courage and confidence department. so for the campaign of 2012, you've been warned. >> thank you, keli. i'm off to keeping the promise benefit with liz perez here in los angeles this evening. we'll spend the day with her tomorrow. ilbe off. matt miller will be in the chair and i'll see you wednesday with a full report. "hardball" up now. >> going on offense. let's play "hardball." >> good evening, in washington, leading off tonight, you're so vein. the obama campaign is going to the jugular. we start with a 2-minute ad in swing states that portray romney as a corporate vampire, sucking the life out of his steel plan.

they worked for romney this year and they worked back in 20the re against ted kennedy. here he will define romney before he gets to do it himself. obama dares republicans to vote against the women against violence act. women are the key to victory in november, and team obama is going to keep pushing this republican war on women. plus, president obama's declaration on gay marriages thrilled most democrats but african-americans remain deeply divided. we're going to talk to two black ministers, one pro, one con, and how this could affect the voters come november. they'll be right here. also, this is a scary thought. does mitt romney even have a scary policy? here's a scareier one altogether. what if he becomes a tool? and look who made his return to

saturday night live. >> well, mission accomplished. >> what's that supposed to mean? >> it's just something i can say when a problem isn't solved, but i don't want to talk about it anymore. >> that's a great will ferrell giving consolation to vice president biden on "saturday night live." we begin tonight with the serious stuff, the president going off on the bain existence. both gentlemen are msnbc analysts. here's a portion. let's watch first that two-minute ad. the obama campaign was running or will run soon in ohio, pennsylvania, colorado. let's watch it. >> i was a steel worker for 30 years. we had a reputation for quality products. it was something that was

american made and we weren't rich, but i was able to put my daughter through college. >> i had a good-paying job that you can support and raise a family on is hugely important. >> let's stop with the sales of capital. >> i know how jobs work. i know why sales come and go. >> they were the majority owner. they were responsible. mitt romney was deeply slovld in the influence he exercised over these companies. they closed it down, filed for bankruptcy without any concern of families in the communities. >> you know, mark halprin, i hate to quote the devil here, but it reminds me of carl rhodes. you take a strong suit and you blast away at it. is that what the obama campaign was doing here if may, six

months well before the election, what romney will consider to be his creator. >> they're going after not just romney's strength, but mitt romney has a path to. we had things associated with the obama campaign. it's running once in some of these states, not is, there are legitimate issues here. they've chosen a great example with a lot of compelling figures to make the case against romney. but they are defining romney in his area of strength as early as they can, but with an unlimited appetite on the part of the press to try to remove his business credential and make him

unelectricitiable. we're in regular season now, we've got the playoffs and debates coming. that's rhami strint. here's a way for the president's party to focus in the obama campaign and. >> yes. with nothing else even happening of substance at this moment that romney had the opportunity definition of himself for the. we want to get out there and ma make. they also want to get in there before romney starts talking about mr. fix-it. just because they're doing one showing of this commercial

doesn't mean they won't come back a week, two weeks, three weeks. i think this will be a narrative, a subplot if not the plot, and they'll come back to it again and again and again in the next six months. >> we have a million-dollar negative ads like this one targeting bain capital funded by the pro-gingrich superpac actually took romney down or helped do that. let's look at the ad that was backed up and worked. >> a group of corporate raiders led by mitt romney. the company was bain capital, more ruthless than wall street. >> pulled the rug out from under our plans. >> everybody was fired. they fire people, they cut benefits, they sell assets. >> mitt romney and those guys, they don't care who i am. >> i feel that is the man that destroyed us. >> well, that's what newt said about mitt in his ads. here's the attack campaigns from

the past, questioning romney's job. they are not new. he faced ads like this back in 1994 when he ran against ted kennedy in the u.s. senate and lost, largely because of this kind of ad. let's watch it. >> romney said he thought layoffs were good and that this wasn't a free world, this was the real world. >> they cut the wages. >> we no longer had insurance. >> we had no rights anymore. >> taking away their dignity. >> basically cut our lifeline. i'd like to know where these 10,000 jobs that he created are. >> i'm thinking about where this campaign is going to fall. marriage may hurt older people. i'm thinking about working class white people, if you will, people who didn't go to college and rely on industrial jobs. they go in and out depending on

