point, it became the great earmark debate of 2012. >> i've got to the say, and i hate to disagree with my friend, governor my tapataki, but it wa great night for real issues. rick santorum's weakness is not that he's a social conservative. that plays great in a republican primary. his weakness is his history of earmarking. his history of what could be perceived as being a big government, big-spending republican. mitt romney's weakness is not that he's rich and successful, it's that he passed a health care legislation in massachusetts, very similar to obama care. and that was tackled. >> but romney didn't have to answer for -- >> he did. >> if i might -- >> please do. >> i agree with you on your analysis of the impact within

the republican electorate, but we can't lose sight of the ball, which is winning the election -- >> you're ready for the general. and i'm with you. i'm with you. >> and i think we need to keep the focus on president obama, on his failed fiscal and economic policies, and it didn't happen last night. and that, what to me, was disappointing. >> i think you're right. >> you have to see these issues. >> i'm eager to jump in. >> yes, you are. >> one of the reasons why george pataki was so successful politically in new york was he knew the importance of talking to democrats and independents as a republicans. and what you're not seeing right now in the republican debates and the republican primary is anyone with any interest talking to anyone outside of a very narrow sliver of the republican electorate. these aren't even ordinary republicans. this is the far right of the right who are voting in these primaries. turnout is low. these are not people who are going to be the majority of voters in november. and the failure to talk to americans in the middle -- forget about the left. americans in the middle is really hurting the republican party right now.

>> let's get specific, though. i mean, i thought it was incredibly telling that rick santorum couldn't defend himself on an issue concerning planned parenthood, that's title ten. let's listen to what he said last night. >> i think i was making it clear that while i have a personal moral objection to it, even though i don't support it, that i voted for bills that included it. and i made it very clear, in subsequent interviews, that i don't support that. i've never supported it. and on an individual basis, have voted against it. >> governor rendell, as the elder statesman of the state, how did rick santorum not have a good answer for this? how did he manage to sort of flub this one? >> well, he got trapped into being a washington insider. and you're right. an incredible lack of preparation. you know what i'm struck by in these debates, though, alex, is how well governor romney does, how disciplined he is in his answers, and then he goes out on the campaign trail and he has no discipline and he answers

questions like almost a complete moron. >> that's unfair. >> well, it's pretty true. >> that's unfair. >> it's pretty true. >> it depends on your definition of moron. >> i said "almost." the juxtaposition is incredible. i think governor pataki's right, in terms of the general election, no clear winner. in fact, a bad night for republicans. but in terms of winning the michigan primary, which mitt romney has to do, he was a clear winner. he looked presidential, his answers were crisp, he was on the top of his game. and rick santorum, i thought, they said last night, "b" game, i know rick, and that was his "c" game. >> you know, i guess it's a matter, it's sort of a sliding scale and grading on a curve. because i watched mitt romney, and certainly his answers were better. he is, you know, more on the attack. but let's play a little montage of this sort of physicality and the behavior of mitt romney on the stage last night. >> much longer than 30 seconds. that's a long -- that's a long -- that's a long answer. nice try, but now let's look at the facts. i didn't follow all of that, but

i can tell you this. >> you have a constitutional requirement to balance the budget in four years. >> you get to ask the questions i want, i get to give the answers i want. >> it's like, howard, i tweeted last night that i thought someone was going to get stabbed in the thigh under the desk at some point. you can tell just the anger, lick the controlled anger and frustration. >> you know, the longer these primaries go on and the more debates you have, the more the candidates begin to get very frustrated and annoyed with one another. and we are at the point where people do want to start stabbing one another in the thigh, especially when they're seated in the way that they were at this debate, where they're this close. now, governor pataki and i like each other, so i'm not pulling out -- >> are you sure? >> i'm not pulling out -- >> for now! >> i'm not pulling out my fork. but this is absolutely the case. and it's one of the dangers in this long primary that is not in any way conclusive or seems likely to be conclusive anytime soon. >> but howard, your point is a good point, and i thought the republican party made a huge mistake by layering in 20 debates during this process. they could have told the

