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this hour, new information about what the president will say in his prime time pitch to congress and the american public. tonight, it's a make or break moment for this president. can he convince congress to deliver a health reform bill? plus, senator baucus 10:00 a.m. deadline for his so-called gang and six has come and gone. did the hope of a bipartisan go with it? making off with bernie's stuff. convicted ponzi schemer bernard madoff's belongs, boats and clothes and homes are on the auction block this hour. we go inside his mansion. good morning to you i'm tamron hall. >> i'm alex witt. right now, supreme court is hearing oral arguments involving

the 2008 documentary critical of then presidential candidate hillary clinton. at issue whether the movie should be regulated as a campaign ad. this really will have implications on how corporations and unions can spend money to influence elections. in afghanistan, "the new york times" reporter is freed this morning after british commandos rescued him from his taliban captors. a british soldier and translator killed in the operation. mark sanford is speaking out again on a radio show. he says politics is behind the campaign to have him removed from office. >> the moral wrong was all mine. the consequences is past and future are mine and i'm working through those. but there is a very different story that has led the headlines of the last month and a half to almost two months and that is been a battle out of spending things in many cases are -- >> a probate hearing scheduled this afternoon

concerning michael jackson. a judge will decide whether his mother is violating the no clause contest clause in the will in controlling his estate. in a few hours we will know what president wants included in health care reform. it is a high stakes speeches to the joint session of congress. the biggest setting for the president right now that he could ask for. white house press secretary robert gibbs told "morning joe" the president will detail his essentials for passage, including how to pay for it. >> i think what he'll do is clearly lay out his ideas for health care reform, hoe we move this process forward, how we pay for this plan. what is in it for people that have health insurance, family, security and stability, and how do we provide afford abable accessible insurance for those struggling with the high cost of insurance and don't have that. >> nbc white house correspondent savannah guthrie joins us. we are going to take the president, he is right now at that memorial for walter

cronkite. when he steps up we will take his comments then. of course what he says tonight that all eyes and ears are watching for. there are reports out there that the president will say he supports the public option but it is not an ultimatum, not a true line in the sand. what are you hearing? >> yeah, absolutely that is consistent with what we've been saying for days and what his aides are saying. the wiggle room he has left for himself throughout this entire debate. the president has said he supports the public option. we expect him to advocate for that public option today. but from the white house perspective, what they are really trying to emphasize is the end goal here. they want more choice and competition among insurance companies so that they think that will drive down prices. the public option is one way to get there. they think it's the best way to get there. they recognize, however, the political realities that, frankly, a public option is highly unlikely to get out of the senate. they say, look, if there other ways to accomplish it, fine. they are leaving themselves that wiggle room but you no doubt

know on the left side of the democratic party, a lot of people who think anything less than a public option is just sort of chipping around the edges and not real reform. so the president really has to walk that line knowing that republicans certainly and also some conservative democrats think the opposite, they want nothing to do with the public option thinking that is just kind of a gateway into a government takeover of health care. >> we've heard a lot recently from speaker pelosi who said yesterday without a public option she doesn't see a passage in the house and here is what she said related to the president's position. let's play that. >> as the president has said, and i listened to him very carefully, he believes that the public option is the best way to keep the insurance companies honest and to increase competition. but he said if you have a better idea, put it on the table. and so if somebody has a better idea how to do that, put it on the table. >> i've got to ask you a lot of people are asking if the white house is still looking for

wiggle room how is that different from what we've been hearing from the president all along? >> exactly. and i think that on this discrete issue of the public option, we aren't going to hear much different out of the president today in terms of the substance. but as white house aides would be quick to remind everyone the whole public reform is not the whole issue. there are other issues and other disagreements and i think that's where they are saying they will be more specific, including, for example, how to day pa foy it. i'm told by more than one aide by the time this is all said and done we will understand what the, quote, obama plan is. i should mention the president plans to take the sales pitch out on the road. he is going to minnesota on saturday and hold a health care rally and do this presidential road show over the next six weeks or so as this health care debate gets under way. >> a lot of interesting new developments already even before the speech. thank you very much. tonight's congressional address is described as a make or break moment for president

