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right now on "the big picture" -- president obama tries to keep health care reform on track. >> now is the continue for action. now is the time to deliver. >> but with democrats divided and republicans united against it, can the white house get enough votes to support the new senate plan unveiled after months of back room debate? under arrest. the lab tech is charged with the murder of yale grad student annie le, killed just days before she was to be married. the question now, why was she choked to death? >> i think jimmy carter's correct. >> bill cosby weighing in on race and the presidency. but he wants to turn the national conversation from race to focus on the country's children. and the things we thought you should know, what the feds did after south carolina governor mark sanford admitted his extra marital affair. and the hammer says he may be down but he's definitely not out. good afternoon, everyone. i'm alex witt. >> and i'm norah o'donnell.

david and tamron have the day off. in "the big picture" this hour, president obama is taking his push for health care reform to some younger supporters. the president held a rally at the comcast center at the university of medal just a few hours ago. wow, he was fired up and ready to go. as he said, he told these college students how his plans for reform are going to impact them and everybody else. and then he compared the so-called public option to a public university like the university of maryland. >> there are some folks who said, well, this is a government takeover of health care. we've got public universities and private universities. nobody says that we're taking over private colleges. what we're doing is giving students a choice. you should have a choice the same way in your health care. >> it's worth noting, of course, that the public option is not included in senator max baucus' plan, which we're learning is picking up some support from moderate republicans and democrats, such as senator olympia snowe, of course a

republican. senator baucus, the chairman of the finance committee, said he is optimistic about the final bill. >> i don't see major changes. i do believe very much by the time we finish this bill, it will have republican support. >> and senator grassley, the ranking member of the committee, said the so-called gang of six needed a few more weeks to reach a deal. and he's blaming democratic leaders in the white house for not giving them even more time. >> we're kind of preempted from doing it right by being pushed or shoved aside, let's say, by the leadership and by the white house, because they want to move on. what's another two or three weeks if it can be done in another two, three weeks and end up with a bill that could have broad bipartisan support. >> kelly o'donnell is nbc's capitol hill correspondent. kelly, does anybody really believe that if there were another two or three weeks that republicans and democrats would all of a sudden be holding hands and produce some sort of bill

that everybody was happy with? >> it's hard to imagine that given the degree of hardened views on all of this, but certainly republicans are saying they're frustrated, that they believe they didn't have enough time. that's a repeated phrase we heard from key players who have been working in the gang of six that we talked about so much. so there is that frustration. as you also know, there's been frustrate from the left in the democratic party, not entirely pleased with what's in the baucus plan. so what had been intended to be the best chance at a bipartisan version of all of this is instead causing some bipartisan disagreement. but also today there was some sort of pleasant support for chairman baucus. you know, in the last 24 hours, his name has become much more often used than sometimes with a critical followup. so when you referred to some additional support from people like olympia snowe, her position has not changed. she is not supporting this piece of legislation as it is now. but what she is saying is that she still wants to keep working

and she commends the process. remember, max baucus has had a rough 24 hours in terms of how he's been criticized in public and they've been working together for months and months and months. so this was a way to commend what they have been trying to do, to have sort of a good spirit about it as they go forward. because now they're going to sick right back down and get right back to work. so this was one of those kind of nice olive branch moments saying, we can still work on this. >> kelly, that's important to point out as senators nelson and capper know, it's not about extending an ego. or is it just saying he did a good job, or does it suggest he may have additional saw port? >> i think people recognized he put himself as the front and center of this. as the chairman of this powerful committee, he has had to shoulder this. and i think it is the sort of collegial support that you see from fellow senators. all through this process, we have heard both kinds of comments but to be honest, we