the business cycle, mark. very vulnerable people. they would get a job at boeing if it was a good season if they were hiring. if they weren't, they weren't. the bud plant, i grew up with that stuff. you could tell when the timing was good and when it was bad. this vulnerable working class guy, is he going to be taken by this and say, you know what? i'm not going to vote for this rich guy. he's the kind of guy that screwed me out of a job. >> well, david axelrod thinks so, the president thinks so. this is only half of the argument. there is argument that this is what romney did in the past. they're also going to do this is what romney would do in the future, linking him to the jim ryan budget. romney is not well defined. the reason they're going aggressively, again, they're doing it on the cheap, they're not spending it on this two-minute ad. >> why don't they just run the kennedy ad and the old newt gingrich ad? that was the nastiest of all

three. >> i think what was great about the newt gingrich ad is it gave everyone a chance to see what might or might not work. i would love to see the interviews. you talk about stables, stables created thousands of jobs. stables also lost jobs, it put thousands of jobs out of business. >> it seems like they could stick with -- it will be over his governor career if he goes back. >> yeah. rob portman, who i think would be one of the people strongly considered to be a running mate, was at a bloomberg review today. i asked him about this ad and this attack against romney, and

his answer was, hey, that's capitalism. >> it's not a good answer for his national election. >> if romney gave that answer, would be disastrous. rob portman is not at the same level, at least not yet. i do think the big story of the day is not they have done this because they were inevitable and sustained. how many jobs is romney going to say he created? what is romney's view of these few cases that were tough? he's addressed them along the way but not for a general audience. he's going to have to address that in a more brad way and compelling way to win the argument. >> these guys that come in, these are sharp harvard business school guys. they run these companies, they make money, but they basically do it by cost cutting, which means firing people. they clean a place out of its middle management and then they sell it. that company may make it after wafr afterwards, but they're not concerned about that. people don't like the looks of

it. >> this is very risky territory for romney for those reasons alone. he didn't go in to create jobs, he went to make a profit. what he's counting on is amne a amnesia. that people will look at the economy now and not associate it with wall street wheelers and dealers which actually caused the crisis. in this case, they took out $1 million in bonds, and bain got a million-dollar payoff. >> i wonder if the president could handle this debate if he gets into a debate for an hour and a half this fall with romney who knows all the thickets of jungle work. how does obama get in there and debate him on his own turf? how can he argue against romney

about if he did or didn't make money? >> i think he can bumper sticker it. this is one of the areas where the press is very sympathetic to the obama area on bain and not very sympathetic to governor romney. governor romney needs to find an audience so compelling that he finds an audience in the debate. i think we know what his argument is. >> do you think it's on obama's side against romney, the fact that equity people make 20 or 30 times a year what newspaper people make. >> or what tv people make. >> that's true. mark, you're too tough on me. thank you, mark halperin, thank you, david corn. make sure the gender gap stays as large as the grand canyon. this is "hardball," the place

for problems. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years. and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios.

great new polling numbers from a couple of states. in michigan, a new poll of likely voters from a republican pollster shows obama at 45 with romney at 40. critical insights poll in maine gives the president an eight-point lead against registered voters. both states voted republican in 1988. we'll be right back. more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records down here on the gulf. more people more good times. this year we're out to do even better... and now's a great time to start. the sun's out and the beaches are even more relaxing. you can go deep sea fishing or enjoy our world-class restaurants...

our hotels and rentals have special deals for the whole family. go golfing, kite boarding, or build the worlds biggest sand sculpture... with the world's best sand. so come on down to mississippi... get yourself down to louisiana... we'll see you in florida... you know you want to come to alabama. the gulf is america's get-a-way... and we're 100 percent ready to see you. come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home.