candidates, no, we're going to have maybe six or eight debates, et cetera, and it would have avoided the the problems you're referring to. but alex, i thought some of what romney did was brilliant. how about his exchange with santorum on romney care? when he essentially made it santorum's fault that obama care got passed into law. >> i think ed is absolutely right on that. and you have to give mitt enormous credit, because he was ready. and he had a clear mission. and that was to discredit his number one opponent, rick santorum. and i think he did an excellent job on that. on earmarks, on obama care, and on just the idea of a washington insider. >> but tell me why he wasn't ready to answer a question about his taxes. >> you know, i can't answer that. because i think what it is -- >> stunning. >> he's been focused and prepared, but you can't anticipate everything that's going to happen. >> his answer on no child left behind was just -- >> i understand, but let me just defend him a little bit here. we're all here, able to sit back the next day and say, oh, you did that wrong or you did that wrong. they deserve enormous credit. they're there.

and they can't anticipate every possible question. and over the course -- >> tax is a pretty predictable one. >> -- you're going to make some mistakes. >> you know, mitt romney has done a very good job in the case of this course campaign in discrediting whatever sort of mole comes up in a whack-a-mole game. you know, it's gingrich -- >> his super pac has made no small -- >> it's perry, right, i forgot. he's done a very good job in these debates. they've identified whoever is second at that point and gone after them with very good research and crisp lines. he has yet to make a compelling case for himself. >> exactly. >> which is one of the reasons why he's sort of stuck in the mud, stuck in the polls in this primary, as this primary process continues. >> they talk about the death star, and certainly mitt romney has one, but who's in the death star? darth vader. nobody actually likes darth vader. coming up, from birth control to contraception to birth control. social issues dominated last night's debate. are the candidates focused on the right things and who is really driving this

conversation? we'll ask meet the press' david gregory when he joins us next on "now." [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ 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. it helps to have people around you... they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. and you are. wheeeeeeeeeeeee! whee! whee! wheeeeeeeee! ah heads up. wheeeeeeeeeeee! everything you love about geico, now mobile.

download the new geico app today.

at last night's debate in arizona, a state hit hard by the recession and the morning crisis, the candidates said the word "jobs" six times, and birth control mentioned eight times. joining us now from washington is the moderator of meet"meet t press," nbc's very own david gregory. thanks for joining the program. >> good morning. or afternoon, i should say. >> it is afternoon. in the last week, we've heard santorum defending himself against lames that satan is targeting the united states, the president has been accused of assaulting religion and the constitution, and just yesterday, i think rick santorum accused him of crushing the

traditional judeo-christian principles. would you say this election is unlike any other in terms of the dominance of social concerns and religious concerns at this point in the race? >> no, i don't think it's unprecedented at all. i've talked to republican activists over the last couple of weeks who are actually impressed with santorum as a communicator and his message, and say, don't forget that republican primary voters always have a lot of these social issues very close to the surface. sure, they might be voting about the debt or might be very concerned about the economy, but these social issues really resonate in their minds. and they're not just about the role of faith. it's really, and i think the way that santorum is arguing about it, is role of government. and the role of government and intrusion into your life. you might find aspects of that hypocritical on the issue of abortion, you know, which something to get into. but the reality is, that's how he and others are using this. to paint this as ultimately government trespassing into areas that are, you know, that

are -- should be protected by certain liberties. and it's sort of the tyranny of government. that's what the overarching argument is. and while that may energize a lot of voters, the downside is what you've also seen. that whether it's in virginia, with the bill that the governor's now backed off from, or whether it's some of the backlash by even women in the republican party, who don't like this fight over contraception. is it there are independents, there are more moderate republican women who say, this is really not an area that republican candidates should be getting into. >> s.e., what did you make of this? we had newt gingrich talking about infanticide last night, we had ron paul clarifying what the 'morning after' pill does hormonally. as a woman, as a conservative, what did you make of that discussion? >> look, some of this, i know this is part of the zeitgeist right now, but some of this is up to the moderator, right? the moderator asks the questions, the candidates answer it. to newt's point, i think it's completely appropriate to bring up the fact that president obama and then-candidate obama's views