focused on the newsier stuff when they disagreed on issue. but often they would say they appreciate the hard work. so my sense of it, my reading of it is to say this is a way to give him kind of his moment applause, if you will, because it's been exhausting work for max baucus. and he's taken a lot of the hits for the work that the gang of six did. >> right. >> so i think it's certainly a positive sign but they have not signed on to the measure that they're looking at now. >> it is nice to see some civility. >> isn't that what we are talking about, civil it. >> thank you notes are still appropriate and congratulatory messages. >> exactly. wherewithal of that noise out there these days. nbc's kelly o'donnell. >> thank you, kelly. >> thank you, norah. okay, i'm moving on right now. let's go with tand get on with big picture." criticizing senator bach oes' health care plan could actually be good news for the president perhaps. "the washington post's" connelly

writes -- despite the fireworks on capitol hill, the coalition of industry leaders and interest groups are still on board. and ceci connolly joins us live from washington, d.c. hello to you, ceci. >> hello, there. >> thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. i commend you on your reporting. >> commend her on her reporting. >> you're fabulous. >> let's go to the importance of coalition industry leaders and interest groups. put that in perspective. how important is it? >> well, it's quite important if you think back to what happened in 1994 when president bill clinton attempted a similar overall of the nation's health care system. we know that many of these industry players and the special interest groups played a major role in defeating his efforts. so for quite some time now, the white house and senator max baucus, who you were just talking about, have really tried to at a minimum neutralize those groups and so far it's been fairly successful. you haven't seen the sort of harsh attacks and really

blitzkrieg advertising that happened 15 years ago. it's not to say that they're all happy and pushing the effort along quite as unanimously as maybe some would like. but they certainly have been in keeping with our theme today, fairly civil in this process. >> let's talk about what the vice president of the national retail federation told you. and here's the quote, "this is the best start of any of the bills." i want to talk about that relationship there, the retail federation, how they are weighing in, and if you think this how leads to reason for optimism at the white house. >> well, that certainly is encouraging sign coming from neil troutwine of the retailers association. i have talked to him consistently through this process and what has troubled him with almost every other version of health care reform is something called an employer mandate, a requirement that virtually every business contributes to the cost of health care. strikingly in senator baucus' bill, he does not have that same

level of requirement on employers. now, that will upset some people but i can tell you from the business community perspective, that's good news. >> okay. ceci connolly, we thank you very much. >> thanks for having me. here's a programming reminder for all of you. president obama will be talking about his health care plans this sunday on "meet the press." that's going to definitely be a point in television. >> must-see tv about that. >> it's good. now to big news. turning to iran, the world's top atomic watchdog is dismissing an associated press story that iran now has the capability to make a nuclear bomb. the ap says the secret report shows iran is on the way to developing a missile system able to carry an atomic warhead. however, the u.n.'s atomic energy agency is knocking that down, saying it has no concrete proof that there is a nuclear weapons program in iran. meantime today in an exclusive interview, nbc's ann curry sat down with iranian president

mahmoud ahmadinejad for his first u.s. interview since the elections and the unrest in iran. >> inside and outside of iran, people are questioning the legitimacy of your presidency. the speaker of the parliament himself has said many in iran don't believe the election was fair. so it's important to ask you, mr. president, it's important to ask you this question -- did you steal this election? >> translator: any person can express his or her point of view and have her or her opinions. if you will, the structures relating to elections in iran are the strongest such foundations and the law prevails.

there are legal frameworks inside iran are very clear. and if a person has an opinion to express within the confines of the law, they are free to express such opinions i don't see any problems. >> ann curry now joins us live on the phone from tehran after conducting this exclusive interview. ann, let me ask you first, what did ahmadinejad say about iran's nuclear ambitions? >> iran has said it is not pursuing nuclear weapons but that it is pursuing civil nuclear power. so i asked the president ahmadinejad about that, and about the news today that the u.s. is abandoning its missile defense shield to protect europe from iranian missiles, and he said he's welcoming this development, he think this is a change, a sign leading to change. but when i asked him if there

are any conditions to which iran would weaponize, was as you well know, it is nearing having enough centrifuges to theoretically have a nuclear weapon, he said, no. excuse me, he would not say no, that iran would not weaponize. he kept insisting that iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons. he became quite feisty, norah, in talking about that. this is a major issue, of course. as you know, the united states and iran have agreed to sit down and negotiate in conversations that may lead to the first significant talks between the united nations in 30 years. so this is a critical issue. the president, of course, has expressed and is very concerned about a nuclearized iran and wants this to be on the table. iran said it is not on the table. so i specifically asked him what the questions about it and he became quite feistlfeisty.