obama as he tries to quiet the weary people out there. we are joined by cici connelly. you say the president's fight for the health reform is the similar to the fight he made for the health care justice act in illinois in 2004. give me the comparisons then of then versus now. >> that's right. we spent a little time going back and looking at the record from that period. he was, of course, a chairman in the illinois state senate and this was a bill that he embraced and then kind of ran with. it's very interesting in talking to people who worked with him back then and even some of the opponents, he had a very similar approach to what we've seen this time around. he brought many of these stakeholders into the room, whether it was the insurance agents, doctors, republican lawmakers, just as we've seen this time. he spent many weeks and months

listening and hearing them out. then, finally, starting to make some compromises along the way until he was able to get past a piece of legislation. now, interestingly, that time around, through that entire process, the bill became pretty watered down and in the end, it was essentially a task force. but a very similar approach to the negotiating and the politicking. >> the last part of that i want to read and focus on. the last part we show on the screen. does that give you an idea of to whom he will be appealing this go round this evening? will he be appealing more to the republicans to try to boost some sort of a compromise deal? >> well, i think that most importantly he is going to be speaking to the american public.

even though he is going to be in that house chamber tonight and it's a joint address to congress, really, the important audience here is the american public, because what we've seen over the last six or eight-week period is that public support has fallen. so, as a result, he needs to get voters back behind this very big initiative. >> okay. ceci connelly, thank you. >> thank you. >> you can watch his prime time address to congress here on msnbc at 8:00 eastern. coverage anchored by keith olbermann and chris matthews and rachel maddow. a bone fragment found near phillip rah gee row's garrido's home is probably a human bone. they are accused of kidnapping jaycee duggard and accused of kidnapping her for 18 years. the bone will undergo further

testing. fire crews contained 60% of that huge wildfire burning in the mountains near los angeles for two weeks now. the blaze has killed two firefighters and destroyed 78 homes. the reward for information on who set the wildfires now up to $150,000. officials estimate the station fire will be under control the next week. a "the new york times" reporter taken hostage by the taliban is freed this morning after a military raid in afghanistan left two people including his interpreter dead. nb nbc's jim is live with those details. how bad a firefight was this? >> hi, alex. well, first of all, let me say "the times" is confirming that stephen farrell, a british veteran reporter and does the at war blog for "the new york times" and he was rescued this morning in the northern province by or after a helicopter raid by british commandos.

according to the paper, farrell and his afghan interpreter were grabbed by the taliban four days before and they were down or up, i should say, up in kunduz interviewing local witnesses in an area close to the controversial air fight. the details of the rescue are stechy. farrell tells the times the taliban captors panicked when they realized there was a raid. he called it a hail of gunfire. he saw them fall saying journalist, journalist. he is unharmed but the interpreter area body found later this morning. >> what a story. thank you very much. the way money and politics mix in this country could be about to change. all because of a documentary

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welcome back. more great white sharks were spotted tuesday off the coast of massachusetts. how can you miss it? the team actually tagged three more great whites off chatham bringing the total number to five sharks tagged since saturday. the explosion of the seal population is expected to be what is drawing the sharks to the region and bringing them closer to shore. thus, closer to people who are on shore. chatham beaches remain closed today for swimmers and, obviously, you see there for good reason. the national hurricane

center just upgraded hurricane fred to category 3 storm over the eastern atlanta and storm still forecast to steer clear of land and expected to weaken tomorrow. right now fres is located 5 hundred miles west of cape verdes islands. republicans want the president to focus on areas where bipartisan is possible namely finding solutions on preexisting conditions and making it possible for workers to keep their insurance if they lose their jobs. republican senator judd gregg of new hampshire joins us now. senator, good morning. >> good morning. how are you? >> i'm well. i hope you are, too. a big die capitol hill. orrin hatch sent a letter to the president today and here is how it reads.