on abortion are incredibly extreme. this is not just a liberal view on abortion that he possessed running into the presidential election. they are extreme views, to vote against the infanticide bill was an extreme view. perfectly appropriate to bring up. rick santorum has to make a pivot now, and he's already done it -- >> but the contention was that he hadn't been asked about it and he had been asked about it in three separate venues. >> there were not three weeks of news cycles devoted to that story, alex. that's just not true. >> that actually brings up a good point, and i want to play rick santorum's contention about who is driving the bus on this whole issue of religious and conservative values. >> i do get these questions, as john king tried toot on contraception and other things, that are sort of outrageous types of questions. and then the next question from the reporter is, why are you talking about so much about social issues. >> i want open this up to the panel and also want to bring in, david, we talk about the media's role in, john king had a rebuttal, which is i think it's

fair to ask a presidential candidate about issues that he's been talking about this entire cycle and in recent weeks. but when you talk about, you mention that you think that the republicans have something to gain from this in terms of ginning up enthusiasm among the base, what role do you think the media has to play in this? >> let me make a few points here, rick santorum on the campaign trail talks about the fracturing of the american family. it's a consistent theme of his. i've been on the campaign trail, i've heard him speak in iowa about this very issue. it is a centerpiece of his campaign. he's also got a very important economic message, focused on manufacturing. it's something he talks a great deal about on the campaign. but why is it in the news? because the president made a big decision and santorum was outspoken on it, as being an infringement of religious liberty. and as a catholic, he talked a lot about it. that's point number one. point number two is that part of our job is to scrutinize these candidates running for president. and it's not just about what you said today or what you said yesterday, but it is about what you said four years ago. when not a lot of people were paying attention.

it is part of a point of view, a belief system that influences a candidate. somebody who wants to be the president of the united states. so santorum is in a new realm now. he's a front-runner, of sorts, coming off of those three victories, getting a lot more attention. so bringing up things that he's said in the past is newer for him, but they are focused on things he's said about polygamy or about gay marriage, about other views about social issues. it is something that he's talked a lot about in his political life. so it is -- it's germane. and i think the question -- i mean, contraception has been an issue that has been an energizing issue on the right and on the left in the past several weeks. so that's where i come down on that. >> not only has he been talking about it, but "the washington post" did a deep dive into the columns he wrote at "the philadelphia inquirer" and wrote about same-sex marriage 18 times

and abortion 11. this is a banner he's been waving for quite some time. >> he's running as a social conservative. you can't run as a social conservative and not expect to get asked questions about social issues. you can't be a sort of self-proclaimed social conservative and not expect to get asked about contraception or abortion. >> it's certainly his wheelhouse, but he also does this better than anyone else. he makes the connection between social issues and economic issues. >> i agree with that. i think it's a strength. let's not undermine that it's a strength. just because in certain voting groups, it may not be, it is a strength of his as a candidate. talking about family is his strength. and there are a lot of voters who are coming to vote in these primaries who want to hear him talk about that, as well as some other things. look, the santorum camp was disappointed about last night. they wanted to talk more about housing, for instance. they would to talk more about an economic agenda than he was able to do. but i don't think he's unfairly targeted, because he's asked about contraception. part of this is that he's got strong views about this, in a

context. in a context where you have this virginia law being debated. in a context of the hhs decision. and, by the way, he wheeled off one of his best moments of the night last night, where he said, just because i talk about them doesn't mean i want a policy by the government to fix it. so there's a lot of pluses for him, even though in certain voting groups, it may be a negative. >> we actually have to cut it there, we have to go to break. but we will be discussing the fight over contraception more and how it is spreading to the states as well as the controversy that has already forced one prominent governor to change his position on a lightning rod abortion bill. we'll take a look at that and more next on "now." progresso. it fits!

fantastic! [ man ] pro-gresso they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less.

until the end of the quarter to think about your money...

♪ ...that right now, you want to know where you are, and where you'd like to be. we know you'd like to see the same information your advisor does so you can get a deeper understanding of what's going on with your portfolio. we know all this because we asked you, and what we heard helped us create pnc wealth insight, a smarter way to work with your pnc advisor, so you can make better decisions and live achievement. virginia governor bob mcdonnell reversed his support of a controversial state abortion bill that would have required an invasive ultrasound procedure. we're talking before we went to

break about the issue of contraception, birth control, whether it's a winning issue or not for the gop. i would like to call your attention to mitt romney's favorability among women in the course of the last -- since november 20th. in november 20th, he was at positive 3%. he is now down to negative 15%. quinnipiac poll on the white house contraception rule, today, shows that 54% of the public approves of it, 38 disapproves. we had an animated conversation during break, and i suspect you all to bring that heat right back on air. is this good for the party or not? >> this is a disaster for the republican party. what people are hearing at home, what women, and men, are hearing at home is that the republican party doesn't believe in contraception. and the more the republicans talk about this, the more they are sending that message to average voters, middle of the road voters, who kind of think contraception is kind of a settled issue in this country. they don't believe that government should be denying people contraception. i mean, abortion is controversial. but contraception is not controversial.