but it's an issue president ahmadinejad does not want to discuss. it's a very sensitive issue here in iran. >> no doubt about that, ann. and what about, as you point out, any sense of a thaw between the relationship, between iran and the u.s. with the president under this new administration, with president obama? >> that's right. in fact, that's a very good question. on this point it was very interesting, he said he welcomes the change president obama is promising. he said that iran wants serious change. and we got a very clear signal from this interview that president ahmadinejad sees president obama as someone he possibly could do business with. hins even negotiations. that will start october 1 isst. we talked about other things as well, norah, including iranian elections. i asked him specifically about the -- you probably remember the shooting of the young woman who came to symbolize the unrest in

iran. it was interesting to hear him address the case of neda and also the three american hikers missing across the border. it was an interesting wide-ranging interview and he made -- he made interesting news on all points. he did sorrow over neda and when i asked him about the possible arrest of any of the people, the opposition leaders who opposed him in the presidential election given the unrest, it was interesting that he did not say that he -- that the arrest could not occur. so i think there's a lot still occurring in iran that -- about the inspection of the u.s. and the interview, by the way, the first part will air tonight on "nightly news." and we'll also have more on the "today" show. >> all right, ann. a very, very important interview. thank you so much. of course, the intrepid ann curry there in tehran.

of course, as ann mentioned, you can see more of her interview with mahmoud ahmadinejad tonight on "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. so check your local listings for times. of course, on the "today" show tomorrow. up next -- the case against a lab worker accused of brutally strangling a yale medical student. we'll have a live report. later this hour -- republicans on the attack over missile defense. now, president obama's new plan for europe has become now a hot political topic in washington. get wrapped up in the luscious taste of butternut squash, blended with delicate herbs. v8 golden butternut squash. from campbell's. a soup so velvety and delicious you won't be able to contain yourself. campbell's v8 soups.

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♪ love stinks! welcome back to "the big picture," everybody. new developments today in the murder of yale university grad

student annie le. 24-year-old lab technician raymond clark was taken into custody this morning. he was arraigned shortly after his arrest. he did not enter a plea to murder charges and was ordered held on $3 million bail. his next court paernappearance t for october 6th. clark worked in the same yale lab building as annie le and police reportedly have dna and other evidence linking him to le's murder. nbc's ron allen joins us now from new haven, connecticut, with more on the suspect, arrest and any possible motive yet, ron? i know people have been speculating today. is there anything coming out on that front? >> no, that's the big question, alex, as to why this man would allegedly kill this woman. we know they worked in the same environment. she was a grad student in the lab doing research. he was basically a custodian or janitor in the same area. you wouldn't think they would come in contact that often. you wouldn't think there would be much of a relationship there. police said there was no romantic relationship but

stopped short of not saying whether clark may have been infatuated in some way with this woman and because this happened so close to her wedding, that's why one might speculate, had something to do with it perhaps. but police are not giving any idea what the motive may have been. we know she was strangled to death, choked to death. brutal crime. her body stuffed in the lab wall, found a few days later. obviously, everyone here, her family is grief stricken in trying to figure out, understand why this could have happened. >> let's talk about clark's job. he was an animal research assistant. le's work in that lab had her working with mice. is there evidence of them being in contact with one another prior to his being by police claims the last person to see her alive? >> no, i don't think there's a lot of evidence that they were together working in the same environment. there were people at different points in their lives. she's a grad student at yale university. he's a 23-year-old or 24-year-old lab technician. the world i heard was janitor