i think we know we are better off when women are treated fairly and equally in every aspect of american life, whether it's the salary you earn or the health decisions you make. >> there he is in new york today. back to "hardball." president obama made a full court press for the women's vote giving the commencement address

at the all-female college, barnard college, in new york city. in his speech, obama recognized women's growing power in the work force, higher education and implicitly in the voting booth. >> i believe the women of this generation, that all of you will help lead the way. [ applause ] >> now, i recognize that's a chief applause line when you're giving an address at barnard, but it's true, today women are not just half this country, you're half this work force. [ applause ] >> more and more women are outearning their husbands, you're more than half our master's graduates and phds. [ applause ] >> you've got us outnumbered. >> well, this week congresswomen

take center stage again with a vote that reauthorized the violence against women act, there's an interesting title, which some people say it's been turned into a political football. glenn moore of wisconsin has started this, and congresswoman kathy mcmorris rogers of washington state is a co-sponsor of a republican version of the bill which will be voted on on wednesday. let me start with congresswoman moore. it seems to me impossible for a woman member of congress or any member of congress to go back to their district and tell the women voters, i voted against the violence against women act. i don't even know how you get past the title of the act and try to explain that. >> well, let me just say, chris, that not only was the violence against women act, not only was it not just a women's issue, but

it was a bipartisan issue. both genders voted for it. i think the extent to which it's been positiliticized is becausey don't want to follow the advocates who have learned from best practices that in order to be more inclusive, you've got to expand the bill to protect native americans, to protect women in lesbian relationships, and certainly to protect immigrant women who cooperate with law enforcement officials. >> let me ask on the other side of this issue, kathy rogers, congresswom congresswoman, what's wrong with taking care of people involved in these same sex or whatever kind of relationships? as long as somebody is getting beaten up by somebody, don't you want to protect them?

>> absolutely, and what the republicans have introduced is the reauthorization of vi "best defense" against women act. we actually took the recommendation from the congressional budget office in our reauthorization. we are committed to this program that has long enjoyed broad bipartisan support. >> why don't you cover people who are not in a traditional marriage? why would you limit it to just traditional marriage folk? >> those are side issues that have been attached to this bill, and i think it's very important -- >> they're not side issues if you're getting beaten up by your partner. that's not a side issue, that's your life. >> there is nothing under federal law that currently recognizes same-sex couples. so if we're going to have that debate in congress, it should be a separate debate from the reauthorization of the violence against women act. >> you said there is nothing in the law, you can write the law. why not write it to include people in these different kinds of relationships that could involve physical violence? >> that's a separate issue from

the reauthorization of the violence against women act. >> why? >> you're committed -- it should be debated separately. we're going to change our federal law related to same-sex couples. >> i can imagine. let me go back to congresswoman moore. i can't emergency going back to a district, rural or urban, i don't want to do anything that suggests equality in gay relationships. and by the way, i can't even protect a gay person by being beat up by a gay person because i can't even touch that issue. it seems like the republicans are so afraid to touch the issue they don't want to protect people. your thoughts, congresswoman moore? >> you know, chris, it goes even further than that. you take the plight of native american women. you know, two-thirds of native american women who are assaulted on tribal lands find that these crimes are not prosecuted because nine natives, white men

who live on native properties, can't be prosecuted because the tribal authorities don't have any authority to prosecute this. that was part of the expansion that by no means 99 percenters or left wing but das, police, department of justice recommended it, so it wasn't just gay or lesbian people they thought needed to be protected. but even beyond that, immigrants, only those who would cooperate with law enforcement who were being beaten by violent people who threatened and held over their heads that they were nondocumented and native women as well. so i think that the republican party is really ignoring the recommendations of a broad swath of law enforcement who say the bill is not worthy of being called the violence against

women act if you don't protect all women. >> there's a new tv ad hammering mitt romney on women's positions he took during the primaries. congresswoman rogers, you can respond. >> congratulations, mitt romney. you're the presumed nominee, and all you had to do was threaten to take away our contraception coverage. >> threaten to charge us more just because we're women. >> and threaten to do away with planned parenthood, a form of life care for millions of women. >> we're going to remember how you threw women under the bus. >> what did you make of mitt romney's performance, congresswoman rogers, when he had to go get people further right like rick santorum? do you think he fought them or joined them? >> the democrats are creating a controversy that doesn't exist.