do you side with senator hatch? >> hard to complain about that. i think that's a pretty rational view how we should proceed, yes. >> what about reconciliation? i'm understanding you have blasted that, sir, as a threat to senate procedure and that you will block democrats from urging that or kayic process, if you will, to pass health care bills here. is what senate majority leader harry reid said about that option yesterday. >> we are still approaching this in the form of bipartisanship. we still, after all these months, have a place at the table for the republicans and we're going to do everything we can to work with them. we want a bipartisan bill. we do not want to do reconciliation unless we have no alternative. >> what are you going to do about bringing together a bipartisan bill? what is your role in this? >> i'm a cosponsor, along with 20 other members of the senate, half republicans and half democrats of a bipartisan bill

called the wyden/bennett bill and strongly supported grassley and baucus in the group of six to reach a concensus and they are half democrats and half republicans by i made a proposal of my own which i thought was reasonable and in an attempt to reach across the aisle. i think is there a working center in the senate to reach an agreement involving members of both parties. however, it would be destructive to that effort, in fact, it would terminate that effort if reconciliation were used because that is the ultimate partisan weapon. >> new hampshire republican senator judd gregg, good luck this evening. thank you very much. >> thanks a lot. we take you to breaking news. developing story. the memorial for news great walter cronkite. let's listen to our own tom brokaw. >> president clinton, i wouldn't be anywhere else in the world right now. president obama, president clinton, members of walter's

extended family here and across america, nancy, kathy and chip, i know how proud you were to be the children of walter and betsy and i want to begin by thanking you for sharing him with all of the rest of us. especially my generation of journalists. in so many ways, walter cronkite was also our dad. he was a godfather who showed us the way to be good journalists, good family men, and good citizens without none of those roles, canceling out the others. also, walter cronkite was a force in the transformation of this country. i was personally witness of that as a teenager in the remote regions of the great plains. i didn't see television until i was 15 years old and it was a small black and white set in the corner of our dining room but it

changed my life. because, in many ways, walter cronkite and all of those early pioneers lifted a lamp and showed us the wider world and allowed us to understand it more clearly and coherently and, in some cases, to leave those places and to come here. in the past several weeks there have been so many testimonials of walter's long and storied career and his passion for the highest standards of journalism, his love the sea and sailing's hen enthusiasm for being walter cronkite for having the good life he earned and so richly deserved. there is little can i add to all of that. instead, today, i would like to remember another character of this man who was born in missouri, educated in texas, who lived in the world and who grew up to be the most trusted man in america by a vote of his countrymen. i'd like to commemorate his capacity for friendship that transended cultures,

generations, and, yes, even competitive lines. we're witness to that in this remarkable gathering today in this room and across the country, of course. not just in the famous faces and the big names, to the end end of his life, walter also had time for a call or even lunch with a the foot soldiers of cbs news who were long removed from his daily needs. and, of course, there were those legendary friendships that went beyond the work day. his university of texas classmate, eli wallach, the great actor, is here with us today. my colleague and great friend, the late gordon man ining and, courses, andy rooney, whose friendship with walt er went moe

than 65 years back to world war ii. personally, to those of us who came along later, the quality of those friendships were less an important as the legacy of quality journalism. bob schieffer and i have been friend for 35 years and for the rest of our lives, we would like to have the kind of friendship that walter and andy had. we just can't decide who gets to play andy rooney. i was a beneficiary of walter's friendship on so many occasions. meshl memoriably the night nbc air my interview by gorbachev it was a big gap and i was concerned about how it would be received.

as soon as the prime time hour ended, the phone rang and the first call on a voice said, well, that was magnificent! in my anxiety, i didn't immediately recognize the voice and i said, "who is this? there was a roar of laughter at the other end and the familiar voice continued "who is this? it's walter cronkite, for god's sake! how soon they forget! " no homage to walter would be complete without paying tribute to the women in his life. joanna at the end, of course. marlene who could teach rahm emanuel a thing or two about being chief of staff. and, of course, the memorable and utterly adorable betsy.