and when the republicans talk about this, the message they are sending is that they are out of touch. and again, i'm going to compliment my great governor. one of the reasons why he was so successful in this state is he understood that these were settled issues. talking about contraception is a loser. >> also, and let's pay attention to what's happened to mitt romney, who someone who's rhetoric has been pushed into this debate largely by rick santorum and what's going on with the base at large. >> i disagree with that. i think that, really, it's not a question of the availability or appropriateness of contraception. it's whether or not the federal government can go to a religious institution and say, we are going to force you to do something in violation of your religious principles. it's not about contraception. it's about the basic freedom of religion for religious institutions. >> but, governor, if you look at the polling around it. >> well, forgive me for interrupting, alice, is we haven't phrased it right. and howard is absolutely right, that the public perception is the republicans are going over it, whether or not contraceptives are okay. that's not the issue.

>> republicans don't help themselves when in virginia they're doing this vaginal probe. in virginia, they're doing a personhood amendment. people think they're absolutely freaking nuts. they do. >> and david, i know we still have you here. i think at 10:00 a.m. this morning, nancy pelosi was holding a hearing, officially called women's health, a rejoinder to the hearing held by darrell issa last week, which was an all-male panel. we look at the optics of this, and not just how this works inside the republican party, but among voters in general. you know, what do you make of it? >> i think the governor's right. >> which governor? >> governor pataki. i think that governor pataki's right. if republicans can find a way to talk about this in a role of government way, which is it's either religious liberty or this is what happens when government makes health care decisions, which, by the way, is what's kind of now hurting republicans in virginia, with this measure they've passed that's so controversial. then i think that's a balancing line. it's also separate from the fact, and i go back to santorum. you know, some of these views on

abortion and certainly a lot of social conservatives who believe about the sanctity of life, and want to talk about that, using the bully pulpit to talk about that is separate how they want to direct gocvernment to make some of those decisions. kathleen parker, a columnist for "the washington post," of course, points out that senator santorum supported some measures to fund contraception that were part of the president bush's pepfar effort to deal with disease in continental africa. so, you know, as a member of government, he has supported some of these efforts, even those his personal views, which is what he's discussing, is very much opposed to it. >> and no one's even said the o-word yet, at this panel, which is obama. another argument would be, this is yet another example of this president showing himself to be incredibly, alarmingly comfortable with mandates of all kinds. >> the governor has a question, but i will just say, 54% of americans approve of the white house's position on contraception.

>> i'm saying the republican argument for this is a decent one. they're not making it. >> governor? >> david, it's ed rendell. i want to ask you about rick santorum. i think you're right about the fact that he can speak effectively about these issues and it resonates to some of the republican base voters. but in the last five days, it's the tone of his comments more than the substance. the tone of his comments was so off the wall and i'd say a little bizarre that i think he lost the michigan primary in those last five days. i think the debate compounds it. but don't you think it's the tone that gets him in trouble? >> well, yes, i do think that is part of the problem. and you have been looking at him for years and working alongside him in some fashion in pennsylvania, so you know him well. i think part of the problem for him in michigan may not be this, actually, it's the fact that romney's working the jab. and the jab is between his own campaign and the super pac is hitting him as an washington insider. i don't think social issues were really a problem for rick santorum last night. and a lot of this argument is in

the context of a general election race, and we're not there yet. i think his problem is last night he looked a little too defensive, he looked too much like an incumbent, which you don't want to be right now, particularly as a republican. and i think the insider status, a lot of time spent talking about earmarks, rather, is what may be putting a little bit of negatives on -- >> i agree with that, but i also think there's something -- voters assess a candidate, and if the candidate seems a little odd or a little extreme on something, that cuts against him. and there are still moderate republicans in michigan. >> yep, no, there are. and i think you've got to look at the other side of that, too, which is where he's also inspirational, and is inspiring more social conservatives, because he's up against somebody in romney who does not have a voice on these issues. >> david gregory, it is always an honor and a pleasure to have you on this show. >> thanks. >> thank you for your time. david will be speaking exclusively with two governors this sunday -- not these two -- on "meet the press." california's jerry brown and arizona's jan brewer. do not miss it. that is must-see television this sunday on nbc. coming up, the cheerful

candidate, newt gingrich, is under scrutiny from the s.e.c. for questionable spending. we'll talk to rick tyler when he joins us next on "now."