custodian. he used to do things like cleaning the animal cages and that sort of thing. not the kind of people you would think have much contact with each other in the same environment. clearly they did. clearly there was something going on that led him, drove him to murder her. again, it's really unclear what happened in terms of motive. i think here on the campus or near the campus, people are relieved to some extent there's at least some explanation as to what was going on. you remember there was a period of time le was missing and unaccounted for. now there is an alleged murderer in custody, so there's some feeling, okay, this was not an urban crime. this is not a university crime. this is something the police are calling a workplace crime but the motive and the means and the why -- are a big mystery. >> ron, what about those report that's first emerged in "the hartford current," the newspaper there this morning that basically they tracked down -- have you to swipe your card when you go through certain rooms in a building like this. annie le swiped her, and then he swiped is and then appears to be

the last person to see her alive? >> yeah. so it seems that the police had a very -- the trail leading to him was pretty straightforward. and these identity cards, these cars to get into a lab environment are pretty damning, i guess you can say. there are also hours and hours -- 700 hours i thought i read of videotape surveillance and specifically of the people coming and going out of this lab. the guy left a trail. it may have been a crime that happened passionately or spontaneously because there appears to be no way he tried to cover his tracks and there's a lot of video surveillance keeping track of him. it seems like a pretty crazy, dumb thing to do, if you would. >> all right, nbc's ron allen, thank you for that live report. you know what also strikes me, annie le, her body found the day she was to be married, he has a fiancee who sings his praises on myspace. >> there's a lot more we will learn about this whole story.

it is weird. >> to say the least. up next -- we're going to talk about an amazing story about how a blind woman actually regained her sight after doctors implanted -- get this -- one of her teeth in her eye. when i read this, i was like, what? >> and, yeah, that's one of the stories that are making us say "no way." >> no way. (woman) dear cat.

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everyone may face the same uncertainty. ♪ some would say that you won't find ♪ protecting yourself, however, requires good decisions. find strength and stability with mass mutual, a company owned by its policyholders. ask your advisor or visit massmutual.com. well, there are a lot of things considered news in this world. >> but there are only a few stories that make us say -- >> "no way." >> how did that work for you? >> i think tamron says it better. okay. one of those in the world's tallest man making the rounds to promote the latest edition of the guinness book of world records. sultan kocin is from turkey. check him out. and he's 8'1". >> that's a no way. >> his towering appearance is attributed to a tumor on his

pituitary grand which caused an everysupply of growth hoermen. the 27-year-old only stopped growing last year once this tumor was removed. unbelievable. >> here's a story we teased earlier. this is a "no way." a woman who was blind the last nine years regained her sight thanks to a science fiction-like procedure. the doctors at palmer eye institute in miami used a tooth -- you heard right -- a tooth to restore kay thorton's vision. they extracted one of her teeth, drilled a hole in it and inserted a prosthetic lens. >> no way! >> seriously, yes, way. it's only been done a handful of times in europe and asia and now in miami. >> what does her eye look like if there's a tooth sticking out of it? >> we only saw the close-up part of it, tooth-less part of the mouth. >> megan, can we get the picture? >> she said no way. finally, health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius has some advice for nbc's chuck todd. >> no way. >> yeah. >> at a briefing earlier today

chuck did not use the inside of his arm to shield his sneeze. you know, you're supposed to go like this when you sneeze. >> chuck. >> that's what the new health guidelines suggest. listen to this -- >> i think that -- >> bless you. >> a possible impediment. i mean, what is that about? geez. >> very correctly in the sleeve. i mean, it would be one thing -- >> i don't know. who's got some purell? give that to mr. todd right away, a little hand sanitizer. >> chuck todd is so busted. >> he told me, he's never going to live that one down. she's like, what is that about? >> oh, chuck. savannah, you need to get on him there at the white house. tell chuck to -- okay. coming up -- we'll tell you which republican lawmaker is actually claiming president obama wants to control how much food we eat.