meredith likes to remind me often how important betsy was to walter's success because she was fearless about keeping his anchorman's ego in check. there are so many betsy stories, but meredith's favorite was when betsy and walter moved from a townhouse to a high-rise and betsy confide to do a friend that she would miss the townhouse. the friend said, well, of course. so many great memories. betsy plied, as a matter of fact, no, not that, i'll miss the back yard where i buried all of those damn plaques and awards that walter keeps getting! it was always a lift to see them out on the town and they didn't miss much from the shores of broadway openings or movie premieres when nora opened her sweet comedy called "you got

mail." with tom hanks and meg ryan, walter went up to her and gushed later, that was terrific, just the kind of film we don't see often enough these days. betsy standing off to the side looked at nora and said, dead pan, not me! i wanted more violence, more blood and guts, shoot them up! we don't get enough of those kinds of films these days! and then betsy gave her that crinkly lop-sided dial that made her so enduring. i thought of walter a journalist out of the front page and had a dramatic idea of what it was like to be a journalist and he had that wonderful old-fashioned attitude about new york city after dark, a city to be used at all times. he once told me that when he was anchoring the cbs morning news on the way to work, he would stop to have breakfast at the

kopacabana in the wee hours of the morning. i thought to myself how dashizing that? having breakfast at the copa. i shared that with a cbs friend who replied, knowing walter's way with a buck, "that just meant the copa was buying his breakfast, tom!" to those of us who follow the era of walter and all the great people at cbs news, and, pardon me, but also the legends at nbc, chet and david and all of our graeg colleagues as well, there are constant and enduring reminders of how much we owe them. we could hold our heads high because of the high standards that they established. and walter, as i learned personally, that was a standard and a presence that traveled very far. he had been out of the anchor chair for some time when i went to the middle east to report on the israeli return of the cyanide to the egyptians. a small group of jewish settlers

was holding out in a compound not allowing anyone to approach. there was a kind of a general store, not too far away, and as it happened, it was operated by a man who would watch me in california when he was living in pasadena. he offered to be my intermediary, so he said on a two-way radio to the compound, "tom brokaw would like to interview you." there was a background buzz of hebrew and pardon my yiddish accent here but the spokesman came on and said, "so who is tom brokaw?" my new friend looked at me, winked. remember, he was a merchant. "leave it to me." he leaned into the microphone and he said, "he's the most important and famous journalist in america." there was more a break buzz in the background and the spokesman

came back and said, "well, is he as famous and as important as walter cronkite?" i laughed and said to my new friend, "radio them back no." and he never will be. god bless you, walter! >> there is tom brokaw, paying tribute to walter cronkite and joining many there on the upper west side of manhattan and among the luminaries will be the president and we will carry his remarks live for you. in the meantime, a short break on msnbc. rogaine?

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flaf program nuclear program. glenn davis says iran is very near or in possession of a rich u rain uranium to produce a nuclear weapon. republican mel martinez gave final address on the senate floor an hour ago. he announced in september he would not seek a second term. disgraced financier bernie madoff luxury penthouse is manhattan is headed for the auction block but it doesn't stop there. good morning to you, mary. what all is up for grabs? >> well, it's an interesting look at an inside or an inside look, i should say, of madoff's private life. he stole billions from thousands of people with his ponzi scheme and now the government is trying to recover millions for his victims. those millions will include the sale of this two story penthouse here on east 64th street, a

4,000 square foot property with seven rooms and only one bedroom but his and her studies and 4 1/2 bathrooms and features four fireplaces and has a wrap-around terrace with a panoramic view of manhattan but that is not the only thing the government is selling. it is selling this 8700 square foot property in palm beach, the madoff home there. a five bedroom home, seven bathrooms and has 80-foot dock that jets out into the intercoastal water ways and the view you look across the waterway to downtown palm beach. a couple of interesting themes as you look at this videotape of both of these residences. the madoffs liked bulls in a nod to madoff's alleged investing prowess but he was a clothes horse. closets that housed over 50 suits and in palm beach he had only 40 pairs of custom maid suits. three of the madoff properties are being sold, one in long

island as well. the government hopes all of this will fetch over $21 million for madoff victims. >> apparently not much of a cook with retrokitchens. they had for my ka countertops and you think that would be updated. >> when you have that much money, you go out to dinner. president obama is preparing to make a very hard sale on health care reform to americans and congressional members on both sides of the aisle. >> on the public option, i believe that -- public option will essential to our passing a bill in the house of representatives. >> nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell is following the developments. we know around 10:00 we were expecting developments of the gang of six. those are, obviously, six members of the senate who many say hold the fate of this health care reform bill in their hands. max baucus wanting to hear from the other members of the gang of