newt gingrich chose cheerful as a word to describe himself last night, but gingrich is now facing some less than friendly questions about his financial dealings from the fec. joining us now from washington is rick tyler, a former gingrich spokesman and now a former adviser to the gingrich super pac, winning our future. rick, thanks for being on the show. >> glad to be here. >> rick, i know you are not coordinating in any way with the gingrich campaign, but i thought this was a telling quote. "the washington times" was asking you about whether -- about these payments to staff at your super pac, winning our future head becky burkett paid

herself $220,000 in donated money last night, and your explanation, your quote was, in this business, we could all be out of a job next -- you just don't know. people make more knowing that this could be a short-term contract. that would seem to suggest, rick, that perhaps newt gingrich may not be in this race for that much longer. >> well, i wasn't relating to that. i was relating to, you know, a long-term job would be several years, or maybe an entire career. in this business, we basically all know we're out of business next november, because that's when the election is. so rates do tend to be higher. but with regard to becky burkett and others of our staff, you know, becky organized our super pac since back in october, and she basically went without pay from october all the way to january. so the senior leadership group of the pac went back and said, what's fair compensation for her to be -- have set up the pac and we all agreed on that. so what you're seeing is a lump sum of three months' of work that basically got paid in january. >> rick, i'm not going to get

into how much folks should get paid to do what, but this is the second time the fec has warned the campaign about irregularities. there's been a questionable $1 million payment. do you worry that this -- again, knowing that you aren't coordinating with the speaker's campaign, but do you worry that overall this the gives the view that newt gingrich is irresponsible with his finances and harms the candidate more than helps him? >> remember, the pac and the campaign have nothing to do with each other. they have independent groups overseeing them, they have independent treasurers, they're filed independently. so if there's any irregularities on our part, we try to fully comply with the law, we try to understand what that law is, we get all our reports in on time. we file all our -- you know, so as far as i know, we've been in perfect compliance. i can't speak to the campaign, i don't know of any irregularities on the campaign side either. >> okay. well, rick, how about this one. you know speaker gingrich better than most. and based on his performance last night, which many were looking forward to and analyzing, was newt being newt

last night? how would you grade him? >> i think newt did very well. i think one thing that he did very well, that people are thinking about, is working on american energy policy. and the reason that's important is because, american energy policy ties very closely to foreign policy, our security, israel's security, foreign oil supply, domestic production, what relates directly to jobs. keystone pipeline is certainly a great example of that. and more directly, you know, i was just down the street in this neighborhood in d.c., and gasoline here in d.c. is $4.03 a gallon. ironically -- not ironically, maybe by design, that didn't come up at all last night on cnn. not once did they think to ask the conteandidates what are we g to do about energy as it relates to jobs as it relates to what people pay at the pump, and all the products that get transported by fuel. i think there was no knockout winner. it's a quote, chris christie. but i think there was a knockout

loser, and that was rick santorum. i mean, we learned that, yes, you are really smart and you know a lot about what it is to be a senator. but he passed himself off as the consummate insider, the consummate, you know, why should i have to explain all these details about the senate, yeah. >> rick, it's amazing how closely your talking points align with that of the speaker. >> because i know him so well. >> exactly, it's the mind meld. let's bring the panel in here. newt has been called an angry attack muffin by peggy noonan, i have called him an angry teddy bear, because i have called him an angry teddy bear. but besides the teddy bear part of it, what did you guys make of newt gingrich's performance last night? he began his first response not asked question until nine minutes in, talking about the 280th anniversary of george washington's birth. but as rick said, did manage to get in some policy there. >> i thought last night, and no offense to rick, this is sort of awkward, having him here while i say this, but i thought he was