also -- what the debate about race says about politics and civil society in america. this is "the big picture" on msnbc. r told me something i never knew. as we get older, our bodies become... less able to absorb calcium. he recommended citracal. it's a different kind of calcium. calcium citrate. with vitamin d... for unsurpassed absorption, to nourish your bones. (announcer) what are you going to miss when you have an allergy attack? achoo! (announcer) benadryl is more effective than claritin at relieving

i'm bertha couples with your cnbc market wraps. the markets today snapped a three-day winning streak to end the dow down about seven points. s&p 500 closed about three and nasdaq about six. an unidentified buyer has apparently snatched up bernard madoff's beach front home in new hampton. a spokesman for the broker says the buyer cited more than the asking price of $8 .75 million. the proceeds will help pay victims of the ponzi scheme. housing secretary rose 1.5% last month to the highest level in 9 months.

a surge in apartment buildings offset a decline in single family construction. and americans' wealth increased for the secretary quaurdond qua first time in two years. it grew 4%. americans' network remains far below its peak of $65.3 trillion. that was reported back in -- towards the end of the year in 2007. that's it from cnbc first in business worldwide. now back to msnbc. welcome back, everyone. i'm alex witt. >> and i'm norah o'donnell. in "the big picture," the white house again today tried to distance itself from former president jimmy carter's remarks that race is motivating some conservatives to launch attacks on president obama. white house press secretary robert gibbs said the president doesn't believe race is a factor, but he is calling for more civil debate. >> i think what the president believes is we can have these type of very passionate debates but do so in a way that is civil

and respectful of all of those that are participating in these debates, acknowledging a difference of opinion, even if that's not the opinion of which you come to that debate with. >> last night former president carter repeated once again his belief that president obama's skin collar is the driving force behind some of the criticism of the president. >> i think people that are guilty of that kind of personal attack against obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief he should not be president because he happens to be african-american. it's a racist attitude. >> in "the bigger picture" the national discussion about race and politics, comedian and actor bill cosby is weighing in. he says he agrees with former president carter's comments that race is playing a role in some of the outbursts against president obama. cosby spoke to msnbc's andrea mitchell. >> i don't think you can get

people who are entrenched in their own hatred to stop. i think what we have to do is find the people who are willing to work together, the people who realize that mistakes will happen, and we've got to work for the betterment of the american people. >> joining us now is dorell bradford, deputy director of excellent education for everyone. and this sunday on msnbc, doral is taking part in "about our children," a special focusing on education, health care and parenting. good afternoon. we're looking forward to that on sunday. thanks for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> let's look at what bill cosby was just saying and to the people to whom you think he was speaking when he says, we need people to come together and join this debate and discussion in, you know, furthering this cause. who are the people he's talking about? are they not our elected officials or are they?

>> i think probably the most important thing that hasn't been said here is that race plays a part in every american decision, at least it has to this point. and to the extent that this uncivil discourse is going on, on health care and at the town hall meetings and everything is taking place, it's motivated for some of the those people, it might be by the fact that they don't think a black man should be in charge of the country. but i do have to say, if you look at all of the polling, if you look at everything, you know, the white people put president obama into office. you know, i have to believe from iowa on down, you know, that this country wants to engage in remaking itself in a positive way and many people chose the president to do that, and i think honestly, his race is irrelevant in this discourse. >> you know, so then to that end, the president says this discussion, particularly that

which was generated by former president jimmy carter, is a distraction to the agenda. do you believe that's the case? >> i couldn't agree more. and in a lot of ways, i think that what we are hearing right now is -- is doing a disservice to a discussion about race in this country. i mean, you can't, you know, cry wolf all the time and expect people to meet that challenge in a serious way. i mean, if at some point in the future, there is legitimately some activity about race and the president that demands our attention, we want people to take that seriously. right now i think most people think disagreeing with the president means you're a racist because that's certainly the message that a lot of congressional representatives have been selling. >> okay. looking forward to what we have coming on sunday, the special about our children, which you're participating. you will be one of the features on the education panel, e-3, excellent education for everyone. talk about the extent to which