it is a myth to say we're waging this war on women. there are women like me, republican women, that are committed to it. it's a very important program, and i believe we can work out a lot of these issues gwen has mentioned. we support equal pay for equal work. it's been longstanding in this country and we will continue to stand up for that. it was the president who made the change through health and human services on conditions, it was the president. they're creating distractions, they're trying to divide. >> what's wrong with women, as part of their insurance, having coverage for contraception? what's wrong with that? >> what i'm pointing out is it was the president that changed the policy. >> what's wrong with that? >> he initiated the change. it wasn't the republicans. >> what's wrong with the change?

you guys opposed it, though. what's wrong with the change? >> the way he proposed it, it actually was infringing upon our religious freedom and it took on the face of the catholic church and their beliefs that they should not be covering contraception in their health insurance plans. but it's more important to remember that it was the president who. >> i can't argue the obvious. thats so on the record it's unbelievable. the republicans had a problem because obama said health care should include contraception, and you guys opposed it. >> but it wasn't the republicans who initiated any kind of change di -- >> they never are. >> through the new rule, the catholic church had to change contraceptions. if the president can change an

entire country, think what he could do individually. it's scary. >> i believe women are irrational. i look at the voting pattern over the years. they're concerned not just for choice but health concerns considerations. all those reasons lead to a gigantic gender gap. >> and they're concerned about jobs and the future for their children that can't find jobs. >> we are concerned about jobs. hey, thank you. violence against women, i wouldn't want to have to go back to my constituents and say, hey, i voted nay. up next, will will ferrell make his reappearance on "saturday night live" as w? he plays w. really good. this is "hardball." it's very important to understand

how math and science kind of makes the world work. in high school, i had a physics teacher by the name of mr. davies. he made physics more than theoretical, he made it real for me. we built a guitar, we did things with electronics and mother boards. that's where the interest in engineering came from. so now, as an engineer, i have a career that speaks to that passion. thank you, mr. davies. [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices.

developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. and then treats day after day... who gets heartburnies, well, shoot, that's like checking on your burgers after they're burnt! [ male announcer ] treat your frequent heartburn by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. it was in my sister's neighborhood. i told you it was perfect for you guys. literally across the street from her sister. [ banker ] but someone else bought it before they could get their offer together. we really missed a great opportunity -- dodged a bullet there. [ banker ] so we talked to them about the wells fargo priority buyer preapproval. it lets people know that you are a serious buyer because you've been credit-approved. we got everything in order so that we can move on the next place we found. which was clear on the other side of town.

[ male announcer ] wells fargo. with you when you're ready to move. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. free-credit-score-dot-com'sur boargonna direct you ♪ts ♪ ♪ to check your credit score before it gets too late ♪ ♪ and you end up strapped for cash ♪ ♪ patching your board with duct tape ♪ ♪ so hit free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ find out what credit's about ♪ ♪ or else you could be headed for a credit wipeout ♪ offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™.

now for the side show. will ferrell was in the house on snl this weekend and his send-off for the former president who comes back to buck up a down in the dumps joe biden. >> what's wrong, compadre? you seem down. >> everybody says i have, like, a big mouth. it was my big mouth that got things done this time, not his careful weighing of options. >> those smarty pants types are never going to understand speak first guys like us. >> i'm just sick of the way presidents are always riding me. i'm an adult. >> i've been there. i've been there. i used to catch grief all the time for president cheney. i mean, he was always soaking up

the slurpy machine, and that penguin would come in and yell, get your damn pants on, we're about to bomb blah, blah, blah. >> here's a one-liner from one of romney's potential running mates. i don't think you ever rule out opportunities or options when you're involved in public life and you say you want to make a difference and you're serious about that. obviously, then you don't foreclose options. now for the clues, he endorsed romney back in november. only the second u.s. senator to do so, and there was a time when people actually thought this person might enter the race for president, prompting mitt romney himself to say, quote, i'm so lucky he didn't run. it's south dakota republican senator john thune who had to be my earliest pick and continues to be my pick for vp. you're watching "hardball,"