really smug last night. we've seen angry newt on the campaign trail. sometimes that plays, sometimes it doesn't. i thought he was pretty smug. the, you know, if you remember, and i'm sure you do, i passed a budget. i didn't like that attitude. and i don't think it played very well with the audience. >> howard? >> i'm not sure "cheerful" is first word i would use to describe newt gingrich in any context. it probably wouldn't be in the first 5,000 words. >> right. >> look, he's running for reasons only known to him. he's not going to be the nominee. you know, maybe he likes the attention. maybe he thinks he's going to -- i don't know, actually, why. >> no, you just said it. i think that's it. >> so at this point, he's not really a factor in the race. he may want to be on television. he may want your job. he's probably not going to get it. >> well, you know, i'm not going to say who gets to sit in this chair and who doesn't. it's worth noting that gingrich spokesman r.c. hammond said -- he's said that a santorum win in michigan is actually part of the master plan to beat mitt romney.

whatever means we can use that are to our advantage to get rid of mitt romney, if that means rick santorum is the one who exposes him as a flawed candidate, we're happy to have that happen. >> back to the point we were making earlier, you do get this dynamic where the candidates begin to spend a lot of time with each other, and these personal animosities develop. and all of a sudden people decide, you know, i'm going to keep doing this to deprive someone else of the nomination. this particular person that i don't like. and that's not a great reason to run for president. >> well, of course, if that was newt's reasoning, he'd get out and lead the field to santorum/romney. when you get into super tuesday, santorum, if he's still a viable candidate, is going to get hurt badly by newt. because, particularly in the south, in georgia, and in tennessee, places like that, newt's going to take a hunk of votes and romney might steal some of those states with 30%. >> i think that's the case in michigan too. if newt were not in the race, santorum would be in a far better position. but i want to give newt some credit last night, because he was really the only one who brought attention back to obama. and as rick was saying, he did i on energy. where i think this president,

with gas prices going over $5 this summer, is vulnerable, because he's shut down alaska, 27 billion barrels, he's reduced the leasing in the gulf states by over half. >> keystone. >> he vetoed the keystone pipeline. he is vulnerable. and newt was the only one -- >> except, guys, except, we have to say a word for the president. we hear this from newt all the time, except gas production, domestic gas production, has risen significantly in president -- >> a fair important. rick tyler, i don't know what you made of speaker gingrich's 30-minute straight-to-camera address on energy policy. i'd love to know before we go to break. >> well, i think newt's trying to raise an important issue about energy. while all this bologna's going on, and i might point out, all the pundits who said, mitt romney's going to be 00 for 3.

i wouldn't count newt out. but i think you absolutely have to look at energy. energy's the one thing that knits together so many coalitions. >> and certainly, newt gingrich is giving that a 30-minute look on airwaves coming soon to you or in your state, depending on where you are. rick tyler, thank you, as always, for joining the program. >> thanks, alex. after the break, this republican presidential field is turning washington insider into a dirty term. was it ever not a dirty term? but when you look at the records, can any of these guys sell themselves as outsiders? we'll ask dave carney, former adviser to president george h.w. bush and governor rick perry when he joins us live next on "now." i look at her, and i just want to give her everything. yeah, you -- you know, everything can cost upwards of...[ whistles ] i did not want to think about that. relax, relax, relax. look at me, look at me. three words, dad -- e-trade financial consultants. so i can just go talk to 'em? just walk right in and talk to 'em. dude, those guys are pros. they'll hook you up with a solid plan. they'll -- wa-- wa-- wait a minute.

bobby? bobby! what are you doing, man? i'm speed dating! [ male announcer ] get investing advice for your family at e-trade. i had[ designer ]eeling enough of just covering upe my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure,

or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. if you've had enough, ask your dermatologist about enbrel.

my time is the american people, not the insiders in washington. >> i'm happy to be in the tradition of ronald reagan as the outsider who scares the republican establishment. >> you hear a lot of talk about, you know, who's the insider and who's the outsider in this race.