trying to quell the issues of racism in this country is about proper education, where does that begin? how can that be furthered? >> yeah, i think exactly to your point, norah. that is a discussion that is absolutely about race, and poverty to the extent that race tends to track with income. right now in america, there are hundreds of thousands of low income, largely minority kids, white kids, too, that attend schools that chronically fail them, that do not make student ch achievement a priority, that are organized in ways that make our adults happy but are not organized in way that's make sure our neediest kids are kids in the most dire need of an educational revolution actually have a chance as the table of democracy and freedom, their shot at the american dream. >> okay. derrell bradford, i want to thank you very much for joining us. we will be seeing much more of you on sunday. >> thank you so much.

and don't forget to tune in to msnbc this sunday with our special with bill cosby with michelle bernard about our children, focusing on parent, health and education issues facing the poor in the u.s. it airs this sunday, september 20th, from 7:00 to 9:00 eastern live on msnbc. you know when i think about what's ahead there, you and i are both moms. my kids are a little further along in terms of education but sometimesing this parents should be watching too. i want to gather my children around and have them watch this with me. yours are too young for that. >> i remember when i was a kid dr. cosby talking to parents. he is the man. so it will really be a special evening. the debate over late senator ted kennedy's successor in the senate has now moved to the floor of the massachusetts statehouse. lawmakers are debating a bill that would change the law to allow governor deval patrick to appoint an interim successor until the special election in january.

kennedy wrote a letter to state leaders before he died requesting that this law be changed. the democratic speaker says there are enough votes in the house to go ahead and past this bill. massachusetts voters say they support a move to allow the governor to appoint an interim replacement to kennedy's seat, and there's this new suffolk university seven news poll which shows 55% of voters favor the change, while 41% oppose it. major developments today in the scandal surrounding the community organization -- organizing group, rather, a.c.o.r.n. the house voted overwhelmingly to deny all funds three days after the senate took similar action. the house vote came on the very same day a new hidden camera video surfaced and allegedly shows a.c.o.r.n. employees in san diego now offering to help bring underage girls into the u.s. from mexico for prostitution. that's a what? hidden camera videos from four other cities have been released and caused quite the stir this week. they showed a.c.o.r.n. employees

encouraging prostitution and tax evasion. a.c.o.r.n. fired or suspended the employees in those four videos. meantime governor arnold schwarzenegger was asking california's attorney general to investigate a.c.o.r.n.'s active activeties in the states in which two of those videos were shot. >> that's what we call bad bull where i'm from. >> for sure. up next -- republicans criticizing president obama for scrapping a program dating back to the bush era. and then tom delay vowing to do what it takes to stay on the dance floor. remember, he's doing "dancing with the stars." you are watching "the big picture" on msnbc. protecting your heart includes watching your cholesterol. now there's new heart health advantage from bayer. its non-aspirin formula contains phytosterols, which may reduce the risk of heart disease... by lowering bad cholesterol. new heart health advantage from bayer.

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it's time for today's face-off and president obama's decision to scrap the bush plan for a missile defense shield in eastern europe. >> well, the she'll was designed to deal with threats from nations like iran but it's been a big sticking point in u.s. relations with russia. today president medved said he welcomes a decision and president obama made it clear he wants to work with the russians. >> our clear and sufficient focus has been the threat posed by iran's ballistic missile program and that continues to be our focus and our basis for the program that we're announcing today. in confronting that threat, we welcome russians' cooperation.