a place for politics. my nutritional standards are high. i'm not juice or fancy water, i'm different. i've got nine grams of protein. twist my lid. that's three times more than me! twenty-one vitamins and minerals and zero fat! hmmm. you'll bring a lot to the party. [ all ] yay! [ female announcer ] new ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. twenty-one vitamins and minerals. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. refreshing nutrition in charge! perfect golden color. rich in fiber. my dad taught me, and i taught my son out there. morning, pa. wait... who's driving the...? ♪ 99 bushels of wheat on the farm, 99 bushels of wheat ♪ [ male announcer ] yep, there's 8 filling layers of whole grain fiber in those fun little biscuits... so they stick with you, all morning long. kellogg's® mini-wheats cereal. [ mini ] yee haw! a big breakfast in a little biscuit.

i knew it'd be tough on our retirement savings, especially in this economy. but with three kids, being home more really helped. man: so we went to fidelity. we talked about where we were and what we could do. we changed our plan and did something about our economy. now we know where to go for help if things change again. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get free one-on-one help from america's retirement leader.

this is the cnbc market wrap. a digit sell off leaves the dow at 125 point, the nasdaq falls by 31. world market drop is certain as egregious financial future stretches into another week. and cio ina drew is retiring from her post following last week's disclosure of a $2 billion trading loss. meanwhile, groupon is rallying after a better than last quarter sales report. now we return back to "hardball."

welcome back to "hardball." when president obama stood in favor of gay marriage last week, he stood in enthusiastic support from much of the democratic base. but one group had serious reservations and it's the most loyal democratic group of all, african-american voters. the president convened a conference call with eight or so african-american ministers just an hour or so after he made that announcement to explain his position and we wanted to gauge the reaction. reverend al sharpton was one of them on the call. i want to start with you, reverend, what your thoughts were before, during and after the president took this position. >> i've always been a supporter of the president's position. i think it's important -- >> wait a minute, he didn't have the position until last week. >> i had my personal position. >> you reported before he reported. >> i came out supported civil

marriage protection in maryland, and i think it's important that civil marriage protection for gay and lesbian couples is different than for civil marriage. in this country, we have to maintain a separation between church and state and that we have to understand that we cannot base issues of public policy upon one's personal and private theology. so it's critically important that we protect the rights of all the citizens of this country. president obama was elected president of the united states and not pastor of the united states. >> as a pastor, would you preside over a gay marriage? no, would you? you said your private as opposed to public view. do you support as a religious leader, gay marriage? >> absolutely. i'm for both. i believe, as a religious leader, i believe that gays and lesbians deserve equal protection under the law. >> and under your religion. >> what i'm saying is that the personal theological issue is

really immaterial. >> where are you on the personal and theological issue? i want to know that, too. >> i believe that all -- >> so you don't have a distinction. first of all, are you a republican or democrat? >> i'm a democrat. >> you supported the president before you voted for him? >> i did not vote for the president. >> why not? >> i was concerned about these issues. the biggest thing was life, the abortion issue. i read his book that came out befo beforehand. it seemed to me way back when he was leaning in this direction than others. jerry wright is known to have performed commitment ceremonies for gays and lesbians a while back. so i've got serious concerns that as far as i'm concerned -- >> do you think people should have voted for the president based on his pro-choice decision? >> i think that the point with these choices, yes.

in another time, i think mccain, for example, was in one of the worst races in recorded history, and he was ambivalent on how he stood. >> who did you vote for last time? >> i voted for mccain. my father was threatened at gunpoint when i was one year old down in florida by voter registration. >> you voted for w. bush's law? >> ironically, in 2004, when marriage became an issue, i came out as a democrat and joined ferguson and other folks because i thought marriage was foundational to the culture. and here we are now, eight years later, and we got the same kind of demographic going on, and i'm concerned -- a lot of people are saying they're not going to vote at all, african-americans, because they say, i don't feel like i can vote against the first black president. i don't like what he stands for, and i don't know that i understand where romney is, he's mormon and other things -- >> you mentioned the mormon part. what do you think about that?