six. what have we heard lately? >> what we know they had a bit of a homework assignment. three republicans and three democrats who have become known as the gang of six were asked by the chairman to come up with any ideas, any adjustments to the plan that he released yesterday, an 18-page outline of what the finance committee thinks health care should look like. we expect that they will meet again "today" and there will be more conversations with the wider group of democrats today and all be getting together for the first time since the recess. republicans will have their meeting, too. throughout the day, there will be opportunities to have more conversations behind the scene. of course, it all builds to tonight when the president is here to address the joint session. sometimes it is big events like a presidential speech or some other major news moment that can help to shift or perhaps give a new direction to momentum and perhaps that's what we will see today but we expect the finance committee will give us something more definitive and the white

house is saying we might have more specifics from the president. >> some of the language been floated out there the president needs to dictate to congress what he wants, each a guest this morning on "morning joe" said the president needs to show he has a tough spy. i'm curious how that is playing out with members of congress, especially with the tone being so hostile at the town halls that many had to endure face-to-face and pretty angry constituents. >> you are so right. members of the house are up for election much sooner than the president will be, should we presume he runs for re-election. so you will often hear from members of congress that they are coequal branch of government. so while people are saying that the president needs to be a little firmer with congress, members of congress want to remind everybody that they have really the cards in their hands for this, to write the legislation and so forth. at the same time, of course, democrats want to really gel direction from the president and want to have a unified message. as you pointed out, they heard an awful lot from constituents.

i was just in the elevator with a senator who said there was an agitated public during these last few weeks so they have to be responsive to that, too. they have other concerns not just the white house issue to measure for themselves. >> kelly, thank you very much. a hearing regarding michael jackson's estate is set later today. the hearing will decide if michael jackson's mother will have a say in controlling michael's estate. jackson kids won't be heading to private school this fall. reports in late august that katherine jackson guardian of michael's kids wanted to enroll them in a private los angeles school but a course close to the family say the kids will remain home-schooled. "discovery" on its way back to earth right now. it pulled away from the international space station tuesday where astronauts delivered thousands of pounds of equipment. it is due to land thursday at the kennedy space center. what is the next big thing from apple this fall? do you have any idea? >> i don't know. do you have a clue? it's always a secret.

>> it is. we get a look later today. we don't have to speculate when the computer giant makes a big announcement. >> it rain -- it ranges from a ipod and tablet sized computer. jim has the goods, right? >> good morning to you. yeah, it is a big day for apple. mac and ipod and iphone fans and steve jobs fans. apple investors, no question about it. we do expect apple to unveil a new version of the ipod likely something with a camera and investors and mac customers have been waiting for that particular advance. also look for kris cuts on the ipod something down to as low as 149 dollars as apple tries to sort of reinvigorate this maturing line of products. but no matter what the company announces today, it's who will announce these headlines that will grab the lion's share of news coverage. we fully expect steve jobs to make his first public appearance since returning to the company

as ceo after his six-month medical leave and, of course, that liver transplant earlier this year. the last time he was seen was at an apple event last october and something investors and apple fans have been waiting to see and they will get their chance later today. but it does promise to be a good day for apple. the company is trying to -- well, basically create enthusiasm as we head into the holiday shopping season and today's focus will be on ipods and musics and i tunes. >> nothing is more enthusiastic than a price cut. except when you bout it at regular price. >> everyone but me. good to hear steve jobs is feeling better. up next the president's prime team speech to the nation and congress. is tonight's speech going to be the cure-all for the troubles. a scary breach of security at the u.s. open. we will tell you what happened to rafael naedle and what he had soy what turned out to be a