>> well, the system was going to be built in poland and the czech republic, and the president's decision to scrap it brought furious reaction from republicans. congressman mike pence, republican of indiana, issued a statement saying, quote, the first nine months of the obama administration has emboldened rogue dictators across the globe and now an increasingly antagonistic russia has been rewarded for bullying and threatening its neighbors. not since the carder administration has america looked so weak on the international stage. will this make us less safe? here to-to-face our, our democratic pollster and republican strategist doug high. all right, doug, how much of this is a republicans just wanting to oppose anything that the president does? >> you know, there's probably a part of that in every decision that president obama makes. but what's really telling isn't just what republicans are saying, it's what our allies are saying. the prime minister of poland today refused to take a phone call from secretary of state

hillary clinton. they're that upset about this. and not only is this an abandonment of poland, but that it was announced on the 70 anniversary of the soviet invasion of poland really is callous and some of the reasons they're so upset. >> what's callous about it? >> it's callous to make the decision that leaves poland vulnerable 70 years to the date that russia invaded poland. it seems clear. >> let me show you what senator john mccain said. he said this -- quote, the decision calls into question the security and diplomatic commitments the united states has made to poland and the czech republic and the potential to undermine per speved leadership in eastern europe. given the strong and enduring relationships we have forged since the end of the cold war, we should not, i believe, take steps backwards in strengthening these ties. what do you make of that? >> i think thinks language is a little bit better than the folks like congressman boehner and eric cantor, who want to ascribe

these negative molt vagtivation everything the president does. the truth is when we're looking at this defense system that will be ready seven years sooner from that of the previous president obama and his plan. it's not a complete reversal. it's a change so it's more responsive, ready sooner, costs less. and i think that in all of the rush to criticize everything that the president does, there's been an ignoring of these facts. also, it was unanimously recommended by secretary gates and the joint chiefs of staff. so the republicans criticizing this decision should think do they feel, you know, is this something secretary gates needs to really answer to senator mccain and congressman cantor? these folks i think need to respect a decision, the unanimous decision of the president's advisers. >> it's alex here. i want to talk about what the president said in explaining his decision. let's take a listen to what he said and we'll react on the other side. >> our new approach will

therefore deploy technologies that are proven and cost effective and that counter the current threat and do some sooner than the previous program. because our approach will be phased and adaptive, we will retain the flexibility to adjust and enhance our defenses at the threat and technology continue to evolve. >> so by those accounts, doug, it's meant to adjust and enhance. i mean certainly when it comes to security threats, they change over time. do you not disagree? >> we well, there no question threats change over time. certainly on september 10th, 2001, terrorism was not a number one concern to americans. i don't think that there's a problem with enhancing techniques or trying to enhance security. but, again, look at the reaction that's come from russia. russia loves this. poland doesn't. and poland's made vulnerable by this. the other thing i would add, we haven't really gotten any concessions it appears from

russia. we have not made any promises to stop sharing nuclear technology with iran. they have not made any promises to stop intim dating their neighbors. that's really troubling we didn't even get any diplomatic gains from this. >> margie, how do you expect the procession to go at the white house next week when president of rush comes to speak with obama. >> i think they will have a lot of things to talk about. there are a lot of other issues for them to talk about. i think the main thing to focus on when it comes to this issue is how does this program affect our safety and how does it address the threat of attack from other folks and from other countries like iran, and i think the president is addressing that. he's addressing that in his statement. he's addressing that by having the program be responsive as well as saving money. and i think we need to listen to the advice -- unanimous advice of secretary gates and the joint chefrz. >> marriagegie and dog, thank y both very much.

some things we thought you should know. tom delay vows to dance on and michele bachmann talks about who controls the nation's food supply. and on "hardball" with chris matthews, a look at what this hostile political environment is actually doing to our national political discourse. it's an important discussion. let friskies indoor wet cat food unlock the freshness... and freedom of the outdoors for your indoor cat. specially formulated to promote hairball control... and healthy weight. friskies indoor wet cat food. feed the senses. friskies indoor wet cat food. get wrapped up in the luscious taste of butternut squash, blended with delicate herbs. v8 golden butternut squash. from campbell's. a soup so velvety and delicious you won't be able to contain yourself. campbell's v8 soups. car insurance company in the nation. but, it's not like we're kicking back, now, havin' a cuppa tea. gecko vo: takes lots of sweat to become that big. gecko vo: 'course, geckos don't literally sweat... it's just not our thing...