>> they work with me on marriage issue both in d.c. and maryland. they seem to be fine, upright people. i'm on the board of the national association of evangelicals, and we had a meeting out in utah last year which was very -- >> i'm concerned. it seems to me there is a lot of issues that religion touches on public life, whether it's capital punishment or war and peace. it seems like the people on the right always pick out a couple issues that they focus on. they don't focus on whether their kids starve or have good nutrition or have a good education, they tend to focus on these right to life questions and marriage issues. >> that's critically important. the reality is that more is said in the bible about poverty and caring about the poor and systemic equality than issues of private morality. i believe what we're going to find in this election season is that people understand that there is more that unites us than what divides us. >> i remember that jesus always stood against the people being

stoned. he was the one that said don't condemn people. his friend was mary magdalene, right? he wasn't out here saying obey the law strictly like the pharisees were. he was the one saying christians are people of mercy. do you think he would have been chasing after the kid with long hair and cutting the kid with long hair or protecting the kid with long hair? >> he would have been protecting the kid with long hair. i'm not necessarily with him right now. >> you're not with romney? >> i'm not with romney at this point. i want to say something about righteous justice. the bible talks about how righteousness is holy iness. it also talks about justice. what's broken in american politics is the democrats think they own social justice, the republicans think they own righteousness, but the bible doesn't take righteousness or justice, it takes righteousness and justice.

therefore -- >> our president is a model of a father, of a husband. in every way he's been devoted to his wife, to his kids. i think he puts off a lot of politics, and i would disagree with him on this, he doesn't spend a lot of evenings hanging out with senators and congresspeople, because he'd rather be with his family and be a good husband. i think that hurts him politically. but i think he's been a model family man. that's why i find it hard to believe how tough you are on him because you disagree on a question of civil marriage. what are they supposed to do, hang out with each other but never formalize their relationships? what are gay people supposed to do? >> to redefine marriage, you redefine the family, you redefine education. >> but what are gay people supposed to do when they have close personal relations for life? what should they call that? >> i think they should call it civil unions. >> they shouldn't call it marriage. >> they shouldn't call it

marriage. >> why? >> i think there's too much confusion around marriage, marital roles. if i talk to your average african-american kid, he's from a broken home, he's got -- >> i'm with you. how does denying gay people the right to marry encourage young women and men who are in he heterosexual relationships not get married? how does gay marriage discourage young people from formalizing their relationship in marriage? >> i want to block the extension of marriage but i want to strengthen marriage itself. >> i don't think denying gay people the right to marry is going to encourage young heterosexual couples to formalize. >> bishop, i hope you evolve. thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. >> thank you, bishop harry

jackson. large, large congregation you have, sir. up next, mitt romney has captured the republican nomination. question, has the neos captured him like they did george bush? . unless you ask, what's next? [ zapping ] [ clang ] this is the next level of performance. the next level of innovation. the next rx. the all-new f sport. this is the pursuit of perfection. why? i thought jill was your soul mate. no, no it's her dad. the general's your soul mate? dude what? no, no, no. he's, he's on my back about providing for his little girl. hey don't worry. e-trade's got a totally new investing dashboard. everything is on one page, your investments, quotes, research... it's like the buffet last night.

whatever helps you understand man. i'm watching you. oh yeah? well i'm watching you, watching him. [ male announcer ] try the new 360 investing dashboard at e-trade. and i thought "i can't do this, it's just too hard." then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going. go for olympic gold and go to college too. [ male announcer ] every day we help students earn their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. this is your moment. let nothing stand in your way. devry university, proud to support the education of our u.s. olympic team. this week's cover of newsweek is getting a lot of buzz with a picture of president obama as his supporting gay

marriage. newsweek is hardly the first to play this game, if you will. in 2009 the associated press wrote a story asking if mr. obama was the first asian american president. kathleen parker suggested we elected our first female president. i don't know where that one came from. and last week new york magazine made obama the nation's first jewish president. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day

with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine

and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbaa.lt dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. we're back. does mitt romney have a foreign policy of his own, any kind of mitt romney doctrine, even? apparently even his own foreign