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positive territory this morning. we're going to take a look at today's top economic headlines. >> we're going to senator mccain talking about campaign finance reform. let's listen in. >> talk about the influence of money, corporate and union, and soft money on the legislative process. it was theodore roosevelt that first talked about the corrupting influence of big money in politics and the issue of corporate funding and union funding has not been an issue since 1917. whatever. early in the last century. now, there's certain judges who are alleging that somehow

corporations have the same rights as citizens. i don't accept that premise. >> of course, we're concerned when the court sets a special argument and not an issue relating specifically to mccain/feingold but whether this long-standing law should be overturned. the idea that an era of aig and exxon that their corporate treasuries would be opened up to destroy the political process this is a very bizarre time for these justices to be considered to destroy this long-standing law that has protected our democracy. >> senator mccain, is the court overturned, does congress have the will and will you have congress redo what -- >> the one thing i know is that if the court overturns long-standing demands long before mccain/feingold as it's called, the ban on corporate and union campaign contributions, i think you will see an era of

corruption and era of reform just as we've seen throughout our history. >> if they do it strictly on a first amendment ground not allowing us to legislate, they will disable the government, the representatives of the people of this country from ever fixing the campaign finance system. that could be the result of this. we'll have no ability to change it at all. >> does anyone believe that the rights of average citizens to be heard in washington would not be overridden by massive campaign unlimited campaign contributions from corporations and unions? that is a disconnect from reality. we saw the corruption. that's why we acted and that is why congress acted. not in congress' self-interest but because there was a command on the part of the american people in the face of corruption for us to act and we did. >> senator, do you have -- going backwards? >> yes. >> this happens, of course. thank you very much.

>> more public -- >> all right. you have senators john mccain and russ feingold continuing the bipartisan push for campaign finance reform and they are after. let's go now to our justice correspondent from nbc pete williams. pete, this is is on the docket at what point in front of the supreme court? is there something that these two are talking about relative to today? >> yes, that is just what just happened and, frankly, i think senator mccain and senator feingold have every reason to be worried because it did sound from extraordinary oral arguments that we just heard in the u.s. supreme court that the court is on the verge of making a huge change in the laws governing where the money comes from in american ploks. here is the issue. the law has long banned corporations and unions from making contributions to candidates. the issue today was what about the ban on corporations and yoons buying ads to support candidates? this issue came from the backers

of something called hillary, the movie, a 90-minute documentary harshly critical of hillary clinton that they wanted to run last winter and spring when she was on the verge of looking like she might win the democratic nomination. the federal government said no, you can't run that, that is an ad attacking a candidate and you're a corporation, because, number one, you're a nonprofit corporation and, number two, you've taken some corporate money, so you can't run that ad because the law bans corporations from running ads that endorse or attack candidates. they say that law is unconstitutional. you just heard from senators mccain and feingold on why they think the law should be upheld but it sounded to me, you never know when this thing is finally written how narrow it might be but it did sound today there were five votes on distort to strike that law down. >> real quick. has hillary the movie been specifically defined as a campaign ad as opposed to a piece of entertainment? >> yes. the government's position is that it's a campaign ad.

the backers say it's not an ad, it's not one of the things that sort of comes at you when you're trying to watch tv. you have to go find it. you have to go to video on demand and that doesn't satisfy the government. now, that was a very narrow question that they could have sorted it out that way but, instead, the supreme court said we want to hear the whole big question should we strike down several decades of these laws that limit corporations and unions that limit their spending on campaign. >> thank you, pete. >> as the president prepares to deliver the speech so far of his presidency the polls sew show the honeymoon is perhaps over. a "the washington post" columnist words say it this way, quote. the president's wings have melted. he is the man who fell to earth. joining us is bill press, and pat buchanan. perhaps the most interesting conversation i'll have all day. i'll start off with you, bill.