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for the first time ever, the republican hammer moves to the left. tom delay's "dancing with the stars." >> you are kidding me. i have never seen that before.

>> i know. they really went all out. >> there's a lot going on today and here are some things we thought you should know. tom delay, as you saw in that video, may be down but don't count him out on "dancing with the stars." the former house majority leader recently suffered a previous stress fracture in his right foot. delay says he knows he has to follow doctor's orders and take it easy but he has no intention of giving up on the show. he tells tvguide.com, quote, i'm going to dance until the foot breaks. he's going to go the distance. he knows what it's like to get in a fight and battle. >> i'm sorry, that's the weirdest promo i have ever seen. >> it's kind of intense. i have to say the network has gone all out on that one. >> and michele bachmann isn't one to shy away from controversy. the minnesota republican issued a warning on the house floor earlier this week suggesting president obama may not just limit our energy usage but our food supply as well. listen to this --

>> what about food? president obama said we can't eat as much food as we want and think the rest of the world will be okay about that, as if that matters to freedom-loving americans. now will the white house decide how many calories we consume or what types of food we consume? >> what? >> sometimes i'm rendered speechless. it's not often but i think on that one i was. moving on to this, this document shows the department of homeland security pulled governor mark sanford's classified information to a trip to argentina. the state department sent him a letter saying his actions raised questions about his judgment and trust worthiness. the letter was sent a week after sanford admitted to have an extra marital affair. do you think, level of judgment and trustworthiness. please. so those are the things norah and i thought you should know. >> clearly. i love talking about mark sanford. for some reason, i can't get

enough of that story. >> it is significant. i think the department of homeland security didn't trust him. >> i absolutely agree. >> let's talk about health care. >> we will turn back to that now. republican senator olympia snowe has emerged as the crucial lawmaker in this debate. >> she could be the 60th vote to pass the vote. earlier today she sat down with an interview with cnbc's john harwood and now john harwood is live with us live from washington. john, good to see you. i understand you spoke with senator snowe. what did she tell you? >> she didn't commit to how she's going to vote. she said she wants changes in the bill that max baucus laid down for the finance committee yesterday but everybody's looking for signals and body language to see where this is going to end up, whether she's going to be on the side of the administration and democrats in the end. and on one of the questions i thought she sent a signal that indicates the white house has reason to be optimistic. i asked her whether she thought that barack obama was a big government liberal. here's what she had to say -- >> he seems to me to be very well informed, well briefed,

well versed, seriously immersed in the issue recognizing the implications and he understands that there are fundamental differences and desperate views and how controversial they can be. in fact, i have gotten an impression that he would probably do less than more. >> so when i asked her whether or not he was a moderate, she said more moderate than liberal, she said he wasn't a -- he wasn't a socialist or a big government guy. and i think there's some ways in which actually she wants to increase this bill. she wants more subsidies for low income people, which is something, alex and norah, i think some little democrats could agree with her on. >> john, what about the letter that she joined in today, sort of commending senator baucus that she authored along with senators lieberman, nelson and macaskill. what does that mean? >> well, she said that, that was an encouraging sign about her confidence in the cost controls in the bill. one of the concerns that moderates and some liberals as

well have had is how can we pay for this, how is this going to affect our deficit situation? the cbo has indicated that it will reduce the budget deficit over the next ten years by $49 billion. she said she likes that and would like to have the finance committee take the viewpoint that any changes to the bill be offset, any additions in spending as she supports for subsidies, be offset by new rev lieu. she likes the basic contours of the cost controls. >> but is she going to vote for it? >> we don't know yet and that's going -- we're going find out in the markup. but if i had to go out on a limb, i'd say i think that's more likely than not. she said she was optimistic rather than pessimistic that this was going to get done. that the time has come to pass health care reform. >> 59 democratic senators, are they going to all vote for it, john? >> i think there are two different questions. one is all of the democrats going to vote for it on a filibuster vote to take it to the floor, and i think the answer to that, there's a good chance it will be yes. they migee