someone who was actually inside washington, who was an outsider when he was inside. >> stop washington insiders. rick perry, a conservative for president. >> the republican candidates all like to position themselves as outsiders, but is anyone buying it? joining us now, i can't even get the words out. joining us now is dave carney, a former white house political director under president george h.w. bush. and most recently, chief strategist for rick perry's presidential campaign. thanks for joining the program. >> thanks for having me. >> so, you know, mr. carney, when we talk about outsiderdom. when looking at the professional record of the candidates on stage, we have newt gingrich, who, of course, served as speaker of the house, santorum spent 16 years in washington, ron paul, 22 years. mitt romney, obviously, governor of massachusetts, scion of a political dynasty. do you think anyone in the electorate is buying the notion that any of these guys are an

outsider? >> i think some of them are. but it's really not their resume that distinguishes an insider from an outsider, in my opinion. it's their passion, it's their rhetoric, it's the tone of their presentation. it's the issues that they choose to talk about. the vote, you know, are you worried about what the lobbyists and the funders and the insiders in washington care about or are you talking about what people on main street are discussing today in the diner, having a hamburger? i mean, it isn't your -- i don't believe it's your resume. i think it is your rhetoric and how you relate to american people and the voters. and i think they pick up on the are you real when you talk about your concerns or are you being phony and just talking in government speak or i thought last night senator santorum did himself a tremendous disservice talking about leave no child left behind. he did it, you know, because he's part of the team. i'm against it, but i voted for it to be part of the team. people in america have been looking at the team, you know, that's been going on in washington for a long time, from both sides of the aisle.

and they're not very happy with the results. and i think that kind of accommodation and that kind of language really turns voters off. >> i want to bring in the panel here. because i don't understand something. i understand why you would want maybe an outsider to go into congress, but in terms of a commander in chief, in the office of president. look, if i was an independent voter and i really didn't like the president's record, i would say, it's because he doesn't know what he's doing. he's not a political animal, he doesn't understand how washington works. and then i look at the tea party and the tea party insurgents, and they've basically created an obstructionist congress, i would want somebody who understands the machinations of congress. >> it seems like voters want it both ways. we had a washington outsider in herman cain, and voters decided summarily that he didn't know enough. so there's this impulse, especially within the tea party wing of the republican party, to get somebody who is not tainted by the dirty hands of washington. but at the same time, you want someone that's sort of been around the block and knows what they're doing, knows the players, know house to talk political speak. i mean, it's a hard bargain and

it's a big, you know, it's quite a demand to ask of our candidate, but voters want it all. >> i think the problem here is a question of credibility. it's just not really credible for newt gingrich to say he's an outsider, given that he's former speaker of the house. it's not really credible for rick santorum, who was in the united states senate, to say -- is speaks like he's still a senator last night -- for him to say he's an outsider. i mean, they've got to come up with a different message. this sort of notion that he's, well, he's so inside, he's actually outside. people aren't buying that. >> i was inside, but i was outside when i was inside. >> exactly. i mine, that's just not credible. and it gets to the issue of credibility when they speak to the public. >> governor? >> go ahead. >> and i just think this is all so ridiculous. i look back four years ago and john mccain, who had been in the senate for 45 years, says i'm the maverick, i'm the renegade. it's always the same message that somehow i'm different. what should differentiate you are your ideas. and as david was saying, your passion. i'm going to do this to reform and change washington. now, obama is the ultimate insider.

i mean, sitting there, in the white house. but we keep getting caught up in terms like, who's further outside? well, sarah palin was from alaska, she was from way outside. that didn't work out so well. we want somebody who has passion and ideas as to what they're going to do to move the country in a different direction and who can inspire the american people behind that. and we didn't have that. >> governor, why aren't you running? >> good question! >> for what? for what, alex? >> for anything! >> going to have a mayor's job open. >> exactly. >> taxes are too high here. >> what is making the most winning argument on stage, then, as we look to an eventual nominee? >> i think in terms of on the stump, i think senator santorum is hitting the right tones right now in terms of his populous message. you know, last night was an abnormal performance for him in the last few months. he's done a pretty good job on the debates, but on the stump and what he's talking about his message, i think, resonates with

voters. and governor romney and his allies are spending millions of dollars to redefine santorum as an insider. but the populist arguments that he talks about, you know, putting the manufacturing back to work and sort of having that gritty authenticity he has, talking about blue-collar workers. he comes from pittsburgh, so he's got a lot of experience in dealing with that sort of, you know, voter, that is not necessarily a partisan, but, you know, is really looking out, who's looking out for their best interests. i think right now he is. but he's going to get a -- the next five days, he's going to have a ton of redefinition coming down on his head in tvs in arizona and michigan. indeed. thank you, david carney, for joining us. enjoy that fresh new hampshire air, which is distinctly outside of washington. >> yes, it is. coming up, two u.s. troops have been killed in afghanistan as president obama sends an apology to president hamid karzai for the koran burning at

nato's main afghan air force base. details on the escalationing situation next on what nout. oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news.