i mean, has the president fallen to earth? >> no, no, not at all. i saw that poll. 60% of the american people still say we need health care reform. that's not bad but, look, it's very clear that the president has a big job to do tonight. he has to regain momentum on this health care thing and i think he has to take charge of it. i mean, congress has gone as far as they can go. the president tonight i think has to remind everybody why this is important. lay out what he needs in this legislation, what we need, what is needed in the legislation and call on congress to do something bigger than themselves -- >> but we are hearing he is not giving an ultimatum on public option and show again strong support but not that strong line in the sand. all morning already people are saying, how is that different from anything else we've been hearing? >> well, it is different. by the way, i think there should be a public plan option and i'm disappointed he is not going to draw the line in the sand but if you have universal coverage and

employer mandate and get rid of preexisting conditions and insurance companies can't drop you because your kid gets sick that is a big progress. >> even if the polls are showing that the honeymoon could be over, pat, we're not seeing an uptick with the gop. we're not seeing those independents or moderates out there enticed by anything they are hearing on the other side so there doesn't seem to be a benefit for the gop in all of this. >> well, i think down the road, it will. the democratic congress was 11% or something last fall and, yet, they won all of those seats because that's the only place you could go if you vote against the republicans. >> right. >> what obama is going to do -- look. he is going to give lip service to the public option and that is going down the tubes because the public option will sink the whole thing. the things bill laid out, i think the democrats, if they work together and work hard and bring these blue dogs who are terrified, bring them aboard, i think they can still get

something. >> yeah? >> i think obama should be clear and simple tonight and reassuring and deal with what he says are myths and components and lay out the great picture but that's not going to be decisive. >> pat, to your point. that's what we're hearing whether you agree with his plan or not, when you leave or not, when you leave there, i think it was chuck todd who says the man and woman in missouri or texas, they need to know exactly what the plan is. whether you agree with it or not, you know what it is. >> it's got to be that simple. lay out the simple, base you can attractive components that you've got to have. and tell the country that you can move a few people, but it's going to get down to the short game here. if those blue dogs -- what they're going to say is do i want to sink the president of the united states on this major thing and therefore sink myself, or do i want to vote for this health care and therefore maybe sink myself? >> tamron, one word. leadership. the president is going to take charge and show leadership.

less ghandi and more lbj. get the job done. >> both great men in history. we'll see what happens today. no dis on either one. they accomplished, i say a little bit. we'll see what happens. watch president obama's prime time address to congress right here on msnbc at 8:00 eastern after the president's speech, msnbc will cast the republican response. catch keith olbermann live at 19. t&t. with its built-in 3g network, it's fast and small, so it goes places other laptops can't. anything before takeoff mr. kurtis? prime rib, medium rare. i'm bill kurtis, and i've got plenty of room for the internet. and the nation's fastest 3g network. (announcer) sign up today and get a netbook for $199.99 after mail-in rebate. with built-in access to the nation's fastest 3g network. only from at&t.

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a news conference less than an hour ago. part of that group, democratic congressman of florida was there. we'll speak with him right there. good morning to you, sir. let's talk about what it is that you talked about in the 11:00 a.m. what is it that the congressional black kau kaus hopes to hear from the president this evening? >> first of all, i wasn't at the press conference. and, second of all, i think that the president is going to have to deliver a message to

americans saying that health care is a very important priority to the future of this country. i think the last campaign on both sides of the aisle was about health care. it's going to continue to be making sure that people with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health care insurance. making sure those of us that are insured no longer have to pay for the uninsured like we're doing now as relates to emergency room care, and making sure we reform insurance companies. i think it's very, very important to this debate. >> all right. i do know representative james clyburn was there of south carolina. because he talked about pushing for a compromise. among the things he discussed was the so-called trigger option down the road. are you in favor of that? >> well, there are different trigger options that you have. and i know that the senate has a product that's pushing the trigger a little further down as it relates to the poverty line than has been said in previous pieces of legislation. but after tonight, all pieces of

this health care reform package will start to come together. members like myself will be able to focus on those changes and make a sound decision at that time. but i can tell you, health care reform, in my opinion, will pass. and we have to continue to push for what all americans want. and that's lower insurance premiums and co-pays. >> all right. florida democratic congressman kendrick meek. thank you very much. >> that does it for me this hour. >> i'll be back at 3:00 eastern time for the "the big picture" with david shuster. dr. nancy snyder piman picks upr coverage next. iss when you have an allergy attack? achoo! (announcer) benadryl is more effective than claritin at relieving your worst mptoms. and works when you need it most. benadryl. you can't pause life. back playing in the afternoon. excedrin back and body has two ingredients to block and relieve the pain.

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