policy advisers scratch their head to answer that question from time to time as the "new york times" reported this weekend. one adviser told them that as in any campaign, there are outer circles, inner circles and i'm not sure any candidate if the candidate has a strong view of his own on this. he says we should not even negotiate with them, he says we should kill them all. he says if obama is reelected, they will get a nuclear weapon, but if romney is elected -- and he stops just like that. he says it's like the 1950s again, and if elected, he will have -- gentlemen, here's the

guy whose only foreign policy was working as a missionary in paris and france. he's never been in the military, his family has never been in the military. fine. it doesn't say that's where does all of this militarism come from. where does all of it come from? >> from a desire to sound tougher than barack obama. steve is a foreign policy expert, i used to be foreign editor of the post, but you have to study this stuff. you have to be curious, think about it, read books, and there's no evidence that -- >> the one that really crabbed me. they basically supported al qaeda and the attack on the united states. that's the thing they did wrong, but they exist in that country. they have a right to be there with a totally radical view. he says kill them all. just go into the country and kill them. >> i feel like mitt romney is playing scissors paper rock and

he is saying cheney, cheney, playing that card he can show the greatest contrast with the real deal making that any president would have to do. he doesn't have to be accountable or responsible. he doesn't have to tradeoff. how do you channel iran's direction without doing deals with russia and china. he is saying i will create other wars. >> let me say something that scares me. he says russia is our biggest enemy, no it's not. individually i think russian's like us, they have been trying to get over the cold war like we do. apparently that really antagonizing those people, we hate when we say they're our enemy and why wouldn't they. >> just from the desire to sound like a big tough guy. there can't be any thought put into that. vladamir putin is a guy -- if

you want to deal with iran, not russia. >> we have to deal with other countries, we're not the boss of the world. why is he doing this? why is he saying on every issue i'm the hawk. >> he wants to sound tough. he is from massachusetts, people think -- his father was a republican. >> the insiders don't think he is a neocon, he doesn't believe in this big world freedom agenda, he's not going off to fight a bunch of wars, he is a thinker like jimmy carter, i will get all of the information in front of me when that time comes andly make the decision

like a businessman. >> he's not an idiot, right? made a lot of money -- >> if that's how his mind works, why -- >> i think he just wants to check that box. he just wants to deal with that foreign policy, say i'm tough, i will make things better than obama. >> my favorite question, so what? i'm afraid he will make commitments that will lock him into a very hawkish stance on day one. >> i think so, we have a lesson from hillary clinton and she made the same claims against barack obama, trying not to get george bush to go to the opening days, and i said how unpresidential. it's the cost of the economy on north korea, iran, climate change. and people run and say things, but it does matter, it locks him

into something, raises suspicions for how he will deal with other great state officials. >> can he be manipulated? >> potentially, he -- >> can he be pushed around, romney? >> if he goes with the bolten faction of his advisors. >> is he an empty suit. >> on foreign policy. >> that's scary. w. was empty-headed on some foreign policy being pushed around. let me finish why you should never let anyone tell you no. . i was going to say howard ball. the place for politics. ttuce sh. made by bees. toucan sam. that's not cheese. grass fed. curry. gingersnaps. soup can tower. 5% cash back. right now, get 5% cash back at grocery stores.

it pays to discover. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers.

more than 50 times a day? so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only rinse that makes your teeth two shades whiter and two times stronger. ♪ listerine® whitening... power to your mouth.

let me finish tonight with this. this week i got an honorary degree from howard university. as i said on saturday from up there on that grand stage, there is a glow in every graduate of this great university, a glow of pride and having attended, an icon of african-american history and american history. let me share what i said. i said the words we speak can be forgotten on these occasions,

but i wanted them going out in the world to form their degrees to think of just one picture. it's of this young man driving his car out of chicago out into the suburbs and rural areas of illinois, a map of the state on the passenger seat next to him. he had just been beaten for congress, but here he was driving alone with guts and hope in a place where people had never voted for a african-american candidate. he was running for the u.s. senate, and that's why barack obama was able to stride on to the stage at the democratic convention in boston because he had the nerve to drive out of chicago into the suburbs. that was my message. get out there and ask people to invest in you, make a bet on you. make them say no to you, n