is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers.

welcome back. time for "what now." in eastern afghanistan today, two american troops were shot and killed by a man police say was wearing an afghan uniform. fury is not likely to debate soon and some are calling for jihad against americans. we were talking about this during the break. >> three words. get out now. >> cities not a good situation for americans in afghanistan. governor pataki, i know you have efamily members over there. >> i remember when president bush in his first debate was saying, we are not very good at nation building, we shouldn't do it. we should not. protect ourselves, but forget about nation building. >> it will be interesting to see how president obama deals with foreign policy in the coming months. the nypd is coming under some

heat, or increased scrutiny, for its reported program, spying on muslims in neighborhoods and then students in northeast colleges. i wonder, you know, as a representative of the administration, and as our ties with the muslim world are increasingly framed, how you respond to this. >> we are sitting four miles from ground zero here at the studio, where 3,000 americans were killed. there have been ten plots foiled since then against this city by the nypd. the nypd is going to do everything it can within the law, within the law, to protect the people who live in this city. which they have done and they will continue to do. and the people of this city expect it. now, i think we're going to enter into political season here in new york, where the aclu and some of their supporters who may be running for mayor, may be running for other things want to shackle the police. this mayor is not going to let that happen, and i think it's a serious misread of the public opinion in this city if people think that we're going to shackle the police and allow terrorists to have free reign here. it's not going to happen.

>> amen, howard. >> tough talk from howard wolfson. >> right? >> it is worth noting how the nypd has become its own organization, as tiered and pyramid-like as the cia. just an incredible intelligence infrastructure. >> you know, when you are the repeated target of terrorist attacks, one in the '90s, one at 9/11. since then, we've had over ten that have been foiled. you've got to take steps, within the law -- within the law -- to protect the people who live in the city. and anyone running for mayor or anyone running for elected office in this city ought to be responsible and stand up and say, i'm going to do what needs to be done within the law to protect the people here. everything that we've done has been within the law. >> and it is certainly a topic we will be discussing more. unfortunately, we have to leave it there. thanks again to governor rendell, governor pataki, howard wolfson, and the birthday girl, s.e. cupp. >> oh, no! >> we can't give you your favorite texan in cowboy boots,

but we can give you a cupcake. that's all for "now." i'll see you tomorrow. >> the big 2-5. >> noon eastern, 9:00 a.m. pacific. until then, you can find us at facebook.com/nowwithalex. "andrea mitchell reports" is next. hi, andrea. >> hello, alex. coming up next on "andrea mitchell reports," rick santorum under fire and a team effort to end his surge. plus, why hispanics are going to pick the next president. ambassador nick burns will be here on the latest threats from iran and the controversy over birth control continues on the hill today. wait until you see what nancy pelosi did. "andrea mitchell reports" next right here on msnbc. if there was a pill would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin

to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. i refer to her as "that woman with the great gums." as jill's dentist, i know that her gums are a foundation of a healthy smile. jill knows that, too -- so she uses crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. and it protects these other areas dentists check most. crest pro-health clinical gum protection. because healthy smiles are built on healthy gums. life opens up when you do.

you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you want a firm bed you can lie onne of those." we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. wow! that feels really good. it's about support where you find it most comfortable. hurry to the final days of the ultimate sleep number event, where queen mattresses now start at just $599. and save 50% on the final closeout of our innovative limited edition bed. only at the sleep number store.

weight loss programs can be expensive. so to save some money, i just got the popular girls from the local middle school to follow me around. ew. seriously? so gross. ew. seriously? that is so gross. ew. seriously? dude that is so totally gross. so gross...i know. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. right now on "andrea mitchell reports," santorum smackdown. >> while i was fighting to save the olympics, you were fighting to save the bridge to nowhere. >> mitt romney is all over him. >> sometim